GP de Plouay Bretagne 2013

31.08.2013 Official Site
France, One-day Road Race,
UCI CDM

With the Women's World Cup consisting of only eight rounds this year (a loss of one third when compared to 2006, when there were twelve, but no different to 2012 and still an improvement on 1998, the first year the competition was held, when there were six), we've been left with a rather peculiar situation in which three rounds were held within a three week period in March, then there was another one in April and another in May before a three-month wait until the Vargarda team time trial and road race rounds, which take place on the same weekend. Two weeks after Vargarda it's the GP de Plouay-Bretagne and then, once that's over, so is the World Cup - and so we begin to approach the end of another cycling season.

Cup standings before the race
1 Marianne VOS (Rabobank-Liv/Giant) 354pts
2 Emma JOHANSSON (Orica-AIS) 252pts
3 Ellen VAN DIJK (Specialized-Lululemon) 224pts

With 75 points on offer to the winner, we're in a similar situation to 2012 when Marianne Vos started the race with an unassailable advantage of 84 points. This year, her advantage is even greater at 102 points; she is, therefore, guaranteed a fifth Cup victory (others: 2007, 2009, 2010, 2012). However, Ellen van Dijk trails Emma Johansson by only 28 points, meaning that she could still take second place - their Lululemon and Orica teams have proven many times that they are evenly-matched rivals, setting the scene for an epic battle. Fourth place Elisa Longo Borghini trails van Dijk by 68 points, meaning that she could take third place if she wins (for a breakdown of points awarded to each position, see the bottom of this article) and van Dijk does poorly, but cannot challenge for a higher place than that. Anna van der Breggen, in fifth, trails van Dijk by 101 points and thus cannot challenge for a podium position.

Don't take your eyes off Vos, though: she could stop off halfway round the parcours for a couple of beers if she felt like it, but that's not her style - she'll fight every bit as hard for a final first place over the finish line as she has at every other race she's taken part in. After all, she didn't need to win this race last year - but she still did, and by 35".

Previous Winners
2002 Regina Schleicher
2003 Nicole Cooke
2004 Edita Pucinskaite
2005 Noemi Cantele
2006 Nicole Brändli
2007 Noemi Cantele
2008 Fabiana Luperini
2009 Emma Pooley
2010 Emma Pooley
2011 Annemiek van Vleuten
2012 Marianne Vos

Since its inauguration, Plouay has earned a reputation as one of the most well-organised and fun events on the Elite Women's calendar and the committe makes sure there's plenty enough going on to keep the huge crowds that show up to watch happy even when no racing is taking place - with a selection of music, food, drink and all sorts of other entertainments also on offer, it attracts people with no interest in cycling and are simply looking for a good day out, which also makes it the ideal event to visit with your family if you've not yet persuaded them that cycling is something they ought to show some interest in. It all comes together to form a superb showcase for cycling, so who knows - it might be this race that finally gets them to see the light.

The Parcours
The race takes an almost identical route to the 2012 edition with only a few minor changes to the parcours leading through Plouay shortly after the start line. These changes do not alter the length of the circuit, which remains 27km; as was the case last year the riders will complete five laps (in red on the official maps, blue on the Les Déesses map; the shorter, blue circuit depicted on the official map is the parcours used by some of the other events taking place).

Back in 2000, Plouay hosted the World Championships and, just north of the velodrome on a road named the Boulevard des Championnats du Monde in honour of the event, a hard-surfaced area was created to host the event "village" with plenty of space for the team vehicles and race infrastructure. This area was preserved and is now used for the GP village; opposite it is a raised grassy area that, for those spectators who can find space among the vast crowds that pack onto it, offers excellent views of the spectacularly fast starts along the straight and slightly downhill initial 0.5km as the riders head into the first corner.


View GP de Plouay Bretagne 2013 in a larger map

Once past the unspeakably ugly Carrefour and Netto supermarkets just past the start line the riders head into the first corner, a tight left with a drain cover placed in the middle of the left-hand carriageway (potentially a hazard in the wet). Moments later, they pass a fuel station and then turn left again to join the D178 leading through the outskirts of Plouay to the first climb, Cote du Lezot. The summit is marked by a footbridge; just past it is another raised area alongside the road which forms another good point from which to watch the race. The route begins to climb again shortly afterwards and looks reasonably steep around the next bend, a non-technical left leading towards the village of Kerscoulic; beyond the village at Questenen Plaine is an easy right turn onto the D110.

The race follows the D110 for several kilometres through the Foret Domaniale de Pont-Calleck, an area of stunning natural beauty but one where the roads, as with all forests, can be treacherously slippery due to wet leaves after wind and rain. Soon they cross a bridge over the Le Scorff river and come to a roundabout, heading right to follow the course of the river north to Chateau de Pont-Calleck. The road rises and falls, but the route is primarily uphill. After bending left, the road starts to climb more steeply on the approach to Chapelle Ste Anne de Bois, a tiny church that looks like a miniaturised Baroque cathedral. Anne is the patron saint of lost objects; if hope is an object perhaps riders who suffered on the climb to reach her chapel will refind it on the fast, flat 5.1km that now takes them to the same roundabout they visited earlier. At the end of the road, the right turn to join the D204 is very tight and leads immediately into a fast descent.

