Expert digital fitness companion Pillar, which provides personalized dynamic coaching for cyclists of all levels, will be the presenting partner of the Sprints competition at this year’s Women’s Tour (6 – 11 June).
Recognising a gap in the market, Pillar uses finely tuned algorithms to create training programs tailored specifically to individual needs and goals and adjusts recommendations based on individual performance data.
Pillar evaluates all your cycling, tells you how it’s progressing you towards your goal, and how it adds up from a fatigue perspective, so you don’t overtrain. Pillar gives you freedom in your training – telling you the highest priority sessions to do, and gives alternatives. Pillar also updates your training recommendations based on your evolving fitness and activity levels.
The team behind Pillar are world-class coaches, professional athletes, and sports scientists are also active participants in the cycling community, sharing their experiences, recommendations and answering questions regarding fitness and nutrition.
Commenting on the new partnership, Pillar founder Dan Wakerley, said “We are very excited to be partnering with the women’s tour. From day one in our journey, we have been driven to build a product that deeply understands and supports athletes at all levels be at their best in their fitness and health journey. Partnering with the professional Women’s Tour represents a significant opportunity to deliver on this ambition with athletes at the pinnacle of their sport”
Each of the six stages of the Women’s Tour will feature two intermediate Pillar Sprints, with the first three riders across the line at each taking 3-2-1 points as well as matching time bonuses.
Recent winners of the Pillar Sprints jersey include Nina Kessler (2021) and Coryn Labecki (2019 and 2018).
Commenting on the partnership, Women’s Tour Commercial Director Miles Rose, said; “We are delighted to be welcoming Pillar to our partnership family. It’s been a somewhat challenging period in the partnerships market here in the UK over the past six to twelve months, so to find brands that want to support and champion our events is brilliant news. We welcome the support of the team and Pillar and can’t wait to work side by side to achieve our joint goals and objectives.”
This year’s Women’s Tour begins in Colchester (Monday 6 June) for a stage to Bury St Edmunds in Suffolk. Following stage two in Harlow, subsequent legs will visit Gloucestershire (stage three, Wednesday 8 June) and Wales (stages four and five on Thursday 9 and Friday 10 June). The Women’s Tour will conclude in Oxfordshire on Saturday 11 June with a stage between picturesque Chipping Norton, in the Cotswolds, and the heart of historic Oxford.
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About Pillar
The idea for Pillar began in 2017 when our founder, Dan Wakerley, was training for the Étape du Tour. Like many amateur cyclists, he was keen to improve, however fitting training around his uncertain schedule was a challenge.
That’s why the Pillar team is working behind the scenes to build an intelligent digital solution. We understand the limitations that come from cookie-cutter training plans found online. Pillar was made to answer the struggles of the amateur cyclist who wants to improve, and needs structure, motivation and the bespoke understanding, that historically only human coach has been able to provide.
For more visit www.pillar-app.com
About the Women’s Tour
Stages
- Stage one Colchester to Bury St Edmunds Monday 6 June
- Stage two Harlow to Harlow Tuesday 7 June
- Stage three Tewkesbury to Gloucester Wednesday 8 June
- Stage four Wrexham to Welshpool Thursday 9 June
- Stage five Pembrey Country Park to Black Mountain Friday 10 June
- Stage six Chipping Norton to Oxford Saturday 11 June
Competing teams
- UCI Women’s World Teams: Canyon//SRAM Racing (Germany), EF Education – TIBCO – SVB (USA, FDJ Nouvelle-Aquitaine Futuroscope (France), Human Powered Health (USA), Liv Racing Xstra (Netherlands), Movistar Team (Spain), Team BikeExchange – Jayco (Australia), Team DSM (Germany), Team Jumbo – Visma (Netherlands). Team SD Worx (Netherlands), Trek-Segafredo (USA), UAE Team ADQ (UAE), Uno-X Pro Cycling Team (Norway)
- UCI Women’s Continental Teams: CAMS – Basso (Great Britain), CERATIZIT – WNT Pro Cycling (Germany), Le Col – Wahoo (Great Britain), Team Coop – Hitec Products (Norway)
Created by SweetSpot Group in 2014, the Women’s Tour is the UK’s first international stage race for women, bringing the world’s top riders to compete in Great Britain as a part of the UCI Women’s WorldTour.
The race, which has been won by the likes of Marianne Vos (2014), Lizzie Deignan (2016, 2019) and Demi Vollering (2021), attracts an annual roadside audience of 300,000, as well as over three million fans through linear and online platforms.
Follow the Women’s Tour on Twitter (#WomensTour), Facebook, and Instagram or via the event’s official website at womenstour.co.uk.
For further media information please contact Peter Hodges (07970 526 519 / peterh@thetour.co.uk) and Nick Bull (07977 151 184 / nickb@thetour.co.uk).