Women's Cycling News 01-08.09.2013

UCI races this week - Vos wins GP de Plouay and World Cup - Tour de l'Ardeche - Boels Rental Tour - Transfer News - Interesting Links - more to come...

UCI events this week: Tour de l'Ardeche (02-07.09); Boels Rental Ladies Tour (03-09.09)

Vos won Plouay for the second year
running. Ir's also the fifth time (though
not consecutively) she's won the
World Cup.

Vos wins Plouay and World Cup
Marianne Vos didn't need to win the GP de Plouay - as victory would only bring 75 points, she'd already won the World Cup when she finished the Open de Suède Vårgårda with an 84 point advantage over Emma Johansson (Orica-AIS) last month. So nobody would have blamed her in the slightest if she'd taken it easy with a phalanx of her Rabobank-Liv/Giant lieutenants all around her, fending off anything and everything that could conceivably have left her in less-than-perfect condition for the World Championships in three weeks' time - especially since she's missing some races following her recent chronic back pain.

Did she do that? Did she hell. Marianne gives it 100% in every race she enters, as anyone who has ever seen her race knows (and anyone who thinks she wins "too easily" doesn't know, because they've never seen her race, nor watched her collapse exhausted over the handlebars after crossing the finish line - though of course, we shouldn't concern ourselves with the opinions of anybody who thinks anything at all comes easily in professional cycling). Plouay was no different.

Johansson was second

Numerous attacks went off early on in the race and continued through into the fourth of five laps as chancers tried their luck and teams sounded one another out. None of them got anywhere, but there some superb displays from, among others, Aude Biannic (France NT) who attacked three times.

Eventually, the pack split into two groups with one consisting of around forty risers, including all the favourites, a short way ahead of the rest while Jasmin Glaesser (Tibco-To The Top) managed a brief solo escape and seriously impressed when she managed to get away and then lead the race up the tough Cote de Ty-Marrec climb in the closing kilometres of the fourth lap   she might well have stayed away for longer, had fate not to seen to it that back down the road the winning break had escaped the lead group. And what a break it was: Vos, her main rival Johansson, Anna van der Breggen (currently with Sengers, but joining Vos at Rabo next season), Karol-Ann Canuel (Vienne Futuroscope) and Alena Amialiusik (BePink). Fans noticed that the peloton sat up moments later - for them, the competition was as good as over.

Amialiusik impressed

Amialiusik, perhaps aware that when it came to the crunch she'd be out-gunned, livened things up with a brave attempt to attack the group. It didn't work - how could it have done?; but although the effort caused her to drop more than a minute behind the leaders, she earned masses of respect (and, hopefully, a pay rise for 2014). The other escapees tried to provoke Vos into going early or catch her unawares by launching attacks whenever they could, but Vos' wits are as powerful as her muscles and she was on the ball each time, marking every attempt and keeping steady control of the proceedings.

Then, on the final ascent of Ty-Marrec, 5km from the finish line, she went.

Too far? Not all all - it was perfectly, impeccably planned, and she had precisely what she needed left in the tanks to keep up her spectacular sprint all the way to the end. Johansson, who had recently knocked Vos off the top sport of the UCI rankings (a position she'd occupied for seven years), didn't stand a chance - when Vos crossed the line, she did so a full 12" ahead. No guts, no glory!

Anton Vos' photos of the race

Van der Breggen, who will ride with Vos
next year, was third

Top Ten
1 Marianne VOS (Rabobank-Liv/Giant) 3h26'18"
2 Emma JOHANSSON (Orica-AIS) +12"
3 Anna VAN DER BREGGEN (Sengers) +17"
4 Alena AMIALIUSIK (BePink) +01'27"
5 Karol-Ann CANUEL (Vienne Futuroscope) +01'35"
6 Lucinda BRAND (Rabobank-Liv/Giant) +03'56"
7 Noemi CANTELE (BePink) ST
8 Tatiana ANTOSHINA (MCipollini-Giordana) ST
9 Annemiek VAN VLEUTEN (Rabobank-Liv/Giant) ST

10 Rossella RATTO (Hitec Products-UCK) ST
Full result

Final World Cup Top Ten
1 Marianne VOS (Rabobank-Liv/Giant) 429
2 Emma JOHANSSON (Orica-AIS) 302
3 Ellen VAN DIJK (Specialized-Lululemon) 224
4 Anna VAN DER BREGGEN (Sengers) 158
5 Elisa LONGO BORGHINI (Hitec Products-UCK) 156
6 Annemiek VAN VLEUTEN (Rabobank-Liv/Giant) 101
7 Amy PIETERS (Argos-Shimano) 80
8 Tetyana RIABCHENKO (Chirio Forno D'Asolo75
9 Giorgia BRONZINI (Wiggle-Honda) 69
10 Evelyn STEVENS (Specialized-Lululemon) 60
Full result

Tour de l'Ardeche
Race preview

Prologue

Prologue Top Ten
1 Linda VILLUMSEN (Wiggle-Honda) 3'04"
2 Alexandra BURCHENKOVA (RusVelo) +02"
3 Lauren KITCHEN (Wiggle-Honda) +05"
4 Jade WILCOXSON (Optum-Kelly Benefit Strategies) ST
5 Janel HOLCOMB (Optum-Kelly Benefit Strategies) +06"
6 Alena AMIALIUSIK (BePink) ST
7 Marijn DE VRIES (Lotto-Belisol) +07"
8 Oxana KOZONCHUK (RusVelo) +08"
9 Tiffany CROMWELL (Australia NT) ST
10 Lauren HALL (Optum-Kelly Benefit Strategies) ST
Full result and GC

Stage 1
Having already demonstrated excellent form with her historic six consecutive stage wins at the Route de France, Giorgia Bronzini confirmed she's got the legs to try to take back the rainbow jersey that was hers in 2010 and 2011 with another victory - one that she never even meant to win.

