A fixture on the women's international racing calendar, International Lotto Thüringen Ladies Tour has placed a bid to be part of the 2024 Women's WorldTour.
Currently part of the Pro Series, the long-running stage race will take place from May 23-28, 2023 in Germany.
“We wrestled with each other for a long time and weighed the pros and cons. I only want to hold the LOTTO Thüringen Ladies Tour in the future if we have some of the world’s best at the start. No one can guarantee me that without World Tour status. That’s why we submitted the application," Race Director Vera Hohlfeld told ProCycling UK. "The biggest hurdle was finding a suitable date for 2024. We submitted two proposals.”
Thüringen Ladies Tour held its inaugural edition in 1988 and was a long-time 1.2 -level event until joining the Pro Series in 2020, but was forced to cancel that year due to COVID-19, that halted the cycling season from March through the beginning of August.
Former champions of the Thüringen Ladies Tour include Ina Teutenberg, Hanka Kupfernagel, Mirjam Melchers, Nicole Cooke, Judith Arndt, Elena Cecchini, Lisa Brennauer, Kathrin Hammes, Lucinda Brand and Alexandra Manly, who won the overall title last year.
Organisers demonstrated their ability to offer live coverage of the six-day race last year and intend to further show the UCI its ability to meet all the requirements to be part of the top tier of racing.
“We’ve done our homework. The 2023 tour will clearly be an application for 2024, where we want to present ourselves in the best possible way. We see ourselves well prepared and can implement all the requirements. After that, it’s up to the UCI to judge us," Marian Koppe told ProCycling UK.
Lotto Thüringen Ladies Tour - May 23-28
- Stage 1: Schleiz to Schleiz, 9.1km (TTT)
- Stage 2: Gera to Gera, 153.5km
- Stage 3: Schmölln to Schmölln, 94.6km
- Stage 4: Gotha to Gotha, 135.5km
- Stage 5: Schmalkalden to Schmalkalden, 132.6km
- Stage 6: Mühlhausen to Mühlhausen, 126.2km
