Boels Rental Ladies Tour 2013

03-08.09.2013 Official Site
Netherlands, 6-stage Road Race, 611.3km
UCI 2.2

Inaugurated in 1998, this is a race that has been known by several names. Originally, it was the Holland Ladies Tour and remained so for the first 13 years, but a series of new sponsors has seen name changes every year since: in 2011 it was the Profile Ladies Tour, in 2012 the Brainwash Ladies Tour and now in 2013 it's the Boels Rental Ladies Tour.

Along with Lotto and Belisol (whose Belgium Tour took place late last month), Boels is a name that you'll see again and again in women's cycling: in addition to sponsoring a team (Boels-Dolmans), the DIY and plant machinery company has thrown its full weight into supporting the sport - in addition to the team and this race, it also sponsors the Boels Rental Hills Classic and the Ronde van Drenthe. Why? Well, they've obviously found that women's cycling offers sufficient returns to get approval from the bean counters, but it seems likely that some of the people at the top of the firm must be fans. So, if you happen to live near one of Boels' 300 outlets and find yourself needing to rent some DIY equipment or plant machinery, give them a call - and know that some of the money you pay them will go towards supporting and developing the sport you love.

The Ladies Tour has always been a very popular race that attracts the top riders in the world, as well as large numbers of fans. Oh - and make the most of this race. The end of the season is approaching fast.

Previous Winners
Elsbeth van Rooy-Vink, better known as a mountain biker won the first edition, then two more Dutch riders - Leontien van Moorsel and Mirjam Melchers - won in 1999 and 2000. There would be no further Dutch victories until 2009, when Marianne Vos won; she has won it every year since. However, despite having been favourite this year, she has decided to miss the race after receiving treatment for chronic back pain so that she'll have ideal form to defend her World Champion title later in the month.

1998 Elsbeth Vink
1999 Leontien van Moorsel
2000 Mirjam Melchers
2001 Petra Rossner
2002 Debby Mansveld
2003 Susanne Ljungskog
2004 Mirjam Melchers
2005 Tanja Schmidt-Hennes
2006 Susanne Ljungskog
2007 Kristin Armstrong
2008 Charlotte Becker
2009 Marianne Vos
2010 Marianne Vos
2011 Marianne Vos
2012 Marianne Vos

Parcours
Stage 1 (03.09.2013; Roden-Roden, 109.9km)

View Boels Ladies Tour 2013 Stage 1 in a larger map

At first glance, Stage 1 looks as though it was designed to give the riders a nice and easy start so they could gradually get into the competitive spirit. If you've followed professional cycling for any length of time, you'll know that sort of thing never happens - look more closely at the parcours and, while there are no big climbs (hey, this is the Netherlands), there are several harsh cobbled sections that hurt everyone (and can end your race if you crash, which is all too easy to do on cobbles). Being located along narrow sections of road, these cobbled sections encourage breakaways because riders riding solo or in small groups stay clear of congestion and the majority of crashes (and have more room to avoid any that might take place in the break) whereas those trailing in the main group can topple like dominoes at any moment. So, expect a tough day of very technical racing.

The toughest section of all is the short Kampweg/Kerkpad/Brink stretch in Norg. Though less than 0.4km in length, the first 150m is extremely narrow and extremely rough. The section is ridden three times but, as there are still 22km to be raced after the final visit, it's unlikely to prove decisive; however, it's sufficiently technical, especially in the wet, that a few riders may find their race ends here.

Yes, a major, international bike race will be held on this narrow path!

Stage 2 (04.09.2013; Coevorden-Coevorden, 32.2km Team Time Trial)

View Boels Rental Ladies Tour 2013 Stage 2 in a larger map

The start of Stage 2 is going to feel distinctly familiar to some of the riders - they set off from the marketplace in Coevorden, just as they did back in March at the Novilon Euregio Cup. Then, they had 141km and an ascent of the VAMberg, a turfed-over rubbish dump with a maximum gradient of 16%, ahead of them; today, they'll only cover 32.2km and there are no hills to speak of (the bridge over the Stieltjeskanaal is the most challenging of the very small climbs along the way), but because it's a team time trial they'll be riding at full speed all the way.

The main issue along the parcours is the narrowness of some of the roads: while it'll be easier to negotiate them as individual teams rather than as a peloton, some stretches offer space sufficiently limited as to lead to difficulties when riders try to swap position at the front, and those who have spent the most time practicing their change-overs will benefit from this. Otherwise, Stage 2 ought to be a classic example of a team time trial, where the best tactic is quite simply to go as fast as possible.

Stage 3 (05.09.2013; Leerdam-Leerdam, 121.3km)

View Boels Rental Ladies Tour 2013 Stage 3 in a larger map


With its flat terrain (the greatest deviation between two points anywhere along the route is less than 10m) and lack of tight corners, Stage 3 looks easy enough at first glance. However, the nature of the competition will be decided by the wind: if it's a still day, expect a fast race with the peloton sailing through at high speed preventing breaks as slower riders drop off the back; if it's windy, expect the peloton to be broken up into numerous sub-groups with the stronger riders battling the weather and one another at the front and the rest battling for survival at varying distances back along the road.

One feature that might prove to have a major effect on the outcome is the railway crossings and swingbridges - the UCI rules state that, should a break reach such an obstruction and be held up, they will be given a time advantage equal to the advantage they had before stopping; however, if the break gets through and the peloton is held up, the time that the riders in the peloton have to wait will be added to their overall times. This can make the difference between a break succeeding or failing, and has led in the past to unexpected victories.


Stage 4 (06.09.2013; Papendrecht-Papendrecht, 116km)

View Boels Rental Ladies Tour 2013 Stage 4 in a larger map

Once again, the wind may be a deciding factor today - especially on the long, straight Tolsteeg-Wijngardsesteeg-Wijngardseweg and Abbekesdoel-Oosteinde-Noordzeijde-Dorpstraat-Westeinde sections, where powerful cross- or headwinds would permit a squad of evenly-matched riders to mount a team time trial-style assault on their rivals by working closely together and maintaining the maxium speed possible, thus gaining a big advantage over weaker teams.

It's another very flat stage: the highest point along the parcours, roughly halfway through the neutral zone, is just 4.8m above sea level; the lowest is 5.1, below sea level and comes around 9km later - there are many little dips and ramps all the way to the finish, but none of them are big enough to play a part in determining the stage winner.

Stage 5 (07.09.2013; Zaltbommel-Veen, 120.2km)

View Boels Rental Ladies Tour 2013 Stage 5 in a larger map

Marianne Vos, as already mentioned, isn't taking part in the Tour this year so that she can give her back a chance to recover fully in time for the World Championships - but there's a good chance she'll put in an appearance at some point today, because the route passes within a kilometre of her home village Meeuwen. Some of the roads featured in the second and third parts of the stage (one 52.2km loop and four 11.4km laps) will be familiar to the riders and fans from May's Omloop vanAalburg - in fact, the 11.4km circuit is identical to the finishing circuit that was completed three times in the Omloop.

As was the case in the Omloop (and the Rabobank 7-Dorpenomloop van Aalburg, which also takes place in the area), wind can be a deciding factor in this race - the terrain is pancake flat, permitting the wind to howl in from the North Sea, and there are few hedges or trees to impede it.

