Voting is now open for the second part of Voxwomen’s Sharon Laws Rider of the Year award, in partnership with the Rouleur Classic, the world’s finest road cycling exhibition.
Voxwomen Sharon Laws Rider of the spring poll
Last year’s winner, after three rounds of voting and a final decision made by an expert panel, was La Course conqueror and rider of the summer, Annemiek van Vleuten.
This year the award will be decided after two public votes to find the riders of spring and summer. The two with the most votes from each round will go through to a final round poll to find the overall winner.
The two riders who received the most votes from the spring poll were Amanda Spratt and Anna Van der Breggen. The overall winner will be announced at the Rouleur Classic on November 1-3 in central London.
Those that have been shortlisted in the summer period of 2018, covering any races from April’s Tour of Chongming Island to the Boels Ladies Tour, are:
Emilia Fahlin – Wiggle High5
Fahlin is usually a domestique for Wiggle High 5, but given her opportunity at the Ladies Tour of Norway, she took it with both hands. She made it onto the podium on every stage behind Marianne Vos and ended up finishing 2nd overall.
Coryn Rivera – Sunweb
It’s not often that you see a sprinter take the overall title a stage race – the fast women (and men) are usually happy to settle for stages. Although Coryn Rivera did manage to take one of the five wins on offer at the Women’s Tour in June, it was her impressively dogged pursuit of every bonus second going which ensured that once she had the leader’s jersey she kept it.
Dani Rowe – WaowDeals Pro Cycling
The former track rider and Olympic Gold medalist has really established herself on the road this summer. Rowe has found herself on the podium with ever increasing frequency, and seems to particularly enjoy her home roads.
Second in both the Great Britain national championships road race and the Tour de Yorkshire, with a third overall at the Women’s Tour, give her a great platform to build on going into 2019.
Annemiek van Vleuten – Mitchelton-Scott
It’s La Course, of course. At least, that was where Van Vleuten most publicly wowed this summer, as she managed to snatch a victory from the gaping jaws of defeat.
Just a few days before that the Dutchwoman had taken the most prestigious stage race prize on the Women’s WorldTour calendar – the Giro Rosa.
Marianne Vos – WaowDeals Pro Cycling
The most successful cyclist of her generation had been having – by her standards – a relatively quiet couple of years. A stage win at the Giro Rosa was the first sign that things were starting to come good for Marianne Vos, before everything clicked when the Women’s WorldTour hit Scandinavia in August.
Vos won the Crescent Vårgårda with one of the most impressive pieces of corner-taking you’ll see all year, before going on to take every stage – and the overall – at the Tour of Norway.
Kirsten Wild – Wiggle High5
Just the one year for Wild at the soon-to-be defunct Wiggle High5, but a pretty impressive return on investment. The second part of the season saw the venerable Dutch sprinter take stages at the Tour de Yorkshire and the Giro Rosa, as well as winning her second London Classique title. She shows no sign of stopping, either. WNT-Rotor announced last month that Wild will be riding for them through 2020.
The post Vote for the Sharon Laws Road Rider of the summer appeared first on The world's finest cycling magazine.
