Frenchwoman Biannic locks Movistar extension ahead of Tour de France Femmes
‘It's going to be a really special month of July for me, with that first Tour Femmes for me, in my country, with my home crowds’
Aude Biannic has extended her contract with Movistar until 2024, ahead of a crucial stretch of the season for the Spanish squad with the Giro d'Italia Donne and Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift rapidly approaching.
She has been part of the team since its inception in 2018, and with this contract extension will remain riding for Movistar for at least seven seasons.
Boasting Annemiek van Vleuten on their roster, Movistar are targeting overall victory at the eight-day Tour de France Femmes – a race that holds extra significance for Breton Biannic who will be competing on home roads.
“The choice to stay was easy to take, because of the confidence everyone puts on me,” Biannic said. “I'm heading into the upcoming few months with great excitement - our goal is to do our best at the Giro Donne and Tour Femmes, with such a great team, and our ambition to go for GC success at both, and the morale is really high at the moment.
“It's going to be a really special month of July for me, with that first Tour Femmes for me, in my country, with my home crowds. I just hope I can get there in my best condition to give my maximum and hopefully offer the Movistar Team fans some great joy."
Back in 2018, Biannic took Movistar’s first international victory by winning the prologue at the Lotto Belgium Tour. Since then, she has become an integral part of the team supporting both Emma Norsgaard in the sprints and classics, and Van Vleuten in the GC.
As well as acting as a domestique, Biannic has collected some strong results during her time at Movistar including a fifth overall at The Women’s Tour last year and sixth overall at the Ladies Tour of Norway in 2018.
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"I'm so proud to be able to continue with this team, who have already become a true family for me, feeling so at ease with every single member,” Biannic said. “It's going to be already seven years with the team, and I see everyone growing every season, both the individuals and the team as a whole improving every year, which is so motivating.”
Sebastián Unzué, the team manager, hailed Biannic as one of the key reasons behind the Movistar’s success.
“She’s earned the confidence of all our leaders, and rightfully so, because her work is impeccable,” he said, “and, when she’s enjoyed the chance to also fight for results for herself, she’s performed at a very high level. It was so important for us to confirm her inside the team for the future.”
Issy Ronald has just graduated from the London School of Economics where she studied for an undergraduate and masters degree in History and International Relations. Since doing an internship at Procycling magazine, she has written reports for races like the Tour of Britain, Bretagne Classic and World Championships, as well as news items, recaps of the general classification at the Grand Tours and some features for Cyclingnews. Away from cycling, she enjoys reading, attempting to bake, going to the theatre and watching a probably unhealthy amount of live sport.