Being so flat and with a long, straight run to the finish, it seems highly likely that the race will finish with a bunch sprint today. How many riders are in that sprint - a few, or all of them - depends on what happens on the long sections on very narrow roads, especially during the 52.2km circuit: the combined length of the four final laps is 45.6km, offering plenty of time for riders who got stuck near the back on the narrow stretches earlier on to get to the front of the peloton, but some of those stretches are so narrow that a small,  strong break could potentially flee the pack at a point where it's impossible for chasers to get up to the front and begin pursuit. If so, the peloton will need to make sure it brings them back before it's too late.

Stage 6 (07.09.2013; Bunde-Berg Terblijt, 111.7km)

View Boels Ladies Tour 2013 Stage 6 in a larger map

Boels may be the main sponsor of this race, but team-sponsoring partner Dolmans Landscaping are involved too - and Stage 6 starts right outside their premises on Pasweg in Bunde. In this stage, the race changes character completely - the pancake-flat polders where the sprinters had it all their own way are no more now that the Tour enters Limburg, home to the highest hills in the Netherlands which, though not very high, are sometimes sufficiently steep to make things difficult for all but the pure climbers. It doesn't matter what the General Classification looks like at the start line, because it could be very, very different by the finish.

The two most daunting are the chalky hill known as Bemelerberg, usually seen from the Krekelenberg during the Amstel Gold Race, and the infamous Cauberg. Starting just as the race arrives at Bemelen, Bemelerberg climbs 39m in 1.26km; the average gradient is therefore 3%, but the maximum of 6% is enough for the pure sprinters to drop behind. Cauberg is something else entirely: its average gradient is 5.8% and its maximum 12%, sufficient to decide races - including the 2012 World Championships, which took place in this region. It's likely that it'll have some effect on the outcome of this race, too, because the riders will be going up it twice in the final 25km - once at 87.5km and then again at 107.4km. Bemelerberg is climbed early in the race at 6.9km, then again at 100.9km. There are numerous smaller climbs, some with similarly steep sections, along the way.

Start List

Trophée d'Or 2013

24-28.08.2013 Official Site
France, 6-stage Road Race, 496.3km
UCI 2.2

First held in 1997, when it was won by Jeannie Longo (who was then 39 and, famously, is still racing today at the age of 54), the Trophée d'Or is now in its 17th edition. Although it has fluctuated between five and six stages, it is unusual among women's cycling races in that it has been held every year since its inauguration - a tribute to the excellent organisational skills of the race committee.

One (possibly unique) feature of the Trophee d'Or is the 18km de l'arrivée prime, awarded to the first rider to reach a point 18km from the finish line. It provides an incentive for riders who might not be in a position to challenge for a stage win to fight for a place near the front of the peloton as the race nears its end, ensuring that competition remains high in the last part of each stage.

Like their Route de France counterparts, organisers of the Trophee d'Or want to keep their race interesting by trying to make sure that the overall outcome remains undecided for as long as possible. The Trophee does this in completely the opposite way to the Route - whereas the Route consisted of a series of flat, straight, relatively featureless stages that kept the peloton rolling along at high speed day after day and prevented anyone getting away (and might well have become ironically boring as a result, had it not been for Giorgia Bronzini's record six consecutive stage wins), the Trophee tries to prevent anyone building up an insurmountable lead by including a wide selection of fast straights, tough climbs, technical sections, steep descents and as many different variations on the final 3km as can be squeezed into six stages. This means that there is plenty of incentive and scope for breakaways, either solo or in groups, but that any rider who gains a big advantage in a break can very easily lose it again; the race therefore stands a good chance of remaining undecided right up until the end, possibly even into the final few kilometres, yet features plenty of interest and action along the way.

Previous Winners
The Lithuanian Edita Pučinskaitė and the Swede Emma Johansson (riding this year with Orica-AIS) are the only riders to have won twice, in 2001 and 2004 and in 2008 and 2010 respectively. Longo remains the only French winner; no British rider has ever made it to the podium, but there are some very good British women on the start list this year: Lizzie Armitstead (Boels-Dolmans) and Sharon Laws (Lotto-Belisol) have the potential to challenge overall and Emma Trott (Boels-Dolmans) could aim for a stage win.

2012 winner Elena Cecchini, pictured
at the Thuringen Rundfahrt

1997 Jeannie Longo
1998 Jolanta Polikevičiūtė
1999 Tracey Gaudry
2000 Leontien van Moorsel
2001 Edita Pučinskaitė
2002 Tatiana Stiajkina
2003 Olivia Gollan
2004 Edita Pučinskaitė
2005 Joane Somarriba
2006 Zulfiya Zabirova
2007 Noemi Cantele
2008 Emma Johansson
2009 Diana Žiliūtė
2010 Emma Johansson
2011 Tatiana Antoshina
2012 Elena Cecchini

Parcours

Stage 1 (24.08.2013; St Amand Montrond-Graçay, 107.1 km)

View Trophee d'Or Feminin 2013 Stage 1 in a larger map

With numerous small hills and twisty lanes along its 107.1km, Stage 1 looks on paper to encourage breakaways more than any other in this edition. That makes the race interesting right from the very start because, with the big name General Classification contenders wanting to save some energy for the battles to come, it would be entirely possible for a small group of domestiques and riders who usually couldn't challenge for an overall win to grab an advantage that, provided they can keep up a decent pace and avoid accidents over the next few days, could see them achieve a very good final placing - and, perhaps, even stand on the podium after Stage 6.

GPM points are on offer four times during the stage. The first are at the Category 3 Cote des Billons, 19.3km into the parcours; it ascends (asc.) 38m in 0.75km (len.) to give an average gradient (ave.) of 5%. The second is the Cote de Diou, 57.2km in and also rated as Category 3 (asc. 30m, len. 0.62km, ave. 4.8%); the third and fourth are at the Cote de Prinçay, climbed at 90km and then again at 103.7km (asc. 36m, len. 0.62km, ave. 5.8%). Although Prinçay sounds little more difficult that Diou, it reaches a maximum gradient for a short stretch of 12% and as such is rated at Category 2, making it a difficult obstacle even if it were climbed only once - with the second ascent coming just 6.7km before the end of the race it may, therefore, prove to have a decisive effect on the outcome of the stage. The final 3km descends gradually (though there's a very brief and small rise at 1.1km to go); if riders approach the finish as a group, this should encourage a fast sprint to the line.

Stage 2 (25.08.2013; Mehun sur Yèvre ITT, 17.7km)

View Trophee d'Or Feminin 2013 Stage 2 in a larger map

Throughout cycling history, there have been several climbers who could also time trial. Stage 1 wasn't even remotely mountainous, but the combined effect of all those little hills and the four GPM climbs served to give the climbers and more grimpeur-orientated all-rounders an advantage that they could then have preserved (if not extended) on Stage 2 - if, that is, it wasn't as long as it is: no other type of rider can keep up sufficient wattage over 17.7km to be able to rival the time trial specialists, meaning that nobody who gained a lead yesterday is guaranteed to keep it today.

Stage 3 (25.08.2013; La Chapelle St Ursin-La Chapelle St Ursin, 78.3km)

View Trophee d'Or Feminin 2013 Stage 3 in a larger map

Taking place after the Stage 2 Time Trial, Stage 3 consists of three laps around a fast 26.1km circuit - which makes this an ideal parcours for spectators as it offers an opportunity to see the peloton go by three times, or even to move around and see it from different places.

Long, exposed stretches make breakaways difficult, especially if it's windy - but with three lots of GPM points on the Cote de la Madeleine and bonification seconds at the intermediate sprint two-thirds of the way to the end, any break that does manage to get away could reap handsome rewards. Whether that can happen has to remain to be seen, as does whether or not such a break could remain out in front over the final lap and avoid being swept up by the pack once the General Classification riders building up to the bunch sprint that seems the inevitable conclusion.

