in 2017 Ana Isabel Idrovo created the cycling group women on bike. After six years, this group became the first women’s multidisciplinary team to participate in the main sports competitions (cycling and triathlon) in the country in 2023.
His name is Liv-Tuscany and is already affiliated with the Ecuadorian Cycling Federation
“The next step had to be taken,” explains Ana Isabel about the decision. Together with the brands that are part of the project, they decided that the support should be complete, and give cyclists and triathletes good quality bikes, clothing, nutrition, sports psychology and professional trainers (in charge of Bet Endurance), and other things necessary for them to compete in the elite categories of their disciplines.
At the beginning they thought of calling the athletes who occupy the first places of the rankings of cycling and triathlon at the local level, but they realized that they already have support from public or private companies. Then they made a call in which they chose athletes with the potential to reach those ‘top’ places, but that need financial support.
The chosen ones were:
- Road cycling: Belén Cabrera, Cristina Argoti, Daniela Machuca, Estefanía Rivera and Ana Isabel Idrovo.
- Mountain biking (MTB): Valentina Rodas, Shirley Sánchez, Dayana Machuca, Dianita Jami, Samantha Ortiz and Estefi Ulloa.
- Cycling (enduro): Ana Isabel Idrovo, Julia Lasso and Isabel Argüello.
- Triathlon: Daniela Guamán and María Paula Pazmiño.
The members range from 15 to 41 years old and are from Quito, Cuenca, Ibarra and Portoviejo.
How are the workouts?
Being professional athletes, each of them trains in their city, and from time to time they will do development camps. The next one will be in May, in Manta.
The Liv-Toscana team will compete in provincial, national, Pan-American events and also in unofficial competitions, as was L’Etape Ecuador, which took place last Sunday, January 29, where some members managed to place themselves on the podium in their categories.
A long and empowering process
Ana Isabel tells that she was a bicyclist since she was 7 years old and that she was always the only woman in a world of men, then “I dreamed of sharing with more women.”
For this reason, when she returned from a stay in Argentina, she decided to create Mujeres en Bici, seeking to encourage the use of this vehicle as a means of transportation and as a sport.
Together with five other girls they started the project that now has more than 200 members in Cuenca, Quito, Guayaquil, Manta, Latacunga, Riobamba, La Maná, El Empalme. There is also a group of Women on Bikes in Peru.
With Mujeres en Bici, which is currently a foundation, and now with the professional team Liv-Toscana, Ana Isabel continues fulfilling his dream of being the example of new generations and helping to promote sports in Ecuador. (YO)
Source: Eluniverso
Tristin is an accomplished author and journalist, known for his in-depth and engaging writing on sports. He currently works as a writer at 247 News Agency, where he has established himself as a respected voice in the sports industry.