The D204 ends at another roundabout, where the race turns left and then left again onto the D769, a wide and fast road with none of the charm of those running through the forest. Very soon, they leave the road by turning right and then immediately left, taking a road that is little more than a track running alongside the D769. It's not the more pleasant of the two routes, however, because it takes in the Minojenn du Calvaire climb which is as steep as 13% at points. Once over it, they rejoin the D769 and continue to the Cote de Ty-Marrec, the final climb of the circuit, and then enter the last 5km. A sharp left turn with a traffic island leads from the D769 to the D760BIS, which the riders will follow around a right-hand bend (and past more trees, hence more hazards if the weather is bad) and back toward Plouay. A road joining from the right marks 1km to go; the remainder is flat and straight all the way to the finish line and, if no rider manages to get away earlier on as Vos did in 2012, makes a fast bunch finish likely.

Start List

Click to enlarge. List is provisional.

How to follow the race
Regular updates are posted on the official website, with images at Plouay TV (turn the sound down if you're at work). Unfortunately, the organisers do not seem to have set up a Twitter account; however, Hitec-UCK manager Karl Lima, Boels-Dolmans mechanic Richie Steege and journalists Bart Hazen and Anton Vos all Tweet live from the races they attend.

Points awarded according to position: 1: 75 - 2: 50 - 3: 35 - 4: 30 - 5: 27 - 6: 24 - 7: 21 - 8: 18 - 9: 15 - 10: 11 - 11: 10 - 12: 9 - 13: 8 - 14: 7 - 15: 6 - 16: 5 - 17: 4 - 18: 3 - 19: 2 - 20: 1 

Women's Cycling News 14-21.07.2013

UCI races this week - Women's TdF petition smashes target, Prudhomme stays quiet - Journos fail to understand petition's aims - Thuringen Rundfahrt (Stage 1, 2, 3, Daisy Depoorter seriously injured, 4, 5) - Cordon wins Tour de Bretagne - Tour Feminin en Limousin - Hitec manager and rider escape car crash unharmed - Interesting Links - more to come...

UCI Elite Women races this week: Tour de Bretagne (11-14.07); Thuringen Rundfahrt (15-21.07); U23 European TT Championship (18.07); Tour Féminin en Limousin (18-21.07); U23 European Road Race Championship (21.07)

Women's TdF petition smashes target
Last week, I reported on the petition started by Kathryn Bertine, Emma Pooley, Marianne Vos and Chrissie Wellington in an attempt to persuade Tour de France owners/organisers the Amaury Sport Organisation to introduce a new women's version of the race - ideally, as early as next year. They aimed to collect 10,000 signatures.

That target was rapidly reached, so they've increased it to 15,000 - and at the time of writing, it needs just 950 more to hit its new target. If you haven't added your name so far, you can do so here. Please encourage others to add theirs too!

Note - by the 18th of July, a few days after I wrote the above, the petition had 35,790 signatures and was aiming for 50,000. You can follow the petition's progress via Twitter. See also: "Emma Pooley on women’s Tour de France sponsors, money & scheduling" at Road.cc

Tour director Prudhomme

Prudhomme: "We are saying nothing for the moment"

Tour de France director Christian Prudhomme refused to be drawn on the subject when journalists tried to persuade him to reveal his thoughts - and perhaps ASO machinations - regarding the proposed women's race, reportedly dismissing the question with a Gallic wave of the hand before telling his audience that the organisation is "saying nothing at the moment."

It's too early to decide whether this was a lack of interest as some websites have claimed, however - I have been informed by a professional rider that the ASO has in fact shown some indication that it would be keen for a women's Tour to go ahead given sufficient interest.

...Stupid journalism of the Week
Women's Tour de France: A journo completely misses the point

While we all have a good laugh at this one, it's worth remembering that plenty of people with little or no interest in women's cycling will accept the author's misinterpretation of the petition's aims without question, think to themselves "well what's the point of that, then?" and then won't add their signature. It's up to us all - fans and riders alike - to make sure people understand what the Women's Tour would be and why it would be a good thing, for women's cycling and for cycling in general.

It seems that Zach Berger, author of the SportsGrid piece, is not alone. Fox Sports - part of Fox Entertainment Group which is owned by Team Sky sponsors 21st Century Fox (chairman and CEO: Rupert Murdoch, who is also executive chairman of News Corp, the majority owner of British Sky Broadcasting) - published a similar piece that is equally full of inaccuracies on the same day. The title, "Vos wants to ride in Tour de France," is itself misleading, though apparently unintentionally.

 "[Vos] is among a group of cyclists, including British Olympian Emma Pooley, who have launched an online petition urging Tour de France organizers to let women participate in next year's race," it claims, in the second paragraph. Er - no she isn't, because no such group exists. She is, on the other hand, part of a group of cyclists that launched a petition asking the ASO to organised a new Tour de France for women, as previously existed.

It then claims that: "The riders backing the petition said letting women race in the men's Tour, ''will also create an equal opportunity to debunk the myths of physical `limitations' placed upon female athletes.'' Also not true. The riders (and thousands of supporters) say that organising a women's Tour using the same infrastructure as the men's race will help to demonstrate that women's cycling can be as exciting for and popular among spectators as men's cycling, which in turn attracts new sponsors - beneficial to them and to cycling in general.

Thuringen Rundfahrt
Race preview here
Stage 1
Christine Majerus (Sengers) was first to the summit of the first climb in the race, less than 9km from the start, and now leads in the climbers' competition. A five-rider group then used the following descent to try to form a break, but the peloton wasn't going to let them get away so early and soon had them back. Annemiek van Vleuten took the first intermediate sprint, then Hanka Kupfernagel took the top points on the next climb.