Cote de la Madeleine is climbed at 12.1km, 38.2km and 64.3km. It gains 25m in 0.55km, giving an average gradient of 4.5%, and is rated as Category 3. The intermediate sprint is contested at the second passage of the finish line, 52.2km from the start. There is a small descent between 3km and 2km before the finish line, then a gradual climb of around 20m over the last 2km, an average gradient of only 1%.

Stage 4 (26.08.2013; Cosne Cours Sur Loire-Cosne Cours Sur Loire, 99.4km)

View Trophee d'Or 2013 Stage 4 in a larger map

With the first circuit (depicted in blue on the map) and the first 15km or so of the second running through open countryside with few hedgerows, riders may again experience strong crosswinds during this stage. There are also a number of difficult corners along all the circuits, putting bike-handling skills to the test. That makes the first 35km ideal ground for the rouleurs, big, strong riders who can fight their way to the front and then get out in front. However, tthe organisers say this stage has been named Montagne and although the highest point (Cote de Bue) topping out at a little under 400m means it's not exactly alpine, but five categorised climbs (including three Category 1 ascents, once of them with a maximum gradient of 20%) and a good selection of smaller, uncategorised hills suggests that once the race gets into the hilly section, the heavier riders will start to suffer. So the best tactics would seem to be to get your team's best climber surrounded by a posse of bigger, tougher rouleurs who can then make sure she gets to the categorised climbs in good shape and at the front of the pack. Then, you let her go and do her stuff and with a bit of luck the GPM points - and maybe even a stage victory, if she finds a sufficiently large enough advantage for it not to be chipped away in the local circuit that finishes the stage - come pouring in.

Failing that, you want to get your sprinters and their lead-outs into a break shortly before or soon after the beginning of the local circuit, once they've had chance to recover a bit from the climbs (hmm - can anyone else see why this could be an excellent stage for a rider like Lotto-Belisol's Ashleigh Moolman?) That way, they're well away from the pack and avoiding the congested corners and any crashes that might take place and are in the right place to launch themselves into that last, nearly straight 150m blast to the finish.

Cosne-Cours-sur-Loire looks exactly what it is - a once grand town that has fallen on hard times, in this case due to the demise of its metal-working industry that it had depended on since the 16th Century. However, having been inhabited since prehistoric times, there is much to see and the town forms an ideal base for visitors to the race. The medieval town Sancerre, sitting on an isolated hill 310m above sea level and packed full of centuries-old buildings, is also worth a visit.

The first GPM climb is the Cote du Petit Graveron, located 36.1km from the start; with a total ascent of 96m in 1.6km it has an average gradient of 6.8% but is steeper in parts with a maximum of 8%, being rated at Category 2 as a result. The second is the Cote de Bue at 53km, ascending 105m in 1.6km at an average gradient of 6.9% and a maximum of 8%; it is rated Category 2. Third is the 1st Category Cote du Graveron at 59.1km, rising 150m in 2.3km with an average gradient of 6.5% and one section reaching a harsh 15%. Fourth is the even more brutal Category 1 Cote des Perrieres 63.2km into the parcours; ascending 64m in 0.6km gives a difficult average gradient of 10.7% - but it's much worse than that, because the maximum is 20%. The fifth and final GPM climb is Category 1 Cote des Remparts, 69.6km from the start; it gains 112m in 1.6km at an average gradient of 7%. Note also a small hill that rises around 30m between the three and two kilometres to go points - possibly just enough to give a rider able to climb and sprint (such as Moolman again, or Giorgia Bronzini from Wiggle-Honda) an advantage.

Stage 5 (27.08.2013; Baugy-Baugy, 105.7km)

View Trophee d'Or 2013 Stage 4 in a larger map

There is plenty of open countryside again on this stage but, if the riders have been battling the wind over the last couple of days, the forested sections and the shelter they offer will come as a relief - though they may also permit breakaways.

The local circuit may only be 5.5km in length, but with some sharp corners followed by long, fast straights that's plenty enough for breaks to be caught, then for the lead-outs and sprinters to get themselves into position before the final bend and the non-technical 1.1km running along the Rues de la Croix-St-Abdon, du Huit Mai, du Chancelier and Sully, ending at the finish line back where the race began on the Place de Verdun.

The three climbs are far less troublesome than those ridden yesterday, each of them being rated Category 3. Cote de Vizy, located at 71.8km, ascends 40m in 2km at an unchallenging average gradient of 2%. The latter two have steep sections, but overall are of sufficiently low average gradient to be given their low categorisation. The Cote de Villequiers, 84km from the start, rises 34m in 0.95km; the average gradient is 3.6% but it reaches 7% at one point. The final GPM climb of the stage is the Cote de Solerieux, 91.6km from the start; it ascends 30m in 0.5km at an average gradient of 6% while the steepest section is 11%. The terrain rises slightly over the course of the final 3km but so gradually that, with the exception of a small low gradient ramp just after 1km to go, the increase is too minor to have any effect.

Stage 6 (28.08.2013; Orval-St Amand Montrond)

View Trophee d'Or 2013 Stage 6 in a larger map

Another stage designed to let spectators see the race go by more than once (and thus a good option if you have the chance to go to see it but can only remain for one day), Stage 6 is roughly in the form of a figure of eight that begins at Orval, heads west and then swings east to take a long route back to Saint-Amand-Montrond, Orval's neighbour on the opposite side of the Loubiere and Cher rivers. It then comes within half a kilometre of the finish line but turns away, traveling north and climbing into forest; soon after emerging it joins the same route taken east earlier with the riders contesting the intermediate sprint, then continues back to Saint-Amand-Montrond again. This time it passes over the finish line to enter a local circuit 6.5km, which will be completed three times.

Today's GPM climbs begin with the Category 2 Cote de Nozieres which, located just 3.6km from the start line and rising 40m in 0.4km (average gradient 10%), gives the climbers a chance to get out in front early on in the race. Doing so might not stand them in good stead, though, because there are more than 30km to the next climb - ample time for any advantage to be taken away again. The second is the Cote de la Tour, also Category 2, which will be climbed at 35km and then again at 63.1km when it'll be the fourth GPM ascent. It rises just 21m but does so in 0.23km, giving it a difficult average gradient of 9%. The third and fifth GPM climbs are the Cote du Fer Cheval which, ascending 70m in 1.6km, has an average gradient of 4.4% (maximum 7.5%) and is rated as a Category 3. 

Once GPM points have been awarded for the final time on the second ascent of Cote du Fer a Cheval, it will be climbed three more times, once on each of the three laps around the local circuit; those three ascents going to take their toll and, by the time they near the last 3km, all but the pure climbers are going to be hurting. However, the organisers have cleverly seen to it that the climbers can't rely on the parcours to win them the race: there's a fast descent between 2.5km and 2km to go - something that climbers, who lack the body weight to keep control of their bikes on a steep downhill, tend to dislike. Heavier riders, like sprinters and rouleurs, are less affected; deciding the General Classification may be a formality by this point, but the final stage victory will in all likelihood still be up for grabs.

Starters
Provisional and subject to change; Women Cycling Fever is regularly updated.

