Uudised

In addition to the National Team Estonia, also Peloton, Hawaii Express mixed team and Lõuna-Eesti rattaklubi mixed team will start. The maximum number of riders will be fielded, i.e., six riders per team.

Kristel Sandra Soonik from the National Team Estonia who took second place at the Ladies Tour of Estonia 2022, said that the place achieved last year has not created any special tension for this year's race. "I'm going to give my best. "Participating in last year's race certainly does not give me a special advantage over the competitors, but I still know the course quite well and I think that the race will be done in Tartu city loops like last year," said Soonik.

Andri Lebedev, the representative of the National Team Estonia, added that the wind direction and its strength play an important role on the race. "We will set the exact plan for the competition on the morning of the race day," said Lebedev.

In addition to Kristel Sandra Soonik, also Liisa Ehrberg, Laura Lizette Sander, Elisabeth Ebras and Elina Tasane are currently confirmed as riders representing the National Team Estonia. The last three girls ride in different teams under the UCI Women's Teams. According to Lebedev, the competition calendar of these teams provides strong and high-quality race kilometres, which make the athlete both tactically and physically stronger. "In Estonia and in the Baltics in general, there are very few of women's road races. However, if a rider does not have UCI-level races, it is difficult to stay competitive," states Lebedev.

Economically difficult times are testing competition organizers both in Estonia and abroad. Lebedev has stated that Ladies Tour of Estonia is a very significant race ´and a very appreciated initiative by Club Tartu Marathon. "The UCI race, which takes place at home, will definitely increase the ambition of young people to train and do sports. Unlike men in the junior class, women can compete in this race already in their last junior class year. This is the time when a rider can start to think about whether she wants to continue cycling as a hobby or she wants to fulfil her dreams on higher level." In this year's Ladies Tour of Estonia, three Estonian juniors will participate in the competition, riding under the Lõuna-Eesti rattaklubi mixed team.

According to Lebedev participating in the Ladies Tour of Estonia can encourage the rider to set increasingly higher goals for participating in UCI competitions. "If I can do it here, I can do it there too," Lebedev describes the mindset of the riders. In addition, according to Lebedev, the Ladies Tour of Estonia is also a good springboard for joining a team at the UCI level. "You can already start writing a CV if you have achieved the top 6 place here, " Lebedev confirmed.

The list of women's teams and competitors participating in the Ladies Tour of Estonia can be found here.

The race program is available here.