By the time the race reached the second intermediate sprint, the pack had settled into some sort of order with those riders in contention for a stage win already in their chosen positions, which saw Emma Johansson sail through in first place. Johansson won this race in 2011 and already looks like she means to win again this year - and apparently isn't going to waste any time in stamping her authority on it, because she seriously impressed when she won the four-up sprint to the line on her own and without support from a lead-out, a situation that she - unlike most sprinters - says suits her, her Orica-AIS team mates having been forced to respond to a late attack by Linda Villumsen (Wiggle-Honda) that wasn't caught until 500m before the finish.

Christine Majerus (Sengers) leads in the climbers' competition, Alena Amialiusik (BePink) is the leading young rider and Linda Villumsen (Wiggle-Honda) won the Combativity Prize for the stage.

Stage 1 Top Ten
1 Emma JOHANSSON (Orica-AIS) 1h43'28"
2 Elizabeth ARMITSTEAD (Boels-Dolmans) ST
3 Annemiek VAN VLEUTEN (Rabo-Liv/Giant) ST
4 Eleonora VAN DIJK (Specialized-Lululemon) ST
5 Alena AMIALIUSIK (BePink) +02"
6 Charlotte BECKER (Wiggle-Honda) ST
7 Emilia FAHLIN (Hitec Products-UCK) ST
8 Tatiana GUDERZO (MCipollini-Giordana) ST
9 Anna VAN DER BREGGEN (Sengers) ST
10 Cecilie Gotaas JOHNSEN (Hitec Products-UCK) ST
Full stage result and General Classification

Stage 2
If Chloe McConville, who is riding for the Australia NT in the Rundfahrt, wants to get herself signed up to a professional Elite team, she certainly knows how to get herself noticed - quite a few directeurs sportif will have watched her matching Wiggle-Honda's Anna-Bianca Schnitzmeier in a two-rider break that escaped the peloton 49km into the race and wasn't caught until the finish line came within 10km, and they'll have made a mental note to keep an eye on her performances over the remainder of the season to see what else the 2003 Australian Novices MTB XC Champion can do.

Chloe McConville ‏@chloemc87  
Hurting but loving every minute of it... Enough said.. #thuringenrundfahrt

Johansson controls the GC

Impressive though the duo had been, there was no way a peloton led by the likes of Emma Johansson (Orica-AIS), Marta Tagliaferro (MCipollini-Giordana) and Annemiek van Vleuten (Rabo) were going to let them take a stage victory, so they were swept up in due course. However, Johansson and her rivals weren't going to get everything their own way either and a nine-rider break gave them cause for concern in the closing kilometres - but, with the finish so close, the teams responded quickly and rapidly brought them back to ensure another bunch sprint. A crash at 6km to go was just far enough out for the sprinters and lead-outs to get themselves organised again and many spectators will have been expecting the race to go to either Johansson or Tagliaferro, but in the event Carmen Small of Specialized-Lululemon got the better of them both and was first over the line. Johansson, third over, retains the General Classification leadership.

Christine Majerus (Sengers) took the top points on the first climb, followed by MCipo's Valentina Carretta and Wiggle-Honda's Linda Villumsen. By the second climb, Schnitzmeier and McConville were out in front and took first and second; Majerus was the fastest of the pack up and thus won sufficient points in the stage to retain her Mountains classification lead. Van Vleuten took the first of the intermediate sprints at 10.8km with Johansson and her Orica team mate Loes Gunnewijk hot on her tail. McConville won the second sprint with Schnitzmeier right behind, then they were caught by the peloton led by Johansson,

Stage 2 Top Ten
1 Carmen SMALL (Specialized-Lululemon) 3h18'50"
2 Marta TAGLIAFERRO (MCipollini-Giordana) ST
3 Emma JOHANSSON (Orica-AIS) ST
4 Annemiek VAN VLEUTEN (Rabo-Liv/Giant) ST
5 Christine MAJERUS (Sengers) ST
6 Alena AMIALIUSIK (BePink) ST
7 Anna VAN DER BREGGEN (Sengers) ST
8 Beate ZANNER (Maxx-Solar) ST
9 Elizabeth ARMITSTEAD (Boels-Dolmans) ST
10 Emily COLLINS (Wiggle-Honda) ST
Full result and General Classification

Stage 3
The third stage started with the depressing news that CycleLive Plus-Zannata's rider Daisy Depoorter had been seriously injured in a crash during a training ride before the stage. 2010 Belgian Junior ITT Champion Depoorter, who was taken to hospital by helicopter, is said to have suffered a fractured pelvis and ribs and damage to her vertebrae when she was hit by a truck. The accident occurred a day before the eighth anniversary of the death of Amy Gillett, who was killed by a truck while training for the Rundfahrt in 2005.

Andrea Graus

If Schitzmeier and McConville impressed yesterday, Andrea Graus really pushed the boat out in pleasing her Bigla team sponsors yesterday - she launched a solo break on the descent of the first climb 28km into the parcours and got as far as seven minutes out in front of the peloton, then remained away until a little before 10km to go. For many, it'll have been the most impressive ride of the race.

There had been some attacks early on, a few of them seeming guaranteed to stick due to strong riders, but none got anywhere and it took until 25km to go before a successful break formed and went after Graus. They whittled her advantage down to 1'10", then 30" as she entered the final circuit and. 2km later, finally caught her, setting the stage for another bunch sprint - several riders had other plans and tried to get away, but the pack was too fast for them.