Australia NT

BePink

Bigla

France NT

Germany NT

Boels-Dolmans
Lizzie Armitstead
Jessie Daams
Romy Kasper
Emma Trott
Marieke Wanroij
Adrie Visser

Lotto-Belisol
Marijn de Vries
Kaat Hannes
Sharon Laws
Ashleigh Moolman
Marion Rousse
Carlee Taylor

MCipollini-Giordana
Valentina Carretta
Tatiana Guderzo
Malgorzata Jasinska
Valentina Scandolara
Anna Zita Maria Stricker
Marta Tagliaferro

Orica-AIS
Tiffany Cromwell
Nettie Edmondson
Gracie Elvin
Melissa Hoskins
Emma Johansson
Gu Sung Eun

Pasta Zara-Cogeas
Inga Cilvinaite
Véronique Fortin
Amber Pierce
Martina Ruzickova
Lorena Maria Vargas Villamil

Rabobank-Liv/Giant
Lucinda Brand
Liesbet de Vocht
Pauline Ferrand Prevot
Roxane Knetemann
Iris Slappendel
Sabrina Stultiens
Annemiek van Vleuten
Marianne Vos

RusVelo
Yulia Blingyuk
Alexandra Burchenkova
Oxana Kozonchuk
Elena Kuchinskaya
Hanka Kupfernagel
Aizhan Zhaparova

Sengers
Evelin Arys
Sofie de Vuyst
Vera Koedooder
Christine Majerus
Maaike Polspoel
Anna van der Breggen

Argos-Shimano
Janneke Busser-Kanis
Elke Gebhardt
Willeke Knol
Amy Pieters
Esra Tromp
Kirsten Wild

USA NT
Kaitlyn Antonneau
Jacquelyn Crowell
Andrea Dvorak
Janel Holcomb
Kristin McGrath
Brianna Walle

Vienne-Futuroscope
Jessica Allen
Sandrine Bideau
Karol-Ann Canuel
Audrey Cordon
Pascale Jeuland
Emmanuelle Merlot

Wiggle-Honda
Charlotte Becker
Giorgia Bronzini
Emily Collins
Danielle King
Lauren Kitchen
Linda Villumsen

Riders to Watch
Marianne Vos ("meilleure cycliste mondiale depuis 2007," says the official race website - something with which few people would argue) isn't having the best year of her career, but what counts as a bad year for Marianne would be the greatest season of most riders' careers - she is, just as she always is, a favourite for overall victory and very much a rider to watch.

Emma Johansson seems to get stronger and stronger with every year that comes and has emerged as a very powerful rival to Vos, beating her on a number of occasions - with her Orica-AIS squad also able to stand up to the might of Vos' Rabobank-Liv/Giant, she'll be making sure the Dutch star doesn't have an easy time of it as she goes after an unprecedented third victory.

Wiggle-Honda exploded onto the scene at the start of this season and enjoyed a spectacular victory at the Route de France a few weeks before this race, with Linda Villumsen winning overall and Giorgia Bronzini setting a new world record of six consecutive stages (the previous record of five was set, coincidentally, by Jeannie Longo, who won the first edition of this race). Bronzini won three in a row at last year's Trophée (she won four in a row back in 2008, too) and may well be a force with which to be reckoned this year - although Stage 4 suits Lotto-Belisol's Ashleigh Moolman, the last three kilometres suit Bronzini very well indeed.

Finally, we'll probably see a lot of MCipollini-Giordana: the Valentinas Scandolara and Carretta are on excellent form at the moment and have been grabbing GPMs, sprints and podium steps all over the place this season, and Marta Tagliaferro can cut it with the best in a bunch sprint.

How to Follow the Race
Boels-Dolmans mechanic Richie Steege Tweets live from all the races the team enter, providing expert and up-to-the-minute information on the action. Karl Lima's Hitec Products-UCK are not on the start list at the time of writing but, if present at the race, he also provides excellent coverage via Twitter. Journalists Bart Hazen and Anton Vos (Marianne's brother) also Tweet from races. Once the race is over, check Marijn de Vries' blog - Marijn, in addition to racing for Lotto-Belisol, is a professional journalist and her race reviews (even when auto-translated into English) are always excellent with their warts-and-all descriptions of what it's actually like to compete in an Elite Women's race.

Women's Cycling News 30.06-07.07.2013

Giro Rosa (Stages 1-8) - Tour de Feminin O cenu Ceského Švýcarska (Stages 1, 2, 3) - Barker wins Otley - Forster crashes at Elveden - Interesting Links - Photo of the Week - more to come...

Giro Rosa
The biggest news of the week can only possibly be the Giro Rosa which, as the new incarnation of the legendary Giro Donne, is the only Grand Tour in women's cycling. Race preview here.

Marianne Vos is, of course, hotly tipped for victory, just as she is in every race she enters. If she does win, it'll be her third Giro triumph in row - a feat thus far achieved only by Fabiana Luperini who won in 1995, 1996, 1997 and then for a fourth time in 1998. However, Vos' rivals are not content to sit back and let her win everything so they've all upped their game and the World Champion has some very strong competition this year with Emma Johansson and many others more than capable of giving her a run for her money, which is precisely how Vos likes it - so this may prove to be the most action-packed race of the year.

The Giro is one of the very few women's races that receives anything like the media attention it deserves and, as a result, it ought to be possible to find stage results and a brief outline of each day's events in the traditional cycling media. Nevertheless, I'll post details here when they become available and when I'm able to do so (likely to have an audit at work some time this week, so might be a bit pushed).

The Giro's official Twitter is here, the official site is here and my preview is here. Karl Lima, Bart Hazen, Anton Vos and Sarah Connolly are the people to follow on Twitter for race news. Don't forget that Sarah, who will be known to many women's cycling fans by her Twitter handle Pigeons, is running an excellent series of question and answers with the riders throughout the race over on Podium Cafe. For an insider's point of view, Tiffany Cromwell's stage reports on the Cycling Tips website are absolutely first-rate.

Cycling Direct ‏@CyclingDirectSAStill well pissed off by the crap level of @GiroRosa2013 prize money! @cooksonforuci please take note! #womenscycling

Stage 1
Marianne Vos (Rabobank) won both intermediate sprints; Julie Leth and Cecilie Gotaas Johnsen (both Hitec Products-UCK) took second and third at the first, then Rabo team mate Adrie Visser and RusVelo's Aizhan Zaparova were second and third at the second. Valentina Scandolara (MCipollini-Giordana) took the first GPM points on the Cat. 3 Terlizzi climb and thus leads the KOM competition; Martine Bras (Boels-Dolmans) and Edita Janeliunaite (Pasta Zara-Cogeas) were next to the top.

It wasn't a challenging stage and the peloton rolled along at high speed, nipping breaks in the bud. With so many riders bunched together, things began to get hairy in the final 10km when the pace picked up and teams began to rearrange themselves to position sprinters at the front; several crashes occurred. Katie Colclough (Specialized-Lululemon) and Gu Sung Eun (Orica-AIS) did not finish; Chloe Hosking (Hitec-UCK) will not start Stage 2.

Stage 1 winner Kirsten Wild

Vos, the current World Champion, is apparently going to waste no time this year and fought hard to the line but was pipped to the stage win by sprint specialist Kirsten Wild (racing for the Dutch National Team), who is making her return to racing following the fractured shoulder she suffered at the Omloop van Borsele back in April - doubtless a very reassuring victory for her. The next 124 riders, led by Marta Tagliaferro (MCipollini-Giordana), crossed in the same group and recorded the same time.

Wild won a 10" bonification for doing so; however, Vos had won 3" at each intermediate sprint and another 6" for her second place and, as a result, leads the General Classification by 2". The question is, can anyone prevent her from adding more and more to that lead over the coming stages, especially when the race reaches the mountains? One thing's for certain - Stage 2 offers plenty of scope for Vos to gain more time, but with another bunch finish on the cards there's a great deal of opportunity for Wild and the other sprinters too.