"It wasn’t in our plan to try for a bunch sprint, but to save Linda’s legs - to keep the jersey if we can," the Italian explained afterwards, referring to team mate and General Classification leader Linda Villumsen.

Meanwhile, fellow Wiggle riders Charlotte Becker, Mayuko Hagiwara and Emily Collins were keeping tabs on what was going on in the peloton, making sure that any attempts to get away were thwarted, and also providing protection to Lauren Kitchen, third in the GC.

"All the other girls worked from the long climb to the finish line so that the other teams didn’t try to get into breaks - it was really, really amazing work from Lotte, Emily and Mayuko," Bronzini continued. "I think that it’s not going to be the same way as the Route de France - from tomorrow there starts a lot of climbs, so it will be very hard for me. But I will try to work hard for Linda."

Villumsen came in 18th, recording an equal time to Bronzini, and retains the GC leadership.

Stage 1 Top Ten
1 Giorgia BRONZINI (Wiggle-Honda) 3h09'33"
2 Tiffany CROMWELL (Australia NT) ST
3 Elena CECCHINI (Faren-Kuota) ST
4 Oxana KOZONCHUK (RusVelo) ST
5 Katarzyna PAWLOWSKA (GSD Gestion-Kallisto) ST
6 Rossella RATTO (Servetto-Footon/Mixed) ST
7 Alena AMIALIUSIK (BePink) ST
8 Lauren HALL (Optum-Kelly Benefit Strategies) ST
9 Jacqueline KINSELLA (USA NT) ST
10 Yulia ILIYNIKH (Lointek) ST
Full result and GC

Stage 2
Having been National Time Trial Champion four times (of Denmark and New Zealand), Linda Villumsen looked well-placed to win on the short Stage 2 parcours. It's fair to say that Alena Amialiusik, despite having been TT champion of her native Belarus twice, isn't as good against the clock as Villumsen, but when a race is this short - just 3.5km - the outcome becomes hard to predict: Villumsen might be able to generate more watts for longer, but Amialiusik won with a short burst of power that got her round the course nine seconds faster than her BePink team mate Noemi Cantele and third-place Villumsen - enough to take the race leader's jersey.

Stage 2 Top Ten
1 Alena AMIALIUSIK (BePink) 05'15"
2 Noemi CANTELE (BePink) +09"
3 Linda VILLUMSEN (Wiggle-Honda) ST
4 Chloe MCCONVILLE (Australia NT) ST
5 Jade WILCOXSON (Optum-Kelly Benefit Strategies) ST
6 Andrea GRAUS (Bigla) +10"
7 Tiffany CROMWELL (Australia NT) ST
8 Ashleigh MOOLMAN (Lotto-Belisol) +11"
9 Alison POWERS (USA NT) ST
10 Cecilie Gotaas JOHNSEN (Norway NT) ST
Full result and GC

Stage 3

Giorgia Bronzini

Remember what Giorgia Bronzini said after Stage 1 about how the hills were going to make things hard for her in the rest of this race? Well, there were plenty of hills in this stage - around 40km, half the parcours - was uphill, making it the sort of day that ends with most sprinters doing cut-off time arithmetic in the grupetto.

Bronzini isn't like most sprinters, though, because she can climb remarkably well too. So, instead of sitting out the race in a group hanging off the back of the peloton, she joined one out in front instead and ended up winning for a second time.

Team mate Linda Villumsen had lost overall control of the race to Alena Amialiusik in the time trial that took place in the morning before the stage, but with only 3" between them Wiggle-Honda set out to win back the jersey, so Villumsen was in the break with Bronzini. It was the final descent rather than the final climb that swung things their way, the long and very technical stretch whittling the group down to seven riders. Wiggle had a stroke of luck when Amialiusik mixed up her directions and had to spend a few kilometres chasing; that she managed to catch up is testament to her skills.

"I stopped working with about five-k to go, and Linda tried to follow the attack," the Italian explained after the race. "In the final, Linda pulled me in the sprint. It was a technical final, and I was in the wheel until 200 metres to go, when I made my sprint."

Villumsen crossed the line 2" later in fourth place; Amialiusik was right behind her in fifth and took the same time; she thus retains the GC lead at +3". Sadly, the stage marks the end of Jennifer Fiori's 2014 campaign - the Top Girls-Fassa Bortolo rider fell and broke her collar bone.

Stage 3 Top Ten
1 Giorgia BRONZINI (Wiggle-Honda) 2h19'32"
2 Rossella RATTO (Servetto-Footon/Mixed) ST
3 Elena CECCHINI (Faren-Kuota) ST
4 Linda VILLUMSEN (Wiggle-Honda) +02"
5 Alena AMIALIUSIK (BePink) ST
6 Ashleigh MOOLMAN (Lotto-Belisol) ST
7 Tiffany CROMWELL (Australia NT) ST
8 Elena KUCHINSKAYA (RusVelo) +43"
9 Kristin MCGRATH (USA NT) ST
10 Karol-Ann CANUEL (Vienne Futuroscope) ST
Full result and GC

Stage 4

Joelle Numainville

Many fans will have been expecting Linda Villumsen to make up the 3" difference between herself and race leader Alena Amialiusik today in an effort to get back to the top place in the General Classification, but it wasn't to be - the Danish-born New Zealander suffered a bad crash early on in the stage and, while she was able to continue, was visibly in pain from a large swelling on her left arm. Nevertheless, she led the peloton over the three tough mountains, and thus gained what seems an insurmountable lead in the Mountains combination.