Annemiek van Vleuten was first to the line by a good couple of metres, a superb stage win; however, second-place Emma Johansson won sufficient bonus seconds at the finish and at the intermediate sprints to extend her overall lead from

Stage 3 Top Ten
1 Annemiek VAN VLEUTEN (Rabo-Liv/Giant) 3h31'35"
2 Emma JOHANSSON (Orica-AIS) ST
3 Valentina SCANDOLARA (MCipollini-Giordana) ST
4 Elke GEBHARDT (German NT) ST
5 Roxane KNETEMANN (Rabo-Liv/Giant) ST
6 Amy CURE (Australia NT) ST
7 Lucinda BRAND (Rabo-Liv/Giant) ST
8 Anna VAN DER BREGGEN (Sengers) ST
9 Trixi WORRACK (Specialized-Lululemon) ST
10 Linda Melanie VILLUMSEN (Wiggle-Honda) ST
Full result and General Classification

Stage 4 (ITT)

Shara Gillow

When I wrote the preview for the Rundfahrt, I said "unless the weather turns out to be horrendous, we'll see some blisteringly fast times." That, it transpired, was the case - although a strong headwind hampered efforts on the outward journey, once the riders had reached the turning point at Cretschwitz they were able to fly all the way home with some of them clocking speeds as high as 80kph.

Shara Gillow (Orica-AIS) recorded the best result at 28'52" and deserved it as she'd been riding on the rivet all the way. Ellen van Dijk, who had been a serious contender for victory today, suffered more in the wind and was 35" down while Gillow's team mate Emma Johansson +39" gave her third place but allows her to retain the General Classification lead.

Stage 4 Top Ten
1 Shara GILLOW (Orica-AIS) 28'52"
2 Ellen VAN DIJK (Specialized-Lululemon) +35"
3 Emma JOHANSSON (Orica-AIS) +39"
4 Tatiana GUDERZO (MCipollini-Giordana) +50"
5 Lisa BRENNAUER (Specialized-Lululemon) +59"
6 Linda Melanie VILLUMSEN (Wiggle-Honda) +01'07"
7 Anna VAN DER BREGGEN (Sengers) +01'19"
8 Amanda SPRATT (Orica-AIS) +01'21"
9 Tayler WILES (Specialized-Lululemon) +01'30"
10 Esther FENNEL (Koga-Central Rhede) +01'44"
Full stage result and General Classification

Stage 5

Christine Majerus seems a safe bet to
win the Mountains

Fourteen riders escaped moments after the first lap was completed, among them Christine Majerus (Sengers), Anna van der Breggen (Sengers) and Shara Gillow (Orica-AIS) who took first, second and third on the first climb. The break remained in front to the second passage of the line, which also marked the intermediate sprint with the points going to Linda Villumsen, Emma Johansson and Hanka Kupfernagel.

In Lap 3, LaToya Brulee (CycleLive Plus-Zannata) made an impressive attempt to join the break but couldn't; inspired by what she'd nearly achieved solo a group made up of Charlotte Becker (Wiggle-Honda), Amy Cure (Australia NT), Giorgia Williams (BePink), Lisa Brennauer (Specialized-Lululemon) and Tatiana Guderzo (MCipollini-Giordana) decided to have a go too and, before long, the groups merged - save for Guderzo, who seemed to have run out of strength and drifted back into the peloton. Majerus, still the strongest climber in the newly-enlarged lead group, was once again fastest up the next climb; van der Breggen and Amanda Spratt (Orica-AIS) followed her. Van der Breggen then won the second sprint, beating Johansson and Valentina Scandolara (MCipollini-Giordana).

Now that the finish was within sight, attacks were firing off all over the place and the lead group felt the pressure, losing some members, while the rest of the race started to become increasingly splintered. The cobbles on the approach to the line suit a rider such as Johansson very well, requiring a combination of strength (which she has in droves) and superb bike handling skills (which she has by the bucketful): Rabo's Lucinda Brand and Scandolara proved worthy rivals by keeping up long enough to share her time, but neither could get past her. There are two stages still to go, but Johansson's eventual victory looks ever more certain.

Stage 5 Top Ten
1 Emma JOHANSSON (Orica-AIS) 2h28'01"
2 Lucinda BRAND (Rabo-Liv/Giant) ST
3 Valentina SCANDOLARA (MCipollini-Giordana) ST
4 Amy CURE (Australia NT) +03"
5 Anna VAN DER BREGGEN (Sengers) +05"
6 Linda Melanie VILLUMSEN (Wiggle-Honda) ST
7 Hanka KUPFERNAGEL (Germany NT) +07"
8 Lisa BRENNAUER (Specialized-Lululemon) ST
9 Annemiek VAN VLEUTEN (Rabo-Liv/Giant) +08"
10 Amanda SPRATT (Orica-AIS) +09"
Full stage result and General Classification

Stage 6
With all the attempted breakaways in the first few kilometres, it was obvious that many riders have become tired of bunch sprint finishes and were hoping to grab a few General Classification seconds today, but none of them had stuck by the time the race arrived at the first intermediate sprint where the points went to Lisa Brennauer and Trixi Worrack (both Specialized-Lululemon), then Anna van der Breggen (Sengers): all three had begun the day near enough to the top for the bonification seconds to make a notable difference to their times - though with Brennauer still 1'31" down overall on Emma Johansson, unlikely to be enough to make a notable difference to the outcome of the race now that there's one stage to go.

Hanka Kupfernagel attacked whilst climbing the Steilen cobbles a short while later but her rivals, well aware that the German rider's cyclo cross skills would give her an advantage on the rough terrain, were not going to let her get away and marked her closely. Emilia Fahlin (Hitec Products-UCK) and Worrack then briefly managed to escape, but Orica-AIS got on the case and brought them back almost immediately.