Stage 1 photos by Velofocus

Stage 1 Top Ten
1 Kirsten WILD (Dutch NT) 2h53'55"
2 Marianne VOS (Rabobank) +0"
3 Marta TAGLIAFERRO (MCipollini-Giordana) +0"
4 Edita JANELIUNAITE (Pasta Zara-Cogeas) +0"
5 Oxana KOZONCHUK (RusVelo) +0"
6 Annemiek VAN VLEUTEN (Rabobank) +0"
7 Shelley OLDS (Tibco-To The Top) +0"
8 Lauren HALL (USA NT) +0"
9 Lauren KITCHEN (Wiggle-Honda) +0"
10 Anna TREVISI (Vaiano-Fondriest) +0"
Full stage result and General Classification

Stage 2
With a steep climb on each of the four laps, Stage 2 looked more fertile ground for breaks - but it wasn't until the final kilometres that riders' attempts to get away succeeded, and even then they came to little. Martine Bras (Boels-Dolmans) tried to go in the first lap but was rapidly caught by the pack, then Annemiek van Vleuten (Rabo) and Giorgia Bronzini (Wiggle-Honda) went on the climb in the second lap, but even working together they couldn't stay out for long.

Marianne Vos (Rabo) and Julie Leth (Hitec-UCK) were once again first and second through the intermediate sprint at the  close of the second lap, Pauline Ferrand Prevot (Rabo) was just behind for third. Aude Biannic of S.C. Michela Fanini-Rox managed to get away during the third lap and was going well enough for Vaiano-Fondriest's Valentina Bastianelli to make the effort to bridge across to her; the pair of them then mounted the day's most successful break which, for a time, saw them riding some 32" ahead of the peloton. However, with GPM points on offer soon after the start of the fourth, last lap, the pace picked up and they too were caught; Valentina Scandolara (MCipollini-Giordana) was fastest to the top again.

Stage 2 winner Giorgia Bronzini

With the climb completed for the last time, Inga Cilvinaite (Pasta Zara-Cogeas) broke away solo and gained a 15"; that Rabo and Wiggle-Honda gave chase and spared no efforts in making sure she got no further was evidence that they were going for a win today and, when Argos-Shimano moved up in order to get Kirsten Wild into position, there could be no doubt that there was going to be another bunch sprint - and what a sprint it turned out to be, despite Wild missing out when she punctured 8km from the line. Vos and Bronzini may be friends when not racing (they're both far too likable and nice not to be), but they have an old rivalry that goes back years; a Vos-Bronzini sprint duel is, therefore, a true clash of the titans. This time, it looked as though Bronzini wouldn't be able to generate the turn on speed she'd need to get out from behind the World Champion and overtake, but then fate intervened - Vos had chosen a line that led her straight into a section of rough, lumpy asphalt that caused her shoe to unclip from the pedal, which would have spelled disaster for a rider with anything less than excellent bike-handling skills. Fortunately, Vos has years and years of cyclo cross experience and remained upright, though she lost just enough speed for Bronzini to get what she needed - seizing her chance, she beat Vos by mere centimetres.

Vos, who led the General Classification after Stage 1, had picked up a 3" bonus at the sprint and then took another 6" for second place; Bronzini took 10" for the win. However, the Italian started the day uncharacteristically in last place with a deficit of 6'34"; she is now in 119th place (28 from bottom) and would need to find 6'33" to lead. Meanwhile, Vos increased her lead and is now 17" ahead of General Classification second place Marta Tagliaferro (MCipollini-Giordana). Tomorrow, the terrain becomes hilly (and there's an insanely steep 18% section with cobbles to the finish), then after a sprinter-friendly Stage 4 there are two days in the mountains - and Vos climbs as well as she sprints.

Stage 2 Top Ten
1 Giorgia BRONZINI (Wiggle-Honda) 2h34'03"
2 Marianne VOS (Rabo) ST
3 Barbara GUARISCHI (Vaiano-Fondriest) ST
4 Lauren HALL (USA NT) ST
5 Emily COLLINS (Wiggle-Honda) ST
6 Pauline FERRAND PREVOT (Rabo) ST
7 Oxana KOZONCHUK (RusVelo) ST
8 Cecilie Gotaas JOHNSEN (Hitec-UCK) ST
9 Alena AMIALIUSIK (BePink) ST
10 Marta TAGLIAFERRO (MCipollini-Giordana) ST
Full stage result and General Classification

Stage 3
The peloton was split early on when Valentina Scandolara (MCipollini-Giordana) attacked hard on the Cat. 3 climb at Castel San Vincenzo in the first 10km in an effort to retain the KOM jersey she's held since the first stage before the race heads into the big mountains and the likes of Evelyn Stevens and, perhaps even more of a threat, Ashleigh Moolman start to fight for it. Five riders - Barbara Guarischi (Vaiano-Fondriest), Lauren Hall (USA NT), Lucinda Brand (the Rabo star was celebrating her birthday today), Tiffany Cromwell (Orica-AIS) and Marianne Vos - got away with her; Vos won the intermediate sprint once again with Hall and Scandolara second and third and the rest of the group right behind them. By the time they arrived at Isernia some 41km into the parcours they'd managed to put a full minute between themselves and the pack.

For four of the escapees, the largely downhill 25km section to Pozzilli proved to be hard work: the peloton, using the terrain to sail along at a high rate of knots, constantly whittled down the gap while at the front Vos and Cromwell were simply getting faster. "It wasn’t so aggressive," Cromwell explained later. "There were no attacks. People started to drop off the group one by one as we started climbing. Somewhere around 40km to go it was just Vos and myself – we had dropped everyone else." With Cromwell pulling on the climbs, Vos leading on the descents and the pair of them working together on the flats, they reached escape velocity and headed off up the road together.

The stage featured a second Cat. 3 GPM climb (omitted from the altimetry profile) at 91km, where Cromwell led for the five points before the duo headed into the last section. The final 8km featured a difficult descent to Cerro al Volturno and it was this that proved to be Cromwell's downfall: the Australian, without making any obvious mistake ("I guess I pushed a little too far, but to hold Vos’ wheel for as long as I did is an achievement in itself. Vos is the best bike handler in the bunch," she said), suffered a crash on a descending hairpin 8km from the finish when her tyres simply gave up their grip. Although she was uninjured save for some painful grazes and wasted no time in getting back on her feet and setting off, her chances of going into a two-up sprint with the World Champion were gone (even the camera operator on the motorbike following them seems to have difficulty in locating Vos once the camera's turned away from Cromwell, she's already so far ahead) and she was swept up by a ten-strong chase group.

You'll have white knuckles watching the descents, but Vos takes it all in her stride

So when she finds herself alone near the finish with an insurmountable advantage, does Vos take it easy and cruise over the line at comfortable pace, banking energy for tomorrow? Not a chance of it. Finding herself without a challenger, she raced the clock instead and took the extremely difficult 18% cobbled last descent as fast as she possibly could. It took a lot out of her - she was unable to climb off the bike when she came to a halt, but the 45" between her and the next rider means a great deal more than the advantages she'd been picking up through the intermediate sprints and second places in Stages 1 and 2. Having also won the intermediate sprint earlier, she'd picked up an extra 6"; with bonification seconds awarded for the stage win she leads new second place Claudia Hausler by 1'13". That will change in the mountains when the climbing specialists go to work, but Vos is no slouch on the ascents either - and with another flat stage likely to end in a bunch sprint tomorrow, she might well have added even more time by then.

