Trofeo Alfredo Binda-Comune di Cittiglio 2013

UCI Trofeo Binda highlights

24.03.2013 Official Site
Italy, One-day World Cup Road Race, 120.5km
UCI CDM

Binda wins Stage 1, Giro d'Italia 1927

Born on the 11th of August in 1902, Alfredo Binda combined excellence in one-day classics and the mountains of the stage races to become the Giro d'Italia's first star; his record of 41 stage wins not being beaten until 2003, some seventeen years after his death at the age of 83 and almost seven decades since his professional career came to an end. This race is named in his honour because he was born in Cittiglio and died there, on the 19th of July 1986.

The Trofeo Binda is one of the oldest women's races on the calendar, having first been held in 1974 when the Italian Giuseppina Micheloni was victorious; Belgian Nicole van den Broek won the following year, then Italians won every year through until 1996 after which the race was not held for two years. Frenchwoman Fany Lecourtois won in 1999, then Fabiania Luperini (who had also won in 1994) became the last Italian to win with her victory in 2000. Since then, it's been won by riders from a wide range of nations with the British doing especially well - Nicole Cooke won in 2005 and 2007, Emma Pooley in 2008 and 2011. However, as is the case in so many races, the Dutch superstar Marianne Vos has been enormously successful in recent years, dominating in much the same way that Binda dominated the Giro - she won in 2009, 2010 and 2012, now sharing the record for most wins with Maria Canins (1984, 1990, 1992). Canins, who enjoyed an extraordinarily long career (and not only in cycling; she was also National Cross Country Skiing Champion fifteen times), was 42 when she won for the final time; Vos will be near her 26th birthday when the race was run this year and there is every reason to expect her to break the record sooner or later - but it wasn't to be in 2013.

Altimetry profile - click to enlarge

We've had some Belgian and Dutch races with their typically short but painfully steep climbs already this season, but the Trofeo is the first of the mountainous European races - in it, riders face a long climb to the tiny and extremely beautiful mountain village Brinzio at 510m above sea level during the initial 62km, then four ascents of the 450m climb to Orino, the birthplace in 1905 of Battista Visconti who was third behind winner Binda on Stage 11 at the 1928 Giro, in the four 17.3km laps that finish the race. The road climbs still higher on the way out of Brinzio; the total climbing in the race is therefore greater than 2,310m - equal, give or take a few metres, to the famous Livigno Pass in Switzerland. However, the parcours includes a little bit of everything and doesn't favour any one type of rider, making it the perfect territory for an epic battle in which the outcome is far from certain.

The Parcours

Parcours map - click to enlarge

The main section/circuits format is increasingly popular in women's cycling as it both saves expenses for organisers (which can then be spent on advertising, website coverage and so on) and makes it easier for fans to see the race: rather than having to wait for a few moments' excitement as the peloton goes by - not such a problem in men's cycling, which attracts large numbers of devoted fans - spectators can pick a spot on the circuit and see the race go by several times, which is exactly what sponsors want to happen if they're going to put money into an event. This race is split into a main section of 62km and four circuits of 17.3km, all of them starting and ending at Cittiglio.

As the race set out from the Piazzale Alfredo Binda, nothing was certain except one thing - the cold, windy, wet and slippery conditions were likely to ensure a large number of riders abandoned or failed to finish in the permitted time.  The riders first took in a neutralised 6km stretch to Laveno-Mombello on the banks of Lago Maggiore where the racing got underway on the Via XXV Aprile. Much of this section was downhill, causing speeds sufficiently high to spread the peloton along the road in a long, thin ribbon and prevent early breaks as the race headed for the small climbs in the first 13.8km to Cuveglio.

After Cuveglio, the parcours headed mostly downhill for 14.6km and onto the first intermediate sprint at Luino, 28.4km into the race. The following 8.1km to Grantola is mostly flat, not really favouring any one type of rider and ending at the second intermediate sprint - thus far, the terrain had been an evenly-balanced mixture, meaning that neither climbers, sprinters nor all-rounders had yet had opportunity to gain an upper hand, with the pack still sailing along at a rate too high for breaks. It wasn't until the beginning of the first climb, 37km from the start, that a group got away - Shara Gillow (Orica-AIS), Ashleigh Moolman (Lotto-Belisol), Karol-Ann Canuel (Vienne Futuroscope) and Jessie Daams (Boels-Dolmans) put 50" between themselves and the peloton before rival teams decided they were too strong to be allowed to control the race and sent out chasers.