Worrack's presence in the short-lived break may have been nothing more than a Lululemon ploy, however, because with the pack's attention diverted and Orica settling back into place, her team mate Tayler Wiles got away and found an advantage on the road of a whole minute - much to the delight of fans, who sang "Happy Birthday to You" as she passed them (Wiles is 24 today)! She remained in front at the top of the next categorised climb where Christine Majerus (Sengers) was second and Johansson again third, then managed to stay a handful seconds away through the next intermediate sprint (Romy Kasper of Boels-Dolmans was second, Johansson third) before the pack finally caught her.

Scandolara takes the penultimate
stage

Roxane Knetemann (Rabo) attacked soon afterwards and won the final intermediate sprint where Kasper and Johansson were again second and third, but with the finish line approaching the peloton wasn't going to let her stay away even though, having started the day in 12th place with a deficit of at least two minutes to anyone with a realistic chance of challenging for overall victory, her chances of gaining any significant advances seemed slight so late in the race. Valentina Scandolara (MCipollini-Giordana) had started the day in 17th place, 7'11" down the GC, and has no chance of troubling Johansson - but if you can't get on the podium, you may as well salvage some glory in the shape of a stage win. So, she took advantage of the work Knetemann had done and launched her own attack once the Dutch rider was caught, and proved herself stronger than the riders who chased after her, winning alone with an advantage of 10".

In the hubbub of Scandolara's attack, Annemiek van Vleuten (Rabo) crashed but is reportedly fine to start tomorrow. Johansson, caught up behind her, was delayed as a result; however, as the crash had occurred on the descent in the final 3km she did not lose time and now leads overall by 32".

Stage 6 Top Ten
1 Valentina SCANDOLARA (MCipollini-Giordana) 2h45'45"
2 Lucinda BRAND (Rabo-Liv/Giant) +10"
3 Adrie VISSER (Boels-Dolmans) ST
4 Elke GEBHARDT (Germany NT) ST
5 Emily COLLINS (Wiggle-Honda) ST
6 Tatiana GUDERZO (MCipollini-Giordana) ST
7 Beate ZANNER (Germany NT) ST
8 Linda VILLUMSEN (Wiggle-Honda) ST
9 Amy CURE (Australia NT) ST
10 Lisa BRENNAUER (Specialized-Lululemon) ST
Full stage result and General Classification

Tour de Bretagne
Race preview here. French women's cycling expert Gwena, who was at the race, has an excellent selection of photos here.

Stage 1 (Pledran-Yffiniac)

RusVelo's Oxana Kozonchuk wins first stage in nine-rider sprint.

Oxana Kozochuk at the
Thuringen-Rundfahrt 2012

Stage 1 Result
1 Oxana KOZONCHUK (RusVelo) 3h21'58"
2 Svetlana STOLBOVA (Russian NT) ST
3 Alessandra D'ETTORRE (Vaiano-Fondriest) ST
4 Audrey CORDON (Vienne Futuroscope) ST
5 Sofie DE VUYST (Sengers) ST
6 Céline VAN SEVEREN (Lotto-Belisol) ST
7 Elena KUCHINSKAYA (RusVelo) ST
8 Natalia BOYARSKAYA (Russian NT) ST
9 Thalita DE JONG (Dura Vermeer) ST
10 Claire THOMAS (GSD Gestion-Kallisto) +05"
Full result and General Classification

Stage 2 (ITT, Mohon-Mohon)

Vera Koedooder ‏@Vera_Koedooder
Yesss! TimeTrial victory! Were really painful 12,5km on the hilly, windy, hard course! But very happy I made it! #Stage2 #TourdeBretagne

Stage 2 Result
1 Vera KOEDOODER (Sengers) 00:17:04
2 Katarzyna PAWLOWSKA(GSD Gestion-Kallisto) +02"
3 Aude BIANNIC (Equipe DN Bretagne) +03"
4 Audrey CORDON (Vienne Futuroscope) +10"
5 Elena UTROBINA (Lointek) +15"
6 Ruth CORSET (Sengers) +16"
7 Thalita DE JONG (Dura Vermeer) +17"
8 Karol-Ann CANUEL (Vienne Futuroscope) ST
9 Natalie VAN GOGH (Dura Vermeer) +22"
10 Natalia BOYARSKAYA (Russia NT) +27"
Full stage result and General Classification (when available)

Stage 3 (Pipriac-La Chapelle Bouexic)
Kataztyna Pawlowska (GSD Gestion-Kallisto) wins the intermediate sprints, the GPM climbs and the stage!

Stage 3 Result
1 Katarzyna PAWLOWSKA (GSD Gestion-Kallisto) 3h25'51"
2 Oxana KOZONCHUK (RusVelo) ST
3 Roxane FOURNIER (BigMat-Auber'93) ST
4 Barbara GUARISCHI (Vaiano-Fondriest) ST
5 Sofie DE VUYST (Sengers) ST
6 Céline VAN SEVEREN (Lotto-Belisol) ST
7 Elena KUCHINSKAYA (RusVelo) ST
8 Vera KOEDOODER (Sengers) ST
9 Thalita DE JONG (Dura Vermeer) ST
10 Julie Leth (Hitec Products-UCK) ST
Full stage result and General Classification

Stage 4 (Crozon-Poullan Sur Mer)
Fournier takes the stage; Cordon takes control.