Finally, a special mention must go to Fabiana Luperini who, 48" behind Vos, took fourth place: Luperini, who turned 39 years old in January this year, holds the Giro Donne (the name by which the Giro Rosa was previously known) record having won an incredible five times. Perhaps even more incredible is the time span over which she achieved her victories - the first came in 1995; she then won again in 1996, 1997 and 1998 then again in 2008, thirteen years (longer than many professional cycling careers) after her first victory.

Stage 3 Top Ten
1 Marianne VOS (Rabo) 2h49'44"
2 Claudia HÄUSLER (Tibco-To The Top) +45"
3 Tatiana GUDERZO (MCipollini-Giordana) ST
4 Fabiana LUPERINI (Faren-Let's Go Finland) +48"
5 Rossella RATTO (Hitec Products-UCK) +50"
6 Ashleigh MOOLMAN (Lotto-Belisol) +55"
7 Evelyn STEVENS (Specialized-Lululemon) ST
8 Anna VAN DER BREGGEN (Netherlands NT) +58"
9 Mara ABBOTT (USA NT) ST
10 Shara GILLOW (Orica-AIS) +01'02"
Full stage result and General Classification

Stage 4
Before the Giro began it seemed certain that Stage 4, the last before the mountains, would be ruled by a breakaway. However, with Marianne Vos (Rabo) 1'13", a group of 13 riders headed by Claudia Hausler next and a 132-strong group including a selection of big name riders ranging from 3'01" to more than hour behind the leader at the start of the stage, it seemed that every team wanted to get as many riders into the break as possible; hence the entire peloton moved at high speed and remained together.

Tiffany Cromwell (Orica-AIS) was at the head of the race for the Cat. 2 climb at Fabriano-Colle Giglioni and took the lion's share of the points at the top, then Vos moved into the lead as the race approached the intermediate sprint a few kilometres later and picked up even more bonification points; Cromwell followed her for second place and Valentina Scandolara (MCipollini-Giordana), who had presumably intended to be first up the climb, was third.

Valentina Bastianelli managed a short
solo breakaway

It looked, briefly, like Valentina Bastianelli (Vaiano-Fondriest) had achieved what nobody else could do when she managed to break away in the last 25km of the race, using the non-GPM Jesi climb to her advantage; she'll have pleased the fans and sponsors with her short time out in front but, with the pack still moving along at a high rate of knots she was soon caught.

Specialized-Lululemon made it patently clear that they were after a stage win today, moving up to the front of the peloton as the finish approached so as to be in the right spot to mark every move made by Rabobank. Their top GC contender Evelyn Stevens, who some say could steal victory from under Marianne Vos' nose later on in the race, demonstrated exactly why some say that  but was ultimately unable to match the incredible Dutch woman who reached the line alone, 3" ahead of the bunch. With the extra points from the intermediate sprint, her performance today was sufficient to increase her overall advantage to 1'31".

Tomorrow, everything changes - Stage 5 ends with a 1,000m climb to the finish line, favouring a whole new selection of riders. With a 560km transfer overnight to get to the start line, it'll be a challenge in more ways than one.

Vos Victorious (photo by CyclingDirectSA)

Stage 4 Top Ten
1 Marianne VOS (Rabo)
2 Evelyn STEVENS (Specialized-Lululemon) +03"
3 Ashleigh MOOLMAN (Lotto-Belisol) ST
4 Tatiana GUDERZO (MCipollini-Giordana) ST
5 Claudia HAUSLER (Tibco-To The Top) +07"
6 Anna VAN DER BREGGEN (Netherlands NT) +09"
7 Fabiana LUPERINI (Faren-Let's Go Finland) +09"
8 Francesca CAUZ (Top Girls-Fassa Bortolo) +18"
9 Tiffany CROMWELL (Orica-AIS) +20"
10 Mara ABBOTT (USA NT) ST
Full stage result and General Classification

Stage 5

Mara Abbott in 2011, before anorexia forced her to
withdraw from racing

Not much more than a year ago, Mara Abbott - a rider who, in 2010, became the first American winner in the history of the Giro Donne - announced that she would be taking an indefinite break from racing as she was suffering from anorexia (for an excellent interview, which explains how Mara's condition, as is frequently the case with anorexia sufferers, stemmed not from a desire to lose weight but from a feeling that she was not in control of her life, see this ESPN-W article).

During Stage 5 of the 2013 Giro Rosa, she turned what many believed to be Marianne Vos' insurmountable advantage of 1'31" into a 3'20" disadvantage, and in doing so placed herself in the top position with a lead of 1'27" over second place Tatiana Guderzo.

Vos had been looking good in the first kilometres, remaining near the front of the pack as it stayed tight over the day's first categorised climb to Sassello, some 17.2km from the start, though it was once again Valentina Scandolara (MCipollini-Giordana) who took the biggest allocation of points at the summit with Tiffany Cromwell (Orica-AIS) just behind her and ahead of the World Champion. On the descent, Scandolara and eleven others, including a number of strong climbers, joined forces and escaped, which immediately caused the peloton some concern although they didn't immediately react, permitting the group to get 55" up the road - which left Valentina Carretta (MCipollini-Giordana), Megan Guarnier and Roxane Knetemann (both Rabo) to take first, second and third at the intermediate sprint 43.4km in. With the finish now less than 30km, the teams without climbers in the break decided they really needed to take matters in hand and upped the tempo, reducing the gap to 30". Lauren Hall (USA NT) and Valentina Bastianelli (Vaiano-Fondriest) managed to bridge at that point, but even with the new strength they brought the break was spent and, by the time the race arrived at the foot of Mount Beigua, all the riders were together again.

That's when Evelyn Stevens (Specialized-Lululemon) made the move that everybody had been expecting ever since the route was announced, joining forces with Abbott (that both of them are American and it's the 4th of July, it seems, counted for a lot more than the fact that they ride for opposing teams) to put Vos under pressure. It was obvious immediately that the Dutchwoman, remarkably, was not in any fit state to follow them - she tried, but for once her legs simply didn't have the strength; so she fell back. However, very shortly afterwards, so did Stevens; an incredible state of affairs as it left the two popular favourites for General Classification victory apparently out of the game.

Abbott, though, pressed on, and nobody could keep her from slowly but surely adding more and more time to the gap between herself and the rest. Then, in a scene that must surely have deserved to be splashed across the world's television sets far more than the unremarkable bunch sprint at the Tour de France, she crossed the finish line alone and 1'44" ahead of second place Francesca Cauz (Top Girls-Fassa Bortolo).

"I'm going to try to protect this lead with the help of my teammates," Abbott told the press after the stage. "They have been great so far. They've done everything that's been asked of them. I have confidence that they will continue to give everything until the end."

Vos confesses that, when Giorgia Bronzini beat her at the World Championships in 2011, she was not in the most pleasant of moods; this time, perhaps realising that while she had been crushingly defeated, Abbott had scored a victory far greater than a stage - one against a terrible disease that, in her autobiography Op De Troon, Vos reveals she too has experienced. "Today was a serious test and I just was not good enough. I can come up with all kinds of excuses, but the others were simply too strong," she said, explaining that she believes she now has no chance to win this year. "I tried to go, but blew myself up. The pace was just too high; then I slowly saw the light go out. One by one they came past me. After a while Megan Guarnier came to me. She got me in tow to try to minimise the our losses a little, but there was nothing left to save."