The race took another unexpected turn when the mountains proved insufficient to split the pack significantly - no fewer than 39 riders contested a final sprint to the finish. Optum powered by Kelly Benefit Strategies team mates Joelle Numainville and Lauren Hall had their work cut out for them in holding off some very strong competition, but they delivered the goods and took first and second places, with Australia's Tiffany Cromwell right behind for third - there is, apparently, something that Numainville finds very much to her liking in Cruas, because she also won when Stage 4 of the 2012 edition finished in the town.

Stage 4 Top Ten
1 Joelle NUMAINVILLE (Optum-Kelly Benefit Strategies) 3h08'15"
2 Lauren HALL (Optum-Kelly Benefit Strategies) ST
3 Tiffany CROMWELL (Australia NT) ST
4 Elena CECCHINI (Faren-Kuota) ST
5 Oxana KOZONCHUK (RusVelo) ST
6 Rossella RATTO (Servetto-Footon/Mixed) ST
7 Chiara PIEROBON (Top Girls-Fassa Bortolo) ST
8 Elena VALENTINI (Top Girls-Fassa Bortolo) ST
9 Céline VAN SEVEREN (Lotto-Belisol) ST
10 Charlotte BECKER (Wiggle-Honda) ST
Full result and GC

Karol-Ann Canuel

Stage 5
The Route de France was a very, very different race to the Tour de l'Ardeche (and some might say the organisers of the former could learn a lot from the latter, too), but the outcome of Stage 5 seems strangely familiar: Linda Villumsen, who led early on, has regained control now that the race is nearly over. Sadly, though, not purely through hard work and the efforts of her Wiggle-Honda team, as she'd have liked - previous leader Alena Amialiusik has had to abandon following a crash that left her with a suspected broken collar bone.

Villumsen, current New Zealand time trial champion, took fifth place after crossing the line in a group of five riders that finished one minute after stage winner Karol-Ann Canuel of Vienne Futuroscope, who was 2" faster than second place Tatiana Antoshina (Russia NT) and 59" faster than third place Joelle Numainville (Optum-Kelly Benefit Strategies).

Stage 5 Top Ten
1 Karol-Ann CANUEL (Vienne Futuroscope) 3h36'41"
2 Tatiana ANTOSHINA (Russia NT) +02"
3 Joelle NUMAINVILLE (Optum-Kelly Benefit Strategies) +59"
4 Carlee TAYLOR (Lotto-Belisol) +01'00"
5 Rossella RATTO (Servetto-Footon/Mixed) ST
6 Linda VILLUMSEN (Wiggle-Honda) ST
7 Francesca CAUZ (Top Girls-Fassa Bortolo) ST
8 Ashleigh MOOLMAN (Lotto-Belisol) ST
9 Denise RAMSDEN (Optum-Kelly Benefit Strategies) +01'37"
10 Lauren HALL (Optum-Kelly Benefit Strategies) +02'40"
Full result and GC

Stage 6
Right after Stage 1 Giorgia Bronzini said the Tour was "not going to be the same way as the Route de France - from tomorrow there starts a lot of climbs, so it will be very hard for me?" Then won Stage 2. Now she's won the final stage, too. It's the Italian's sixteenth victory this year - and with three of those in this race and six in August's Route de France, it seems she's timed her peak perfectly if she wants to go for a third spell in the World Champion's rainbow stripes this year.

Tatiana Antoshina

It's fortunate that she did, too, as it sugared a bitter pill for her Wiggle-Honda team - leader Linda Villumsen, who regained the lead in the General Classification yesterday but started the final stage with an advantage of just 1" over Tatiana Antoshina of the Russia National Team: Villumsen had started the day with a 3", finished in 61st place 1'59" behind Bronzini, while Antoshina was seventh and only 3" behind the Italian. The Russian ITT Champion therefore wins overall with an advantage of 13" over second place Ashleigh Moolman (Lotto-Belisol) and 17" over third place Karol-Ann Canuel, while Villumsen drops to eighth place at +1'55".

Stage 6 Top Ten
1 Giorgia BRONZINI (Wiggle-Honda) 1h57'41"
2 Joelle NUMAINVILLE (Optum-Kelly Benefit Strategies) ST
3 Rossella RATTO (Servetto-Footon/Mixed) ST
4 Ashleigh MOOLMAN (Lotto-Belisol) ST
5 Karol-Ann CANUEL (Vienne Futuroscope) ST
6 Noemi CANTELE (BePink) +03"
7 Tatiana ANTOSHINA (Russia NT) ST
8 Doris SCHWEIZER (BePink) +06"
9 Carlee TAYLOR (Lotto-Belisol) +09"
10 Francesca CAUZ (Top Girls-Fassa Bortolo) ST
Full result

General Classification Top Ten
1 Tatiana ANTOSHINA (Russia NT) 14h21'16"
2 Ashleigh MOOLMAN (Lotto-Belisol) +13"
3 Karol-Ann CANUEL (Vienne Futuroscope) +17"
4 Rossella RATTO (Servetto-Footon/Mixed) +21"
5 Joelle NUMAINVILLE (Optum-Kelly Benefit Strategies) +52"
6 Carlee TAYLOR (Lotto-Belisol) +01'06"
7 Francesca CAUZ (Top Girls-Fassa Bortolo) +01'48"
8 Linda VILLUMSEN (Wiggle-Honda) +01'55"
9 Noemi CANTELE (BePink) +04'25"
10 Denise RAMSDEN (Optum-Kelly Benefit Strategies) +04'33"
Full result

Boels Rental Ladies Tour
Race preview

Stage 1

Kirsten Wild

Taking place on a parcours as flat as it did, Stage 1 was always likely to end with a bunch sprint - though with ten riders approaching the line together it was a smaller bunch than expected. That group then split, with the first seven riders recording the same time and the remaining three coming in 2" behind them. The next group, 28 strong, arrived 6" later.