Stage 4 Result
1 Roxane FOURNIER (BigMat-Auber'93) 3h09'19"
2 Katarzyna PAWLOWSKA (GSD Gestion-Kallisto) ST
3 Oxana KOZONCHUK (RusVelo) ST
4 Alexis RYAN (USA NT) ST
5 Barbara GUARISCHI (Vaiano-Fondriest) ST
6 Anna TREVISI (Vaiano-Fondriest) ST
7 Svetlana STOLBOVA (Russia NT) ST
8 Fanny RIBEROT (Lointek) ST
9 Alessandra D'ETTORRE (Vaiano-Fondriest) ST
10 Kaitlin ANTONNEAU (USA NT) ST
Full stage result and General Classification

GC winner Audrey Cordon

Final General Classification
1 Audrey CORDON (Vienne Futuroscope) 10h14'14"
2 Thalita DE JONG (Dura Vermeer) +15"
3 Svetlana STOLBOVA (Russia NT) +22"
4 Oxana KOZONCHUK (RusVelo) +23"
5 Elena KUCHINSKAYA (RusVelo) +24"
6 Natalia BOYARSKAYA (Russia NT) +25"
7 Katarzyna PAWLOWSKA (GSD Gestion-Kallisto) +52"
8 Sofie DE VUYST (Sengers) +54"
9 Joanne HOGAN (Sengers) +01'05"
10 Vera KOEDOODER (Sengers) +01'09"
Full General Classification

A special mention goes to Maëliz Olivier of Equipe DN Bretagne - at only 17 years of age she was the youngest rider in the race and finished 93rd, 57'02" behind the winner.

Points: 1 Oxana KOZONCHUK (RusVelo) 61pts; 2 Katarzyna PAWLOWSKA (GSD Gestion-Kallisto) 58pts; 3 Roxane FOURNIER (BigMat-Auber'93) 45pts. Mountains: 1 Katarzyna PAWLOWSKA  (GSD Gestion-Kallisto) 46pts; 2 Alessandra D'ETTORRE (Vaiano-Fondriest) 24pts; 3 Joane Hogan (Sengers) 18pts. Youth: 1 Thalita DE JONG (Dura Vermeer) 10h14'29"; 2 Aude Biannic (Equipe DN Bretagne) +57"; 3 Celine VAN SEVEREN (Lotto-Belisol) +01'05". Best Breton and French rider: Audrey Cordon, born at Pontivy.

Tour Feminin en Limousin
Unfortunately, there seems to be no way to actually follow this race - there are no updates on the official site nor, it seems, anywhere else, and at the time of writing (Day 3 of the race), results had not yet appeared on the UCI website. How do organisers expect fans to be fans of their races if they're not going to put the information out there? Such is the great Unanswered Question of Women's Cycling.

Stage 1 Top Ten
1 Oxana KOZONCHUK (RusVelo) 3h29'20"
2 Svetlana STOLBOVA (Pratomagno) ST
3 Katarzyna PAWLOWSKA (GSD Gestion-Kallisto) +01"
4 Natalia BOYARSKAYA (Russia NT) +03"
5 Irina MOLICHEVA (Pratomagno) ST
6 Claire THOMAS  (GSD Gestion-Kallisto) ST
7 Sara MUSTONEN (Faren-Let's Go Finland) ST
8 Sophie DE BOER (Parkhotel Valkenburg) ST
9 Jennifer FIORI (Top Girls-Fassa Bortolo) ST
10 Elana VALENTINI (Top Girls-Fassa Bortolo) ST

Stage 2 Top Ten
1 Tatiana ANTOSHINA (MCipollini-Giordana) 26'15"
2 Katarzyna PAWLOWSKA (GSD Gestion-Kallisto) +25"
3 Edwige PITEL (S.C. Michela Fanini-Rox) +41"
4 Natalia BOYARSKAYA (Russia NT) +46"
5 Karol-Ann CANUEL (Vienne Futuroscope) +01'11"
6 Belen LOPEZ (Lointek) +01'21"
7 Lucy COLDWELL (Breast Cancer Care) +01'22"
8 Elena KUCHINSKAYA (RusVelo) +01'25"
9 Svetlana STOLBOVA (Pratomagno) +01'27"
10 Oxana KOZONCHUK (RusVelo) +01'34"

Hitec manager and rider survive car crash

"A car torpedoed into my side, where Siri was sitting.
Consider[ing] getting religious..." says Lima!

Karl Lima, owner and manager of the Hitec Products-UCK team, and his rider Siri Minge were exceptionally fortunate in escaping a car crash that wrecked the vehicle in which they were traveling, leaving it lying on its side, along with the bikes being carried on the roof rack. The accident took place in Belgium en route to the Tour de Bretagne and was caused when another car drove into the side of their vehicle.

Lima, who is also Technical Manager of Hitec Products (manufacturer of hi-tech equipment for the gas and oil industries), confirmed that both he and Minge were unharmed following the crash, adding that it's fortunate the team has "more cars and bikes" - which says a great deal about the level of backing Hitec Products is willing to give to women's cycling: for many teams, the loss of a car and bikes would spell financial disaster.

Siri Minge ‏@siriminge Felt pretty sore during todays stage in Bretagne after yesterdays carcrash, think we had an angel watching over us! pic.twitter.com/VCxcBUK9GV

Interesting Links
UK
Beth Hayward wins Essex Giro (with results) (British Cycling)
Bikes and Scones: Cycling in the City (The List, Glasgow)
Bike review: Emma Osenton's Kinesis GT-Ti V2 (Kinesis Morvelo) (Follow Emma here)
Worldwide
How do we get fairness in women's cycling? (DoItNow)
Island Games 2013: Channel Islands cyclists medal on day one (BBC)
Moolman Pasio continues rise up world rankings (SuperSport, South Africa)
"Mara Abbott will race Cascade Cycling Classic after Giro Rosa win" (The Bulletin, Oregon, USA)
Kristie Nation beats Tour de Donut record with 29'19" and 14 donuts (American Fork Citizen)
Sabine Spitz back to winning after injury (Cycling News)

Tweet of the Week

Matrix Fitness RA ‏@onthedrops
2 years ago we were at Thuringen Rundfahrt. Took a jersey as well. We will be back there one day. Bigger, stronger, stable & ready for a challenge.