Stage 5 Top Ten
1 Mara ABBOTT (USA NT) 2h25'25"
2 Francesca CAUZ (Top Girls-Fassa Bortolo) +01'44"
3 Fabiana LUPERINI (Faren-Let's Go Finland) +01'49"
4 Tatiana GUDERZO (MCipollini-Giordana) +01'51"
5 Shara GILLOW (Orica-AIS) +02'38"
6 Claudia HÄUSLER (Tibco-To The Top) +02'49"
7 Eivgenia VYSOTSKA (S.C. Michela Fanini-ROX) +03'02"
8 Alena AMIALIUSIK (BePink) +03'45"
9 Ashleigh MOOLMAN (Lotto-Belisol) +03'51"
10 Evelyn STEVENS (Specialized-Lululemon) ST
Full stage result and General Classification

Stage 6
A victory such as that enjoyed by Mara Abbott (USA NT) yesterday cannot happen by chance, only through hard work, natural talent and developed ability. To prove this, the 27-year-old American took on the best riders in women's cycling once again; she beat them for a second day in a row.

Valentina Scandolara

Marianne Vos (Rabo) knows she'd need to pull off a trick probably beyond ever her abilities to win this race now, but you don't earn the right to be called "the world's most successful cyclist" without a hefty dose of fighting spirit - accompanied by team mate Lucinda Brand, Shelley Olds (Tibco-To The Top) and Valentina Scandolara (who seems determined to spend as much of the race as possible somewhere near the front; MCipollini-Giordana), the World Champion fled the peloton on the long descent during the initial 20km to Crevoladossola. By the time the road flattened out, the trio had half a minute; it would not be enough, however, to prevent the accelerating peloton sweeping them up over the course of the next 20km.

Soon afterwards, 50km into the stage, a new break of nine riders got away and achieved a 1'12"advantage by the time Sari Saarelainen (MCipollini-Giordana) led Alessandra D'Ettore (Vaiano-Fondriest) and Lauren Kitchen (Wiggle-Honda) through the intermediate sprint at Ornavasso, then increased it by another minute by Villadossola. This stage featured no fewer than three intermediate sprints, an effort by the race organisers to keep things interesting on the flat section leading up to the big climb at the end; Malgorzata Jasinska (MCipollini-Giordana) was first through the second with Saarelainen and Kitchen right behind her, then Saarelainen took the best of the points at the third followed by D'Ettore and Adrie Visser (Boels-Dolmans). By now, the peloton had dramatically slashed their deficit down to a more manageable 1'10".

The road began gaining altitude 20km from the finish line, allowing the pack to finally close the gap on the escapees. A few kilometres later, when the gradient really kicked in, a large group of eighteen climbers that had been assembling at the front made its move, settling into the smooth rhythm that marks out the sort of true grimpeurs that were in with a chance of making it to the 1,400m summit with a decent time. However, in a repeat of yesterday's events, not one single rider - not Vos, Stevens (Specialized-Lululemon) or even Moolman (Lotto-Belisol), who looks as though she was born for no purpose other than to ride bikes quickly up mountains - was able to stay with Abbott when she increased her pace; the American simply left them behind and sailed away solo to another spectacular stage victory.

Following the stage, it was announced that Fabiana Luperini, the most successful Giro Donne winner of all time, was being disqualified as she had competed on a bike weighing less than the minimum set out under UCI rules.

Stage 6 Top Ten
1 Mara ABBOTT (USA NT) 3h16'01"
2 Claudia HÄUSLER (Tibco-To The Top) +24"
3 Francesca CAUZ (Top Girls-Fassa Bortolo) +34"
4 Fabiana LUPERINI (Faren-Let's Go Finland) +41" (disqualified)
5 Tatiana GUDERZO (MCipollini-Giordana) +01'03"
6 Evelyn STEVENS (Specialized-Lululemon) +01'32"
7 Marianne VOS (Rabobank) +01'39"
8 Shara GILLOW (Orica-AIS)+01'46"
9 Ashleigh MOOLMAN (Lotto-Belisol) +01'52"
10 Eivgenia VYSOTSKA (S.C. Michela Fanini-ROX) +01'53"
Full stage result and General Classification

Stage 7

Marianne Vos (pictured at the 2013
La Flèche Wallonne)

With no more mountains in this edition, Stage 7 consisted of eight laps of a flat circuit that was always going to favour the sprinters. The first few laps saw a number of riders try to break and, for a very brief time, it looked as though Lauren Kitchen (Wiggle-Honda), Anastasya Chulkova (RusVelo) and Inga Cilvinaite (Pasta Zara-Cogeas) looked as though they might even manage to do it - but, with the lack of technical sections permitting the peloton to drive forward at enormous speed, it was soon clear that the only way anybody was going to get any distance from the pack was by dropping off the back.

The intermediate sprint at 103.3km went to Tatiana Guderzo (MCipollini-Giordana), bringing the second-placed overall rider some bonus seconds that, though welcome, are unlikely to make much difference to the eventual outcome. Claudia Hausler (Tibco-To The Top) and Valentina Scandolara (MCipollini-Giordana) were second and third.

Marianne Vos' defeat on the climbs of Stages 5 and 6 came as a big surprise, one that effectively took her out of contention for General Classification victory; her power in the sprint to the finish line, meanwhile, was no surprise at all and nobody from among the 25 riders that went with her, including old rival Giorgia Bronzini (Wiggle-Honda), was able to get past her. She picked up bonus sections as a result, but even so ended the stage 4'50" down in the GC. Race leader Mara Abbott (USA NT) finished in the third group, well down in 52nd place at +9" - but with an overall advantage standing at 2'28" after the stage, it'd probably take more of an effort to lose that lead than retain it in tomorrow's individual time trial.

Stage 7 Top Ten
1 Marianne VOS (Rabobank) 2h52'07"
2 Giorgia BRONZINI (Wiggle-Honda) ST
3 Shelley OLDS (Tibco-To The Top) ST
4 Kirsten WILD (Netherlands NT) ST
5 Barbara GUARISCHI (Vaiano-Fondriest) ST
6 Marta TAGLIAFERRO (MCipollini-Giordana) ST
7 Oxana KOZONCHUK (RusVelo) ST
8 Alena AMIALIUSIK (BePink) ST
9 Giada BORGATO (Pasta Zara-Cogeas) ST
10 Melissa HOSKINS (Orica-AIS) ST
Full stage result and General Classification

Stage 8 (ITT)
Dutch national time trial champion Ellen van Dijk (Specialized-Lululemon) was always the favourite to win the race against the clock in the final stage of this year's Giro Rosa, but going into the stage with a deficit of 21'16" to race leader Mara Abbott (USA NT) there was no chance she'd be able to steal overall victory. However, with several other good time trial riders - including Italian TT champion Tatiana Guderzo (MCipollini-Giordana) in second place at 2'28" - Abbott's eventual win was far from carved in stone.

Lululemon team mate Tayler Wiles was the thirtieth rider to go from the 128 left in the race and set the first benchmark time at 22'22", which made her the rider to beat for more than an hour and was sufficient to give her sixth place for the stage. French TT champion Pauline Ferrand Prevot (Rabo) was first to beat her time, taking 12" from it, but when van Dijk went shortly afterwards and completed almost a minute faster it was clear that the remaining riders were going to be fighting for second and third place.

Abbott started the day with an advantage of 2'28" and, going up against the time trial specialists, had no choice but to see a big chunk taken away from her overall time today - she finished 38th fastest, 2'13" slower than van Dijk. Her stunning performances in the mountains earlier in the race, though, were enough; by the end of the day she still led by 1'33". The last time she won this race was three years and an eating disorder away - nobody can say that her victory is not an inspiration.