When there's a bunch sprint, it's usually safest to put your money on Argos-Shimano's Kirsten Wild, who'd be as famous for her sprinting as Mark Cavendish if there was any justice in the world. Today was no different; when it comes to the final dash to the line, nobody can rival her for sheer power.

Lizzie Armitstead was second, recording the same time. However, having got the better of the Dutch woman in the intermediate sprint during the stage, Armitstead picked up bonification seconds and thus leads the General Classification by 2".

Stage 1 Top Ten
1 Kirsten WILD (Argos-Shimano) 2h42'5"
2 Elizabeth ARMITSTEAD (Boels-Dolmans) ST
3 Trixi WORRACK (Specialized-Lululemon) ST
4 Annette EDMONDSON (Orica-AIS) ST
5 Eleonora VAN DIJK (Specialized-Lululemon) ST
6 Melissa HOSKINS (Orica-AIS) ST
7 Shelley OLDS (Tibco-To The Top) ST
8 Chloe HOSKING (Hitec Products-UCK) +02"
9 Marta TAGLIAFERRO (MCipollini-Giordana) ST
10 Amy PIETERS (Argos-Shimano) ST
Full result and GC

Stage 2
Team time trials have been rather predictable this season with Specialized-Lululemon and Orica-AIS more often than not taking first and second (and, usually, Rabobank in third) - and with good reason, too, because for anyone who understands the challenges faced in a race of this type, both teams are an absolute joy to watch: seeing how the riders time their duties on the front and switch positions perfectly brings to mind the workings of a Swiss clock. This time around, Lululemon were nothing less than perfect - they beat Orica by 1'15" and occupy the first six places in the GC.

Stage 2 Top Ten
1 Specialized-Lululemon 38'53
2 Orica-AIS +01'15"
3 Rabobank-Liv/Giant +01'37"
4 Boels-Dolmans +01'57"
5 Tibco-To The Top +02'18"
6 Sengers +02'21"
7 MCipollini-Giordana +02'22
8 Argos-Shimano +02'26"
9 Hitec Products-UCK +03'06"
10 RC Jan van Arckel +03'49"
Full result and GC

Stage 3
With prevailing weather conditions ensuring head or tail winds over the 71km circuit, Stage 3 was never going to be the most action-packed - much to the disappointment of some of the teams, who had hoped crosswinds would split the pack and give them opportunity to do some serious damage to their rivals today. Orica were responsible for what looked to be the most promising attempt with Gracie Elvin attacking roughly two-thirds of the way through the circuit and seemed for a few moments like she might escape, but she's too fast for the peloton not to have been concerned about her chances of staying away and she was soon caught. No sooner had she been, team mate Loes Gunnewijk had a go too, then once she'd also been caught Nettie Edmondson attacked as well. The wind, however, saw to it that their efforts were in vain and favoured the pack; there would be no more serious attempts.

Nettie Edmondson

Things changed on the 12.5km circuit. Rabobank's Annemiek van Vleuten, who began the race as many fan's favourite in the absence of Marianne Vos, began to attack right from the first passage of the finish line and got away, riding out in front for the first two of four laps until Specialized-Lululemon brought her back. Now, it became apparent that Orica were after a stage win: Elvin attacked again and, though she wasn't away for long, had found sufficient reserves of strength to give the peloton a run for its money so that the race was looking fractured as it came within 10km of the finish; since Orica hadn't used energy in chasing van Vleuten like their main rivals Lululemon they looked to be the strongest squad. Gunnewijk, their best bet for a good General Classification placing, was being protected, but as Elvin had led sprinter Edmondson up to the front of the peloton with 5km to go it was obvious what their plans were.

Then, disaster. "I didn’t hear [Edmondson] behind me and couldn’t look too much as I was just trying to stay safe in the washing machine feeling bunch. I just had to make the decision to keep at the front and hope that she was behind me," Elvin explained afterwards. "With less than 1km to go I surged again to the last corner and was the first rider through, and also to try and block [Kirsten] Wild and her team in the last 500m. Once I peeled off after the corner I could only see Loes and then shortly after Mel [Hosking]. Nettie was nowhere to be seen and I was worried. It wasn’t until after the finish line that Spratty [Amanda Spratt] told me she had been in a big crash with only about 2km to go."

Edmondson received treatment at the scene and it was initially thought that she might not need to be hospitalised. However, a cut to her thigh was deep enough to require stitches; since she was also experiencing severe pain in her ankle it was decided that she'd be given a proper check-up. X-rays subsequently revealed that she'd escaped serious injury, but the injury to her thigh has made it necessary for her to abandon the race.

Meanwhile, with the sprint now being all about sheer power rather than clever tactics, the inevitable happened - Kirsten Wild was fastest, and took her second stage win.

Stage 3 Top Ten
1 Kirsten WILD (Argos-Shimano) 3h01'38"
2 Shelley OLDS (Tibco-To The Top) ST
3 Elizabeth ARMITSTEAD (Boels-Dolmans) ST
4 Monique VAN DE REE (Ronald McDonaldhuis Groningen) ST
5 Ellen VAN DIJK (Specialized-Lululemon) ST
6 Maria Giulia CONFALONIERI (Italy NT) ST
7 Liesbet DE VOCHT Rabobank-Liv/Giant) ST
8 Emilie MOBERG (Hitec Products-UCK) ST
9 Marta TAGLIAFERRO (MCipollini-Giordana) ST
10 Chloe HOSKING (Hitec Products-UCK) ST
Full result and GC

Stage 4
As is likely to be the case tomorrow, the narrow roads shaped the racing - along some parts of the 23km circuit (which was to be lapped five times), there simply wasn't any room for anyone to move up or down the pack; a factor that allowed Elke Gebhardt (Argos-Shimano) and Vera Koedooder (Sengers) to get away after not much more than 5km and then stay out in front when rival teams were unable to get their chasers up to go after them. Another danger on narrow roads is that if a rider crashes, the riders around them go down like dominoes and, within seconds, a large part of the field can be lying on the tarmac assessing their injuries. With that scenario very likely on this stage, a collective decision was taken to let the break stay away for the time being and wait to see what happened - though the peloton nearly caught the escapees by accident when it sailed through a right turn and accidentally discovered a short-cut, bringing them much closer to their targets until the race officials stopped them and made them wait so as to preserve the break's advantage.

