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Ladies and gentlemen, welcome back to the Saar's Pedal Passion Awards! We’re continuing our celebration of women's cycling excellence, with three more awards to present this week.
Each week, we highlight the achievements and memorable moments from the season, leading up to our final award for the Best Rider.
Remember, each rider, situation, or cycling staff member can only win one trophy per year.
So, grab a seat and enjoy the excitement as we unveil today’s award winners!
Battle Face of the Year
Awarded to the rider who displays the fiercest battle face, demonstrating exceptional determination and grit.
Battle Face of the Year, it's one of those trophies everyone agrees on. Who in the women's peloton showed more determination than Justine Ghekiere this year? I don't know, so I won't name other opponents because there simply aren't any. ;-)
First things first, let’s thank COVID-19 and the lockdown, because without that stupid virus, there wouldn't be a Justine Ghekiere taking this award home. In 2020, while working as a lifeguard on the coast of Knokke and also as a personal coach, she never dreamed of becoming a pro cyclist. But then the lockdown hit, making it impossible for her to practice her job. So, she did what literally no one else would do (LOL). She biked constantly while entering competitions to win a fitness test. She rode so well and so much that she was disqualified because they thought she cheated. Nothing could be further from the truth. Once she gathered the proof that it was actually her, she got what she deserved.
After that, everything went incredibly fast for Ghekiere. Her results were so impressive that she landed a pro contract with Fenix-Deceuninck, where she later showed enough talent and potential to earn a spot on AG Insurance - Soudal.
Less than four years on the bike, and she won the QOM jersey in both the Giro and the Tour, went to the Olympics and played an essential part in her leader becoming worldchampion on the road. Who else can say they've done that?
Ghekiere's grit and determination are truly admirable. Even when she bumped into her team car in the Giro and spent hours in the ER getting her lip stitched, she found the strength to start the next day and give it her all. This ultimately led to her winning the Maglia Azzurra (jersey for the best climber).
You don’t remember that? No problem! Rewatch the highlights of the last and deciding stages here:
That said, there’s no one who has come close to the combination of determination and grit that Ghekiere has. Let’s hope we get to see her amazing battle face even more next season!
Winner of "The Battle Face Of The Year Award": Justine Ghekiere
Congrats Justine!
Future Star
The Rider That Will Be a Revelation in the upcoming seasons.
Someone deserving of the Future Star award needs to tick a lot of boxes. But truth be told, there probably aren’t enough boxes for Cat Ferguson. From road to track and even cyclocross, she succeeded in becoming Junior World Champion on the track and road. In cyclocross, she already became vice world champion.
Cat Ferguson is undoubtedly the most talented rider of her generation, and it didn’t stop there this year. The 18-year-old got the chance to do an internship with the Women’s World Tour team: Movistar. An internship, mostly meant to gather experience and learn from the best to elevate your cycling career, or at least I would think so. Resulted in an unexpected pro win at Binche-Chimay-Binche. By beating experienced pro cyclists like Christina Schweinberger and Charlotte Kool, she proved that she’s a real talent.
Without putting too much pressure on her, I'm confident we can expect a lot from the young British rider in the coming years!
Winner of the Future Star Award 2024: Cat Ferguson
Congrats Cat!
Rookie Rocket
Honors the Revelation of the Year among newcomers.
Just like Ferguson, we have a real multitalent on our hands with Puck Pieterse. Although the 22-year-old was already one of the best in the world at cyclocross and mountain biking, this was the first year she really took road racing seriously.
And it turned out pretty well, multiple top-ten finishes in the classics, wearing the polka dot and white jerseys in the Tour de France Femmes, and even winning a stage. That stage win was a real close fight with Demi Vollering, as you can see (and hear) in this video I took at the finish of the Valkenburg-Liège stage.
I’m sorry to break this to you, but just like with the previous two awards, there weren’t really many competitors for Pieterse.
However, I do want to give some an honorable mention to the newcomer Marion Bunel and Kim Le Court, who put Mauritius on the map this year! (Literally, because I didn’t even know it existed or where it’s located). o-:
Thank you for reading my blog again! I hope you enjoyed it and can agree with my award winners! ;-)
Don't hesitate to contact me here in the chat function or on my socials by DM if you have a suggestion, question or have noticed a typo. Hope to see you in the next blog where I will reveal the winners of the Oops I Did It Again, Surprise Sensation, and Laughter on Two Wheels Awards! You don't want to miss it! <3
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