Marianne Vos (Rabo), who many expected to win a third consecutive General Classification victory, took the Points competition for her three stage wins. Abbott's two mountain stages, which she won solo, netted her the Mountains jersey alongside the General Classification while Francesca Cauz (Top Girls-Fassa Bortolo), one of this year's revelations with her incredibly climbing skills, is the best rider in the Youth category.

Stage 8 Top Ten
1 Eleonora VAN DIJK (Specialized-Lululemon) 21'12"
2 Evelyn STEVENS (Specialized-Lululemon) +35"
3 Shara GILLOW (Orica-AIS) +52"
4 Pauline FERRAND PREVOT (Rabobank) +57"
5 Linda Melanie VILLUMSEN (Wiggle-Honda) +01'02"
6 Tayler WILES (Specialized-Lululemon) +01'10"
7 Loes GUNNEWIJK (Orica-AIS) +01'11"
8 Anna VAN DER BREGGEN (Netherlands NT) +01'13"
9 Alexandra BURCHENKOVA (RusVelo) +01'15"
10 Carmen SMALL (Specialized-Lululemon) +01'17"
Full stage result

General Classification Top Ten
1 Mara ABBOTT (USA NT) 20h30'15"
2 Tatiana GUDERZO (MCipollini-Giordana) +01'33"
3 Claudia HÄUSLER (Tibco-To The Top) +02'18"
4 Shara GILLOW (Orica-AIS) +03'29"
5 Evelyn STEVENS (Specialized-Lululemon) +03'39"
6 Marianne VOS (Rabo) +04'08"
7 Francesca CAUZ (Top Girls-Fassa Bortolo) +04'25"
8 Ashleigh MOOLMAN (Lotto-Belisol) +05'23"
9 Eivgenia VYSOTSKA (S.C. Michela Fanini-ROX) +06'48"
10 Alena AMIALIUSIK (BePink) +07'25"
Full General Classification

Tour de Feminin - O cenu Ceského Švýcarska (Tour Krasna Lipa)
Race preview here
Amy Cure leads by 1'21" after four stages; Emma Pooley second and Esther Fennel third at +2'28". With several tough climbs in the final Stage 5, British star Pooley may yet take first place.

Stage 1 Top Ten
1 Paulina BRZEZNA  3h04'36"
2 Katarzyna NIEWIADOMA  +09"
3 Lisanne SOEMANTA ST
4 Mascha PIJNENBORG  +16"
5 Amy CURE ST
6 Taryn HEATHER ST
7 Andrea GRAUS  ST
8 Rebecca WISIAK ST
9 Svetlana STOLBOVA ST
10 Tetyana RIABCHENKO  ST
Full stage result and General Classification

Stage 2
1 Amy CURE  2h48'22"
2 Mascha PIJNENBORG ST
3 Janine VAN DER MEER  ST 
4 Pavlina SULCOVA  ST
5 Desiree EHRLER  ST
6 Bianca VAN DEN HOEK ST
7 Svetlana STOLBOVA  ST
8 Katarzyna NIEWIADOM  ST
9 Daniela GASS  ST
10 Jermaine POST  ST 
Full stage result and General Classification

Stage 3 (ITT)
1 Emma POOLEY 26'47"
2 Martina RITTER +02"
3 Esther FENNEL +04"
4 Amy CURE +21"
5 Taryn HEATHER ST
6 KSENIYA DOBRYNINA +25"
7 Rebecca WISIAK +30"
8 Lucy COLDWELL +40"
9 Reta TROTMAN +42"
10 Natalia BOYARSKAYA +47"
Full stage result and General Classification

Stage 4
1 Amy CURE 2h35'54"
2 Emma POOLEY ST
3 Karolina GARCZYNSKA +02'13"
4 Daniela GASS ST
5 Riejanne MARKUS ST
6 Natalia MIELNIK ST
7 Maryna IVANIUK ST
8 Coryn RIVERA ST
9 Ausrine TREBAITE +02'15"
10 Jacqueline HAHN ST
Full stage result and General Classification

Stage 5
1 Emma POOLEY 2h15'29"
2 Lisanne SOEMANTA +12"
3 Karolina GARCZYNSKA ST
4 Lelizaveta OSHURKOVA ST
5 Amy CURE ST
6 Paulina BRZEZNA ST
7 Svetlana STOLBOVA ST
8 Katarzyna NIEWIADOMA ST
9 Martina RITTER ST
10 Natalia BOYARSKAYA ST
Full stage result

Final General Classification
1 Amy CURE 11h11'29"
2 Emma POOLEY +01'00"
3 Martina RITTER +02'47"
4 Esther FENNEL +02'57"
5 Paulina BRZEZNA +03'10"
6 Taryn HEATHER +03'14"
7 Katarzyna NIEWIADOMA +03'18"
8 Svetlana STOLBOVA +03'25"
9 Rebecca WISIAK ST
10 Natalia BOYARSKAYA +03'44"
Full General Classification

Points: 1. Amy Cure 86pts; 2. Emma Pooley 47pts; 3. Lisanne Soemanta 42pts. Mountains: 1. Pauline Brzezna 34pts; 2. Lisanne Soemanta 30pts; 3. Emma Pooley 24pts. Youth: 1. Amy Cure 11h11'29"; 2. Katarzyna Niewiadoma +03'18"; 3. Lelizaveta Oshurkova +04'18".




Elinor Barker wins Otley
More information when available; in the meantime you can send your messages of congratulations to the Wiggle-Honda rider via her Twitter account. Photos by VeloUK.

Forster crashes at Elveden

Michelle Forster

Michelle Forster (London Phoenix CC) was fortunate to escape serious injury in a crash at Elveden. Since she's such an articulate Tweeter - and very much worth following - here's her own description:

Michelle Forster ‏@forstertweet 
I added entertainment with a spectacular crash near the finish.hands shaking, couldn't get chain back on in time to stop 1 rider catching up

Michelle Forster ‏@forstertweet
But did get back on and finished 7th. Pleased with how we raced today :)

Michelle Forster ‏@forstertweet
@LyD_ers on way to hospital now to get head checked. Helmet totalled. Head hit the ground on the 3rd bounce. Fingers crossed!

Michelle Forster ‏@forstertweet
Just out of hospital now. Nothing broken, a little concussion, overnight observation, I look like a steak. thanks for the well wishes all!

Michelle Forster ‏@forstertweet
@LyD_ers yes :-) . when I woke up in hospital this morning my thoughts were on how much I enjoyed the race yesterday, so I can't be too bad

Interesting Links
United Kingdom
Why does cycling have podium girls? (BBC)
Women’s National Road Series wide open ahead of Curlew Cup (British Cycling)
Otley Preview (British Cycling)
Liz Dimmock trains like a pro to break world cycling record (and she wants women to join her) (BikeRadar)
Rapha, dhb and Altura: Womens' cycling kit reviewed (The Guardian)
Worldwide
Douglas County's first ladies-only cycling event coming (OurLoneTreeNews, Colorado)
Brianna Walle, Portland neo-pro cyclist, to race Giro Rosa in Italy (Oregon Live)
Canberra's Chloe Hosking is concerned about the state of cycling (Canberra Times)
Rachel Neylen: remember the name (BackPageLead)

Photo of the Week

Isla Rush riding for WindyMilla at Curborough
(photo by North Norfolk 100)