The road continued to climb for 9.6km after Cunardo, taking in a narrow cobbled road at Bedero Valcuvia after 43.9km, then reached the highest point of the race at Castello Cabiaglio 50.8km from the start and 507m above sea level; it's downhill for the next 11.2km to Cittiglio and the end of the main section. Now the riders headed east from Cittiglio, instead of west as they did earlier on the main section, and immediately began climbing the 0.6km to Brenta and on for the next 1.6km to Casalzuigno. The chasers had worked hard and successfully brought back the break by the time the the race turned right for the SP45 to Cuvio, begiining the climbs of 64m in 0.8km to Commachio (average gradient 8%) and then 106m in 2.2km to Orino (average gradient 4.8%) where the first riders to arrive collected GPM points. It had been expected that the climbers would attempt to take control here, but instead they stayed with the group and preserved energy for the last section of the race; then another group escaped. Elisa Longo Borghini (Hitec-UCK) went off after them, caught them and then rode straight past on her own, making a solo break. Amanda Spratt (Orica-AIS) gave chase, but the Italian had found a reserve of strength the other riders lacked and extended her lead as the finish line approached, even proving too fast for Emma Johansson (Orica-AIS) and Ellen van Dijk (Specialized-Lululemon). The 21-year-old, winner of the Youth category at the Giro Donne in 2012, was alone with a comfortable advantage of 1'44" as she crossed the line to become the first Italian since 2000 to win this race, much to the delight of local fans - a splendid victory in what promises to become a glittering career.

A superb win for Elisa Longo Borghini

Johannson and van Dijk took second and third, crossing the line together 1'44" after Longo Borghini. Spratt had persisted in her efforts and took a very respectable fourth place at 1'51" before the main group led by Chantal Blaak (+2'21") arrived with Marianne Vos (Rabo) looking rather out of place in sixth - but the World Champion retains overall lead in the World Cup standings with 99 points after two competitions. Johansson is second with 85 points, van Dijk is third, also with 85 points. Longo Borghini moves into fourth place with 75 points.

Out of 160 starters, 94 did not finish.