Tour de Bretagne 2013

11-14.07.2013 Official Site
France, 4-stage Road Race, 377.9km
UCI 2.2

2013 photos by Gwena

2012 victor Anna van der Breggen

Cycling enjoys enormous popularity in the Basque Country, the Netherlands and Belgium but for most people, largely due to the The Tour, the sport is primarily associated with France. There's a good reason for that - the French have loved the bicycle since the early days, have adored racing them ever since the first time two cyclists found themselves on the same road and many people throughout the country consider it to be their national sport, but if you want to meet some truly obsessed fans then you need to head for Brittany.

Brittany is to France what Wales is to England - once an independent nation, it has its own language (Breizh, a Brythonic language that predates French and has similarities to Welsh but more to Cornish, the language of their ancestors who emigrated to Brittany from Cornwall between the third and ninth centuries CE; just as Welsh and Cornish - or Cymraeg and Kernowek - are also Brythonic and predate English. The Bretons and the Welsh have long been aware of this and consider themselves more closely related to one another than they do to the French and the English - "You are Welsh? I'm Breton - we are cousins!" as one Breton, who I'd assumed to be French, told me when she heard I'm Welsh). Brittany also has a Celtic heritage of which its inhabitants have become increasingly proud (but doesn't yet suffer from huge numbers of gift shops specialising in fudge, plush dragons - or ermines, the ermine being the equivalent Breton symbol - and fridge magnets that have a message in the local language and "Made in China" in English on the back, as Wales does). Around half of all Bretons consider themselves to be Breton as well as French and early a quarter consider themselves Breton and then French while a small minority argue that they're not French at all; in some areas, therefore, it feels distinctly different to France, as though the visitor is in a different country altogether - and, although it's difficult to define exactly what makes them so, Breton races feel somehow different to French races. So, since Brittany is so easy to reach from Britain, why not go and support your favourite riders? There are details on how to get there on this page.

This one has existed since 1987, making it among the oldest women's races still taking place; from 1987 to 2000 it was open only to amateurs, but in 2001 it became a professional race for a single year. It then didn;t go ahead in 2002, reverted to amateurs in 2003 and has been for professionals from 2004 to the present. In 1987 it was won by Cecile Odin, who earlier that season had won the Tour Cycliste Féminin de la Drôme which also started in 1987, was run periodically up until 2006 and has now vanished (it also vanished between 1990 and 2002, though, so fingers crossed). Catherine Marsal won in 1988 and 1989 when she was a still a junior; in 1989 she also won the Junior World Pursuit title on the track, then went on to enjoy a glittering career that brought victory at Giro Donne, the Tour de l'Aude, numerous National Championships and, in 1990, the World Road Race Championship. The race didn't go ahead in 1990 but returned in 1991 when Lithuanian Daïva Chapelienne became the first non-French winner - Chapelienne won few other races and has been largely forgotten. 1992 went to an eighteen-year-old German few people had ever heard of named Hanka Kupfernagel - later that year, Hanka became Junior World Champion, then in 1995 she won 17 races including the Gracia Orlova and the National Road Race and Time Trial Championships; she would win the Tour again in 1997 and 1998, making her the joint most successful rider in the history of the race and, with numerous other wins to her name (including a record three - won consecutively - at the Emakumeen Bira), is now one of the most famous female cyclists in the world.

Jeannie Longo won in 1993 and 1995, 1994 having gone to the first Russian winner Svetlana Bubnenkova; 1996 went to Marion Clignet, the rider who was born in the USA and raced with an American licence until she was prevented from renewing her US Cycling Federation membership following her diagnosis with epilepsy - at which point, she joined the French federation instead and, in her first year racing for France, won the National Pursuit and Road Race Championships and the World Team Time Trial Championship, then delivered her new country another five World Championship medals over the course of the rest of her career. Germany came to the end of a three-year run of  victories started by Kupfernagel when Judith Arndt added her name to the list in 1999 and Anita Valen de Vries became the first and, to date, the only Norwegian winner in 2000, after which Arndt won again in 2001, when the Tour was open to professionals for the first time. The race skipped a year in 2002, then Edwige Pitel (who is still racing, with S.C. Michela Fanini-ROX) won in 2003 - the last ever amateur edition and the first of five consecutive French wins.

Another forgotten rider, Magali Finot-Laivier won in 2004, then Marina Jaunatre bettered Kupfernagels' three victories with three consecutive victories from 2005-2007. In 2008 Emma Pooley became the first and last British winner, also taking two stage wins, and - remarkably, considering their passion for the sport - the Belgians got their first win a year later thanks to Liesbet de Vocht. The race didn't take place again in 2010, when it returned in 2011 Alexandra Burchenkova took Russia's second win, followed by the first Dutch winner Anna van der Breggen who dominated the race with three stage wins in 2012.