Elke Gebhardt

Finally, during the last lap when the break was 1'10" ahead, Specialised-Lululemon decided that enough was enough and it was time matters were dealt with. By this point, though, black clouds had rolled in; on the flat polders vast expanses of sky can be seen and the riders had spotted lightning not so far off. That created something of a dilemma - step up the pace in the hope of finishing the race before the rain struck (and, with a bit of luck, catch the break whilst doing so) but risk crashing due to increased speed or continue the steady progress and hope the rain didn't make the roads slippery in the meantime? Then, the rain started. Nobody cared about the stage win now, and they'd spent too long deliberating to stand any chance of catching the break - it was a matter of getting to the finish as quickly as possible, hopefully without crashing. Somehow, all but three riders finished the stage intact.

Gebhardt, who enjoyed plentiful victories on the track before opting to concentrate on road this year, took a silver medal in the German National Road Race Championships this summer when she came second to Trixi Worrack; this victory was her first of the 2013 season. Worrack, who is racing for Specialiised Lululemon, leads the General Classification with an advantage of 4". Tomorrow, the race remains on the polders (for a parcours that looks very similar to this year's Omloop van Aalburg; Stage 6 takes place in Limburg, where the hills are low but steep enough to have become some of the most notorious in cycling - so expect the sprinters to go all out for big time gains tomorrow in an attempt to retain good places in the General Classification.

Stage 4 Top Ten
1 Elke GEBHARDT (Argos-Shimano) 2h50'00"
2 Vera KOEDOODER (Sengers) +03"
3 Emilie MOBERG (Hitec Products-UCK) +21"
4 Shelley OLDS (Tibco-To The Top) ST
5 Kirsten WILD (Argos-Shimano) ST
6 Maria Giulia CONFALONIERI (Italy NT) ST
7 Marta TAGLIAFERRO (MCipollini-Giordana) ST
8 Monique VAN DE REE (Ronald McDonaldhuis Groningen) ST

Chloe Hosking

9 Sabrina STULTIENS (Rabobank-Liv/Giant) ST
10 Ellen VAN DIJK (Specialized-Lululemon) ST
Full result and GC

Stage 5
Taking place on flat roads, Stage 5 was the sprinters' final chance to shine before the race finished on the hilly Limburg parcours of Stage 6 and, while several teams tried hard to split the bunch and numerous riders tried to attack, the peloton remained all together into the final 5km and set the scene for another mass sprint. Hosking will always do well in that situation, but would she be out of her depth going up against the likes of Shelley Olds, Lizzie Armitstead and - the strongest of them all - Kirsten Wild?

One thing we know about Chloe is she isn't easily intimidated - she took on and beat Giorgia Bronzini and Marianne Vos at the Drentse 8 van Dwingeloo in 2012, when Bronzini was World Champion, Vos was the best rider in the world and she was only 21 years old (much of that confidence will have come from her rock climbing past, but two years riding with HTC-Highroad will have helped too). Quite a lot of cycling fans - and Les Deesses - have been predicting that Hosking will win the World Championships within a few years - she has, after all, taken on and beaten some of the best sprinters in the world. Beating Wild, a pure sprinter and the fastest of her breed, will convince even more that she's destined for the rainbow jersey.

Stage 5 Top Ten
1 Chloe HOSKING (Hitec Products-UCK) 2h52'39"
2 Kirsten Wild (Argos-Shimano) ST
3 Shelley OLDS (Tibco-To The Top) ST
4 Elizabeth ARMITSTEAD (Boels-Dolmans) ST
5 Ellen VAN DIJK (Specialized-Lululemon) ST
6 Melissa HOSKINS (Orica-AIS) ST
7 Marta TAGLIAFERRO (MCipollini-Giordana) ST
8 Evelyn ARYS (Specialized-Lululemon) ST
9 Annemiek VAN VLEUTEN (Rabobank-Liv/Giant) ST
10 Maria Giulia CONFALONIERI (Italy NT) ST
Full result and GC

Transfer News
United Healthcare launch women's team
United Healthcare revealed that they would be putting together a women's team for the 2014 season earlier this summer - now, they've published a list of confirmed riders: Mara Abbott (Exergy Twenty16), Coryn Rivera (Breast Cancer Care), Alison Powers (Now & Novartis), Ruth Winder (Vanderkitten), Rushleigh Buchanan (Tibco-To The Top), Lauren Tamayo (Exergy Twenty16) and Alexis Ryan (Now & Novartis). The team's main objective for the new season is to propel Abbott to a third victory at the Giro Rosa (Donne), which she won in a remarkable comeback this year. However, riders of this calibre are evidence that the team has a very healthy budget; with more places to be filled it seems that the squad will have many strings to its bow and be able to go after numerous other goals too.

Christine Majerus is going to
Boels-Dolmans in 2014

Polish rider Katarzyna Pawlowska, currently with GSD Gestion-Kallisto, who has already enjoyed an impressive career on the track and has become a big name on the road this year with a gold at the National ITT Championships, a stage win at the Tour de Bretagne and two stage wins plus the overall General Classification at the Tour en Limousin, will be riding for Boels-Dolmans in 2014.

