Two days in Luxembourg
The Ceratizit Festival Elsy Jacobs is a second-division women’s race that takes place annually in Luxembourg and pays tribute to the first women to become world champion, Elsy Jacobs (1958). This year, the race is held two days before the start of La Vuelta Femenina, so a particularly strong starting list is not expected, as the top stars of the peloton are already in Spain to prepare for the first grand tour of the women's calendar.
Route
The Ceratizit Festival Elsy Jacobs has seen its competition days reduced from 3 to 2 for this edition, as the usual time trial prologue has been eliminated. Therefore, the race consists of only two stages that, although categorized as flat, include some ramps that can eliminate pure sprinters.
Favorites
With only 3 days to go until the start of the race, the starting list is still in a very early stage, making it impossible to make predictions. At the moment, Marta Bastianelli (800) is the top favorite to repeat the victory achieved last year, and from the provisional list, the main alternatives should be Christine Majerus (400), Marta Lach (400), Arianna Fidanza (200), Maria Martins (200), or even Bastianelli's teammate on the UAE Team ADQ, Sofia Bertizzolo (800).
Photo: © Ceratizit Festival Elsy Jacobs