Results

1 Elisa Longo Borghini (Ita) Hitec Products-UCK 3h12'16" 
2 Emma Johansson (Swe) Orica-AIS +01'44" 
3 Eleonora Van Dijk (Ned) Specialized-Lululemon  
4 Amanda Spratt (Aus) Orica-AIS +01'51" 
5 Chantal Blaak (Ned) TIBCO-To The Top +02'21" 
6 Marianne Vos (Ned) Rabobank Liv/Giant  
7 Annemiek Van Vleuten (Ned) Rabobank Liv/Giant  
8 Rossella Ratto (Ita) Hitec Products-UCK  
9 Anna Van Der Breggen (Ned) Sengers    
10 Carmen Small (USA) Specialized-Lululemon  
11 Loes Gunnewijk (Ned) Orica-AIS  
12 Lisa Brennauer (Ger) Specialized-Lululemon  
13 Lauren Kitchen (Aus) Wiggle-Honda  
14 Marijn De Vries (Ned) Lotto-Belisol  
15 Christel Ferrier-Bruneau (Fra) Faren-Let's Go Finland Team  
16 Tiffany Cromwell (Aus) Orica-AIS  
17 Alena Amialiusik (Blr) BePink  
18 Adrie Visser (Ned) Boels-Dolmans    
19 Lucie Pader (Fra) France  
20 Inga Cilvinaite (Ltu) Pasta Zara-Cogeas  
21 Ana Bianca Schnitzmeier (Ger) Wiggle-Honda  
22 Jessie Daams (Bel) Boels-Dolmans    
23 Ashleigh Moolman (RSA) Lotto Belisol  
24 Tatiana Antoshina (Rus) MCipollini-Giordana  
25 Megan Guarnier (USA) Rabobank Liv/Giant  
26 Alexandra Burchenkova (Rus) RusVelo  
27 Tatiana Guderzo (Ita) MCipollini Giordana  
28 Trixi Worrack (Ger) Specialized-Lululemon  
29 Karol-Ann Canuel (Can) Vienne Futuroscope  
30 Tetyana Ryabchenko (Ukr) Chirio Forno d'Asolo +02'28" 
31 Georgia Williams (NZl) BePink  
32 Claudia Hausler (Ger) TIBCO-To The Top  
33 Alizee Brien (Can) GSD Gestion-Kallisto  
34 Fabiana Luperini (Ita) Faren-Let's Go Finland +02'32"  
35 Maaike Polspoel (Bel) Sengers   +03'08"  
36 Katarzyna Niewiadoma (Pol) Poland  
37 Pauline Ferrand Prevot (Fra) Rabobank Liv/Giant +03'12"  
38 Shara Gillow (Aus) Orica-AIS +03'38" 
39 Katarzyna Wilkos (Pol) Poland +04'07"  
40 Monika Brzezna (Pol) Poland  
41 Paulina Brzezna-Bentkowska (Pol) Poland  
42 Francesca Cauz (Ita) Top Girls Fassa Bortolo +04'18"  
43 Emily Collins (NZl) Wiggle-Honda +05'07" 
44 Mayuko Hagiwara (Jpn) Wiggle-Honda  
45 Barbara Guarischi (Ita) Vaiano Fondriest +05'17" 
46 Agne Silinyte (Ltu) Pasta Zara-Cogeas  
47 Rozanne Slik (Ned) Netherlands  
48 Liisi Rist (Est) S.C. Michela Fanini-Rox  
49 Ursa Pintar (Slo) Slovenia  
50 Katazina Sosna (Ltu) Vaiano Fondriest  
51 Joanne Hogan (Aus) Bizkaia-Durango +05'22"  
52 Alexia Muffat (Fra) France +05'23"
53 Rossella Callovi (Ita) Pasta Zara-Cogeas +05'29" 
54 Martina Ruzickova (Cze) Pasta Zara-Cogeas  
55 Willeke Knol (Ned) Argos-Shimano  
56 Christine Majerus (Lux) Sengers  
57 Elodie Hegoburu (Fra) France +05'37"  
58 Amelie Rivat (Fra) Vienne Futuroscope  
59 Sophie De Baer (Ned) Netherlands  
60 Valentina Carretta (Ita) MCipollini-Giordana +05'40"  
61 Anna Sanchis Chafer (Spa) Bizkaia-Durango  
62 Simona Frapporti (Ita) BePink  
63 Gracie Elvin (Aus) Orica-AIS  
64 Julia Soek (Ned) Sengers +05'59"  
65 Noemi Cantele (Ita) BePink +06'08"  
66 Aizhan Zhaparova (Rus) RusVelo +06'20" 
DNF Lucinda Brand (Ned) Rabobank Liv/Giant  
DNF Roxane Knetemann (Ned) Rabobank Liv/Giant  
DNF Katie Colclough (GBr) Specialized-Lululemon  
DNF Cecilie Gotaas Johnsen (Nor) Hitec Products-UCK  
DNF Rachel Neylan (Aus) Hitec Products-UCK  
DNF Emilia Fahlin (Swe) Hitec Products-UCK  
DNF Giada Borgato (Ita) Pasta Zara-Cogeas  
DNF Silvija Latozaite (Ltu) Pasta Zara-Cogeas  
DNF Elizabeth Armitstead (GBr) Boels-Dolmans  
DNF Martine Bras (Ned) Boels-Dolmans    
DNF Marieke Van Wanroij (Ned) Boels-Dolmans  
DNF Emma Trott (GBr) Boels-Dolmans  
DNF Elena Kuchinskaya (Rus) RusVelo  
DNF Maria Mishina (Rus) RusVelo  
DNF Elena Bocharnikova (Rus) RusVelo  