Christine Majerus, currently with Sengers, will also join Boels - the Luxembourgian, National ITT Champion for the last seven years and National Champion in both road racing and cyclo cross for the last four, scored an excellent win at the Sparkassen Giro and has recorded top ten finishes at numerous races this year. The team has confirmed that Nina Kessler, Adrie Visser, Romy Kasper, Lizzie Armitstead, Emma Trott and Jessie Daams will remain onboard.

Interesting Links
Sport Minister calls for a Tour de France race for women (ITV)
Women's cycling growing in the USA? (BikeBiz)
Lazer sponsors CrossVegas women's race with equal prize list (Bicycle Retailer)
Rachel Atherton wins women's downhill title at the Mountain Bike World Championships (SkySports)
Great Britain's Tahnee Seagrave clinches Junior Women's Downhill world title (British Cycling)
Victoria Pendleton says "inequality" kept her away from road racing (Road.CC)
Fastest woman to cycle the globe (Take A Challenge)

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 

Boels Rental Ronde van Drenthe

09.03.2013 Official Site
Netherlands, One-day World Cup Road Race, 132.8km
UCI CDM

The second race of the four-day Drentse Week, the Ronde van Drenthe comes two days after the Drentse 8 and is a completely different sort of race: while the 8 is flat and favours sprinters, the Ronde features three climbs of VAM berg - the highest point in Drenthe and a climb that in true Northern Classics style makes up for its lack of altitude with knee-busting steepness, rising to 56m above sea level in just 0.4km at an average gradient of 9.7% with steeper sections up to 16% on the way. Think it doesn't sound too bad? Even Marianne Vos has to put serious effort into getting up it...

 

In addition to the three ascents and because a 16% gradient isn't enough to satisfy Dutch cycling fans' idea of what a hard race should be, there are also plenty of cobbles, numerous tight corners, narrow bridges, slippery moss-covered roads and - always a potential issue in this part of the world at this time of year - the weather: there's a very good chance that riders will face rain (and perhaps snow), freezing temperatures and strong winds blowing in from the North Sea. Sounds like fun, doesn't it?

The women's race has been running under various names since 2007 and has been dominated by Dutch riders: Adrie Visser won the first edition, followed by Chantal Beltman in 2008, Swedish Emma Johansson in 2009, Loes Gunnewijk in 2010 and then Vos in 2011 and 2012. After a typically excellent cyclo cross season and a swathe of triumphs last year, Vos is the easy favourite; however, her enormous talent and success has forced rivals to respond and she won't win again without serious challenges from other teams.

The Parcours

Drenthe is located in the north-eastern corner of the Netherlands, just south of Groningen. Densely populated during the Bronze Age, it's now a rural province with a far lower population density that most of the rest of the country. In the Netherlands, it's nicknamed "The Cycling Province" due to the large numbers of cyclists from across Europe who come to ride on the quiet, excellent roads. At the beginning of the Second World War, Drenthe was home to a camp housing German Jewish refugees who had fled the Nazis; after the Netherlands was invaded the camp was taken over and became a transit camp from which Jews, Gypsies and others were sent to the concentration camps (among them, Anne Frank, who was placed on the last train to leave the camp for Auschwitz where she died early in March 1945). Today, the province frequently plays host to historical re-enactments of the conflict, as Australian star Bridie O'Donnell discovered when she took a wrong turn on her way to the race in 2010 and ended up right in the middle of one. 

VAM berg

VAM berg's unusual name comes from the fact that it's not a natural feature - it used to be a rubbish dump maintained by the Vuijl Afvoer Maatshappij ("Waste Disposal Company") who covered it in soil and turned it into a hill once it reached the end of its operational life. The riders climb it for the first time 9.4km after reaching the end of the neutralised zone at Hoogeveen - with the surrounding landscape being so flat, the views from the top are superb; however, since it's such a crucial factor in deciding the eventual outcome of the race the riders won't take much notice even at this early stage. There are the first GPM points of the race on offer for the first riders to the top and there is plenty of opportunity for a breakaway on the way down - if a rider or group does manage to get away here she or it is unlikely to stay away for the remaining 122km (although it might not be particularly surprising if Vos managed to pull that one off), but it's a chance for those riders who don't have much chance of winning to get some time out in front where the press can notice them. The first third of the climb is steepest with an average gradient of 14%; it becomes progressively less steep over the last two thirds to the summit.

Once through Nieuw-Balinge, the riders enter an area with many ponds and small lakes formed by the peat cutting industry that brought much of the region's income and shaped the landscape. At 20.2km, now in forest, they come to the first cobbles - a 500m section made especially treacherous by the moss and algae that grow in the damp forest and a real challenge for riders in any break that got away earlier now that they'll be wanting to extend their advantage in preparation for the intermediate sprint at Emmen, 41.8km into the parcours. There are more cobbles, albeit far less dangerous ones, on the way through Exloo from 50.1 to 53.8km, then some more at Borger-Odoorn from 57.2 to 60.7km and again at 67.1 to 69.1km before the race enters a 14km section featuring several tight corners and narrow stretches en route towards the second ascent of VAM berg at 93.1km, where there are again points for the first riders up and scope for the race to change dramatically - a break could be caught on the way up or might extend its lead if it includes climbers, or a new one might form.

Marianne Vos won in
2011 and 2012. Can she
be stopped this year?
Recent performances
suggest not.