Parcours
Stage 1 (Pledran-Yffiniac, 97.9km+30.1km, 11.07.2013)
The Tour begins this year just a few kilometres south of Saint-Brieuc at Pledran, the birthplace of Maurice Le Guilloux who enjoyed a successful career in cycling during the 1970s and 80s and rode as a domestique to Brittany's most famous son Bernard Hinault on the La Vie Claire team (Le Guilloux is now Crédit Lyonnais' public relations officer on the Tour de France). Hinault was born in Yffiniac, where the stage ends, on the 14th of November in 1954; he, of course, won five Tours de France and is often considered the second most successful (male) cyclist of all time after Eddy Merckx - this stage takes in a few of the hills where, as a teenager, The Badger would go to slipstream behind trucks traveling at 50kph. Less famous is Zephirin Jegard, born there on the 28th of August in 1935 - in 2004, when he was 69 years old, Jegard set a new record for cycling from Brest on the French Atlantic coast to Vladivostok on the Russian Pacific coast, taking 66 days to complete the 13,850km - 209km on average each day.

There are no high mountains in Brittany, but all four stages in the race are hilly. This one reaches the highest altitude anywhere on the parcours and some of the climbs are steep - it's a day for a climber or a rouleur who can keep up with them on all but the toughest ascents. As with Stages 3 and 4, the parcours consists of two sections: the main route (blue on the map) is 97.9km in length, the circuit is 6.2km and will be completed four times before a part-lap of 5.7km. The total distance today is, therefore, 128km.


View Tour de Bretagne 2013 St1 in a larger map Stage 2

Stage 2 (Mohon-Mohon, 12.3km ITT, 12.07.2013)
Beginning at the small and very picturesque town of Mohon (that's the one in Brittany rather than the one in the Ardennes, RusVelo!), Stage 2 is an individual time trial taking place on a tricky 12.3km circuit with several sharp corners. With rural Fren... sorry, Breton roads being what they are, expect slippery conditions and numerous crashes if it rains.


View Tour de Bretagne 2013 St2 in a larger map

Stage 3 (Pipriac-La Chapelle Bouexic, 89.4km+34.5km, 13.07.2013)
Pipriac hosts today's start line - the town, home to around 3,500 people, was the birthplace in 1415 of one Jean Brito who, for many years from the 18th Century, it was claimed had invented movable type printing before Johannes Gutenberg, a claim that is now considered false.

The climbs are smaller than on Stage 1 though no less steep - but there are plenty of them and their combined effect will be very tiring. The main route is 89.4km, the 6.6km circuit will be completed five times in addition to a short transition of 1.5km; today's total distance is 123.9km.

View Tour de Bretagne 2013 St3 in a larger map

Stage 4 (Crozon-Poullan Sur Mer, 83.6km+27.2km, 14.07.2013)
Joseph Velly, winner of the 1969 GP de France, was born in Crozon in 1938. His distinctly Celtic name befits his origins because Crozon and its surroundings are peppered with dolmens and standing stones (Lostmarc'h, Ty-Ar-This-Hure) that give it an "feel" every bit as Celtic as Men-an-Tol (Cornwall), Pentre Ifan (Wales) or Newgrange (Ireland) - other megalithic sites that are associated in the popular mind with the Celts, despite the fact that every one of them was already ancient by the time the Celts found their way to Western Europe. The rocky Atlantic coastline, which this stage follows closely, also contributes to the ambiance - it's wild and rugged and doesn't really seem to be a part of France at all. It should be noted that there is another Crozon in Brittany, some 32km west of Rennes - the start line is at the other, larger Crozon much further West in the middle of the peninsula that shares its name; if I was going to visit the race this year (which I can't), this would be the stage I'd make sure I could see and, into addition to small hotels at Crozon and Poullan Sur Mer, there are many campsites along the coast ranging from well-appointed with electrical hook-ups for campervans to fields with space for a few tents, enabling the visitor to make the most of the race and the scenery.

Taking coastal roads makes this another stage characterised by its many short, steep ascents. The main section is 83.6km while the circuit, which is 5.5km, will be completed four times. There will also be a part-lap of 5.2km; the total distance of the stage is, therefore, 113.7km.

View Tour de Bretagne 2014 St4 in a larger map

Starters
A start list has not yet been made available. However, Women Cycling Fever is the best point of call for regular updates; their list can be found here.

How to follow the race
For expert race analysis and up-to-the-second news, follow Matrix Racing Academy and Hitec Products-UCK managers Stef Wyman and Karl Lima - and if you're a women's cycling fan, you really ought to be following both of them already. Finally, there is Gwena - the authority on women's cycling in France, Gwena will be at the race and will have some of the best reports going on her website Cyclisme Feminin.

Getting There, Staying There
Ferries
Getting to Brittany is as simple a process as getting to Calais, but much prettier when you get off the ferry. Brittany Ferries (the same one that persuaded the Tour de France to make its first visit to Britain back in 1974, as an advertisement for its new line) sails from Plymouth to Roscoff (approximately 90km from Crozon) twice most days. A return ticket for an adult with a bicycle is around £80.

Camping
Pen Bellec, just south of Telgruc-Sur-Mer, has everything that even an inexperienced camper might need and costs little enough to appeal even to us tight-fisted cyclists - estimate around €5 per night per adult, €5 per night per car and €6.50 per night per campervan, or go by bike: this is Brittany, the won't charge you for taking it onto the site and you'll be loved wherever you go (especially if you've got a vintage La Vie Claire jersey). Pen Bellec's location right on the beach makes it possibly the most beautiful campsite in Brittany. There are several other campsites nearby; Tourisme Bretagne has details.

Please note: although great care has been taken when producing these stage maps, they should be considered to be for illustrative purposes only. If in any doubt it should be assumed that official maps and directions provided by the race organisers are correct.