DNF Kozonchuk Oxana (Rus) RusVelo  
DNF Sara Grifi (Ita) MCipollini-Giordana  
DNF Valentina Scandolara (Ita) MCipollini-Giordana  
DNF Marta Tagliaferro (Ita) MCipollini-Giordana  
DNF Silvia Valsecchi (Ita) BePink  
DNF Dalia Muccioli (Ita) BePink  
DNF Ella Michal (Isr) Lotto-Belisol  
DNF Carlee Taylor (Aus) Lotto-Belisol  
DNF Celine Van Severen (Bel) Lotto-Belisol  
DNF Charlotte Becker (Ger) Argos-Shimano  
DNF Lucy Gerner (GBr) Argos-Shimano  
DNF Elke Gebhardt (Ger) Argos-Shimano  
DNF Giorgia Bronzini (Ita) Wiggle-Honda  
DNF Beatrice Bartelloni (Ita) Wiggle-Honda  
DNF Evelyn Arys (Bel) Sengers  
DNF Sofie De Vuyst (Bel) Sengers  
DNF Jasmin Glaesser (Can) TIBCO-To The Top  
DNF Rushlee Buchanan (NZl) TIBCO-To The Top  
DNF Shelley Olds (USA) TIBCO-To The Top  
DNF Samantha Schneider (USA) TIBCO-To The Top  
DNF Marta Bastianelli (Ita) Faren-Let's Go Finland  
DNF Elena Cecchini (Ita) Faren-Let's Go Finland  
DNF Sara Mustonen (Swe) Faren-Let's Go Finland    
DNF Patricia Schwager (Swi) Faren-Let's Go Finland  
DNF Edwige Pitel (Fra) S.C. Michela Fanini-Rox  
DNF Katsiaryna Barazna (Blr) S.C. Michela Fanini-Rox  
DNF Mireia Epelde Bikendi (Spa) S.C. Michela Fanini-Rox  
DNF Gloria Boldrini (Ita) S.C. Michela Fanini-Rox  
DNF Azzurra D'Intino (Ita) S.C. Michela Fanini-Rox  
DNF Anna Trevisi (Ita) Vaiano Fondriest  
DNF Valentina Bastianelli (Ita) Vaiano Fondriest  
DNF Alessandra D'Ettore (Ita) Vaiano Fondriest  
DNF Aleksandra Sosenko (Ltu) Vaiano Fondriest  
DNF Sarah Lena Hofmann (Ger) Team Polaris  
DNF Mascha Pijnenborg (Ned) Team Polaris  
DNF Janine Van Der Meer (Ned) Team Polaris  
DNF Aurore Verhoeven (Fra) Team Polaris  
DNF Katarzyna Pawlowska (Pol) GSD Gestion-Kallisto  
DNF Mayra Del Rocio Rocha (Mex) GSD Gestion-Kallisto  
DNF Lina Kristin Schink (Ger) GSD Gestion-Kallisto  
DNF Charlene Delev (Ger) GSD Gestion-Kallisto  
DNF Jessica Allen (Aus) Vienne Futuroscope  
DNF Oriane Chaumet (Fra) Vienne Futuroscope  
DNF Audrey Cordon (Fra) Vienne Futuroscope  
DNF Manon Souyris (Fra) Vienne Futuroscope  
DNF Lilibeth Chacon Garcia (Ven) Bizkaia-Durango  
DNF Dorleta Eskamendi Gil (Spa) Bizkaia-Durango  
DNF Mayalen Noriega (Spa) Bizkaia-Durango  
DNF Ane Santesteban Gozales (Spa) Bizkaia-Durango  
DNF Daniela Gass (Ger) Squadra Scappatella  
DNF Larissa Ratkic (Aut) Squadra Scappatella  
DNF Christina Perchtold (Aut) Squadra Scappatella  
DNF Julia Hilber (Aut) Squadra Scappatella  
DNF Elena Berlato (Ita) Top Girls Fassa Bortolo  
DNF Jennifer Fiori (Ita) Top Girls Fassa Bortolo  
DNF Irene Bitto (Ita) Top Girls Fassa Bortolo  
DNF Francesca Stefani (Ita) Top Girls Fassa Bortolo  
DNF Elena Valentini - Top Girls Fassa Bortolo  
DNF Marina Lari (Ita) Servetto Footon  
DNF Maria Cristina Nisi (Ita) Servetto Footon  
DNF Corinna Defile' (Ita) Servetto Footon  
DNF Veronica Cornolti (Ita) Servetto Footon  
DNF Simona Bortolotti (Ita) Servetto Footon  
DNF Roberta Tasca (Ita) Servetto Footon  
DNF Uenia Fernandes Da Souza (Bra) Chirio Forno d'Asolo  
DNF Egle Zablockyte (Ltu) Chirio Forno d'Asolo  
DNF Elena Sitsko (Blr) Chirio Forno d'Asolo  
DNF Julia Martisova (Rus) Chirio Forno d'Asolo  
DNF Jessica Uebelhart (Swi) Chirio Forno d'Asolo  
DNF Charlotte Lenting (Ned) Netherlands  
DNF Winanda Spoor (Ned) Netherlands  
DNF Melanie Bravard (Fra) France  
DNF Eva Mottet (Fra) France  
DNF Ludivine Loze (Fra) France  
DNF Polona Batagelj (Slo) Slovenia  
DNF Alenka Novak (Slo) Slovenia  
DNF Ajda Opeka (Slo) Slovenia  
DNF Spela Kern (Slo) Slovenia  
DNF Urska Kalan (Slo) Slovenia