Heading back along some of the same roads they used earlier, the riders make their way back to Hoogeveen and begin the third part of the race. At 106.5km they pass over the finish line for the first time, beginning the second intermediate sprint. They then head back out of town in the direction of Stuifzand, negotiating some hazardous sharp bends after around 111km before entering the VAM industrial site once more for the third and final climb of VAM berg at 119.9km. Now, the order in which the riders climb it is important: there are insufficient kilometres to the finish line for the peloton to risk allowing a strong break to get away and, should one form, expect the teams to work together to bring them back rapidly; if it's a superstrong break, made up of some race favourites and their most able domestiques, the eventual winner will be among them. This last section will probably see an increasing number of attacks as riders test one another, finding out who has a the strength left for a last push and who won't be able to hold their own. After passing through Stuifzand for the final time, the race returns to Hoogeveen where the riders head into town along the Griendtsveenweg, then turn the last corner, left at a roundabout onto Rembrandstraat - not an easy corner as the wide road is split into two narrow carriageways by a central island for much of its length, creating a potential bottleneck if a large number of riders fighting for good positions to begin the final sprint are compressed into a tight area. The width of the road doesn't change from now on, meaning that if a bunch is leading the race sprinters may have difficulty in forcing their way through to the front in time for the final 300m to the finish line on Prinses Beatrixstraat.

Start List

Not yet available

Weather

More information nearer to the race

La Fleche Wallonne report and results

Pooley abandons, Stevens takes Fleche victory

Emma Pooley

Emma Pooley (AA Drink-Leontien.nl) was forced to abandon the Fleche Wallonne Femmes after her gears apparently broke twice, a third mechanical problem and three crashes. In the first, she went down along with several other riders but was unhurt; in the second, she collided with a rider who had unexpectedly stopped, breaking her deraileur and while beginning to feel rather battered could continue on a spare bike; in the third. another rider collided with her and she was thrown to the ground, then a motorbike ran over her bike and damaged it beyond repair (AA Drink-Leontien.nl report here). Eye witnesses say she was bleeding as she climbed the Muur for the last time, but she's said to have only very minor injuries (updates as soon as possible). Faren-Honda's Nicole Cooke is reported to have abandoned "after a few kilometres."

Marianne Vos, four-time winner of this race, looked set to repeat her previous success after taking the lead on the final climbed of the infamous Muur to the finish line after a five-rider break formed with 15km to go and managed to join up with Linda Villumsen, Clara Hughes and Lucinda Brand. However, she was surprised in the last 30m by Evelyn Stevens who suddenly appeared from behind her and powered past to the line looking as though she had a rocket under her saddle - an absolutely superb win for the American rider and as good as a big tick next to her name on the Olympic selection list.

Evelyn Stevens, now with
Specialized-Lululemon

Women's Top Ten
1. Evelyn Stevens (Specialized-Lululemon) 3h26'32"
2. Marianne Vos (Rabobank) +4"
3. Linda Villumsen (GreenEDGE) +20"
4. Lucinda Brand (AA Drink-Leontien.nl) +27"
5. Ashleigh Moolman (Lotto Ladies-Belisol) +41"
6. Judith Arndt (GreenEDGE) ST
7. Megan Guarnier (TIBCO) +44"
8. Clara Hughes (Specialized-Lululemon) +48"
9. Emma Johansson (Hitec Products-Mistral Home) ST
10. Karol-Ann Canuel (Vienne Futurscope) +51"

Best Brit: 20. Sharon Laws (AA Drink-Leontien.nl) +1'10"
(Top 40)




The women's race is, of course, the fourth round of the Women's Road World Cup. The standings after today look like this:

1. Marianne Vos (Rabobank) 200 pts
2. Judith Arndt (Specialized-Lululemon) 139 pts
3. Emma Johansson (Hitec Products-Mistral Home) 86 pts
4. Kirsten Wild (AA Drink-Leontien.nl) 80 pts
5. Evelyn Stevens (Specialized-Lululemon) 75 pts
6. Trixi Worrack (Specialized-Lululemon) 62 pts
7. Adrie Visser (Skil-Argos) 56 pts
8. Pauline Ferrand-Prévot (Rabobank) 52 pts
9. Kristin Armstrong (USA) 50 pts
10. Tatiana Guderzo (IMCipollini-Giambenini) 50 pts

Videos

Videos courtesy of Sebastien Tytgat

Women's Drentse 8 Van Dwingeloo

Today - International Women's Day, fittingly - brings the Women's Drentse 8 Van Dwingeloo, a UCI 1.1 race that will see a total of 180 riders take part in three races culminating on Saturday with the first round of the 2012 UCI Women's World Road Cup: and for many fans, that means one thing - the return of last year's winner Marianne Vos to road competition following a short break in the wake of the cyclo cross season. The official site has further details.

Hoogerheide CX World Cup

It was an absolutely beautiful day for a race in Hoogerheide today: the sun was shining, the air was clear and the rain stayed away. There'd been plenty of rain in the last few days so boggy patches were guaranteed, but - thanks largely to the race organisers' decision not to permit training on the parcours until yesterday - there was nothing like the mudfest that had been predicted.

Marianne Vos took a 15th consecutive victory

The predicted Vosfest went ahead as expected, meanwhile. The 24-year-old Dutch megastar looked poised and purposeful on the start line, a complete contrast to the relaxed British rider Helen Wyman who was swapping jokes with the rider next to her, before leaping away and leading for the remained of the race. She was, literally, untouchable as she rode towards her fifteenth consecutive victory, making the fast parcours look easy as she built up to a 30 second lead and then kept going; gliding where others ground and seeming to get faster and faster towards the end. She crossed the line 1'28" ahead of Daphny van den Brand, though with 326 points to Vos' 290 it's Daphny who takes the World Cup - a fantastic end to her career as this is due to be her final cyclo cross season.

Wyman took 6th place, an excellent result and more evidence that she's fully recovered from the virus she contracted before Christmas - welcome news for British fans as she's by far our strongest rider at present (and for some years, for that matter). Derbyshire-born Nikki Harris was 12" behind her in eighth place.

Daphy van den Brand wins the World Cup

A large crash seconds after the race got under away left many women on the ground. Most were up and on their way quickly, but Sophie de Boer and Caroline Mani were not so fortunate and needed medical attention, both lying on the roadside surrounded by paramedics for some time before being taken away by ambulance. De Boer was feared to have broken her collar bone and shoulder, thus ruling her out for the upcoming World Championships, but later said on her Twitter feed that she hopes to be racing next week, also thanking fans for wishing her well:

"ssophiedeboer sophie de boer
Hopelijk duimt iedereen mee dat het meevalt en dat ik volgende week kan fietsen....... :'( bedankt voor de steun lieve mensen!!!" ("Hopefully [I'm not] that bad, everyone, and will be riding next week ....... : '( Thanks for the support nice people!")

There are still concerns that her wrist may be fractured and she has extensive grazing, but it seems she got off far more lightly than at first appeared to be the case. Details of Mani's injuries are not yet known - paramedics appeared to be concerned about her knee, but the rider later posted a photograph on her Twitter account showing herself with her left arm in plaster and cuts to her face. Katie Compton and Katerina Nash came close to crashing after a collision which left their bikes entangled, but managed to stay upright and were racing again within seconds.

Fancy a report from the viewpoint of somebody who was actually in the race? Helen Wyman is the person to see. 

Full results below

2, 1, 3 - Van den Brand, Vos, Compton

Elite Women
  1 Marianne Vos (Rabobank) 00:39:14 
  2 Daphny Van Den Brand (WV Schijndel) 01:28 
  3 Katerina Nash 01:35
  4 Katherine Compton (Rabobank-Giant Offroad Team) 01:53
  5 Lucie Chainel-lefevre 02:06
  6 Helen Wyman 02:24
  7 Nikki Harris 02:36
  8 Annie Last 02:49
  9 Sanne Cant (Boxx VeldritAcademie)  03:16
  10. Pavla Havlikova 03:24
  11 Meredith Miller 03:25
  12 Jasmin Achermann  03:33
  13 Sabrina Schweizer 03:47
  14 Joyce Vanderbeken 03:53
  15 Julie Krasniak 03:56
  16 Reza Hormes Ravenstijn 04:03
  17 Sabrina Stultiens (Brainwash) 04:09
  18 Nicole Duke 04:35
  19 Linda Van Rijen (Skil - 1t4i) 04:40
  20 Christine Majerus (Team GSD Gestion) 04:42
  21 Arenda Grimberg 04:52
  22. Kaitlin Antonneau (Exergy Twenty12) 05:10
  23 Gesa Bruchmann 05:26
  24 Valentina Scandolara (S.C. Michela Fanini Rox) 05:32
  25 Nancy Bober 05:55
  26 Lana Verberne 05:58
  27 Olga Wasiuk ST
  28 Nikoline Hansen 06:20
  29 Andrea Smith 06:30
  30 Kajsa Snihs 06:34
  31 Alice Maria Arzuffi  06:38
  32 Hilde Quintens 06:40
  33 Sabrina Maurer 06:56
  34 Christine Vardaros (Baboco - Revor Cycling Team) 07:12
  35 Sakiko Miyauchi 07:21
  36 Asa Maria Erlandsson 07:31
  37 Kim Van De Steene 07:35
  38 Githa Michiels 07:39
  39 Annefleur Kalvenhaar  07:40
  40 Ayako Toyooka 07:44
  41 Amy Dombroski (Cranckbrothers) 08:09
  42 Katrien Thijs 00:01
  43 Lise-Marie Henzelin ST
  44 Margriet Kloppenburg ST
  45 Madara Furmane 00:02

Wyman on Vos: "I’m going to match her next season"

If anyone can, Helen can!

British Champion Helen Wyman's race reports, in which she gives a detailed description of cyclo cross events from her point of view as someone who actually competes in them, are well-known (if you don't read them, you really should: Helen is highly intelligent and writes superbly).

Her latest, written in the wake of the final World Cup round at Hoogerheide last weekend, is a classic example in which she picks apart the race in order to both examine and explain her own performance. She says she's still having problems with her breathing after falling victim to the respiratory virus that has been doing the rounds in the CX world this winter and which kept her fellow British rider Gabby Day away from the race, but feels that her sixth place finish could still have been better had she not have made "a few silly errors" that she says kept her from the top 5.

More interesting still, meanwhile, are her thoughts on the Dutch and World Champion Marianne Vos -  who leapt ahead in the early stages of the race and dominated to the very end, crossing the line with an advantage just short of a minute and a half over second place Daphny van den Brand.

"Vos set out in the front group, decided to destroy everyone at her chosen moment," says Wyman, who will be 31 on the 4th of March. "She did that with style and grace, and left a little race of everyone else behind her (I would like to point out here I’m not happy this is happening and I’m already plotting how I’m going to match her next season.  Me and Kona, we are going to set the balance back next year….honest)."

Vos is "the standard setter for us all and we
all need to raise our games," says Wyman

Intriguing! Those who have followed her career, and her reports, will know that Wyman has a perfect understanding of her sport and can see right through to the underlying structure of a race every bit as effectively as the x-ray machines she used when working as a physiotherapist (she graduated from the University of Hertfordshire with a degree in the subject) - and having been British Champion for the last seven consecutive years, there can be no doubt that she has the physical talent to go with the brains.

Vos is a phenomenal athlete and, at 24 years old, is only going to get better. "Despite missing two rounds, [she] has shown that she’s pretty much the standard setter for us all and we all need to raise our games," says Wyman. That is great news, because increased competitiveness can only possibly lead to more exposure for women's cyclo cross - and it would be fantastic beyond words to see Helen take the World Cup next season.

Helen Wyman's website