Vos puts on a show! GP de Plouay 2012

The GP will consist of five laps of the red route
(click to enlarge)

25.08 Official site
France, 135km, UCI CDM (final round, Women's World Cup)

Plouay is a four-day festival of cycling. It begins on Thursday 23rd of August with a farmers' market and a BMX event; Friday 24th offers the open-to-the-public Cyclo Morbihan in which 3,358 people took part last year, a race for journalists and the senior's race. Saturday 25th has the Women's World Cup round and Sunday 26th has the legendary GP Ouest-France for Elite Men.

↓↓↓Starters, race report, results↓↓↓

The UCI announced in March this year that it had confirmed the GP de Plouay's status as a Women's World Cup venue until 2016, and it's not hard to see why - it's always been a fantastically well-organised event with enough going on to keep the huge crowds that show up to watch happy. With a selection of music, food, drink and all sorts of other entertainments going on in addition to the racing, it attracts a wide range of people, even many with no real interest in the sport who are simply looking for a good day out. It all comes together to form a superb showcase for cycling, and this year was no different - Plouay isn't the easiest place to get to in France and the weather forecast was decidedly unfavourable, but still hundreds of thousands of fans turned out to watch some of the top female riders in the world.

In these times when numerous women's races are having to scale down as sponsors pull out or, as has happened with too many events already, vanish forever, Plouay has been growing. Last year, it consisted of six laps of a 19.1km circuit to make a total of 114.6km; this year riders will complete five laps of 27km to make 135km. It helps that the race takes place in Brittany, the heartland of French cycling, but it's also indication that the organisers know the formula for getting things right. Nevetheless, not all the riders liked the look of the new pacours - Lizzie Armitstead (AA Drink-Leontien.nl) had said she preferred the older one, but the changes seemed popular overall with riders and fans.

Start list - click to enlarge. It says "finale," but as always in women's cycling the results list after the race may contain a very different set of names.

The Race
The GP de Plouay and GP Ouest-France are Plouay's main claim to fame, so the road upon which it begins has been named the Boulevard des Championnats du Monde. It lies just outside the town and a little way to the north of the velodrome with a hard-surfaced area set aside specifically for the team vehicles and race infrastructure; the initial 500m is straight, slopes slightly downhill and tends to encourage the sort of spectacularly fast start that those spectators who were fortunate enough to find space on the raised grassy area along the northern edge of the road got to see today. A number of serious contenders took immediate control, getting into prime positions at the front of the pack even before the gentle right and left bends that carried them past what may the world's ugliest Carrefour (quite an achievement, it has to be said), then, 0.75km from the start, into the first corner and onto the D2. The corner is 90 degrees but reasonably wide and fast; with several shops and industrial units nearby it looked to be the sort of junction that frequently suffers from fuel spillages but fortunately it seemed to be a lot less hazardous than expected.

Riders followed the D2 for 0.52km with the road beginning to climb the Cote du Lezot, gradient around 7% in several places . There was a roundabout near the end, then some 60m later the second corner leading left onto the Rue du Moulin, which traveled uphill for 220m to a tight right corner onto the D178 (there's a nice view over Plouay looking south from the little white cottage on the junction, which the riders never got a chance to see as they were going the opposite way).  The D178 headed straight into a wide left-hand bend with forest to the right, then to the 140m summit of the Cote du Lezot just after a footbridge over the road and shortly before a gentle right-hander - there is another raised section to the left of the road, an ideal place from which to watch the race. 0.75km after the footbridge, they arrived at a junction and turned left towards the village of Kerscoulic 1km away (note the several rather non-French-sounding placenames in the area - Brittany is to France as Wales is to England and has its own distinct Celtic culture, traditions and language). The road climbed for a short way just after the junction, then descended before a very small climb to the village.

Profile - click to enlarge

 At the far end of the village, the road bent gently left and then right before it passed Questenen Plaine along a 0.61km straight section which descended for most of its length, then kicked up at the very end before the junction with the D110 (shown on the route map as the D10). Just after the third bend, the riders arrived at a roundabout (Le Pont Neuf) and followed the road to the right to continue along the D110. The roundabout marked the lowest point between the Cotes du Lezot and the Chapelle Ste. Anne des Bois, meaning that as soon as they'd passed it they began to climb again - and they continued to climb for the next 6.9km as they followed the course of the Le Scorff river  through the Foret Domaniale de Pont-Calleck (if you ever have a holiday in Brittany, make time to visit the Moulin de Coat-Cren around 1.5km along the D110 from the roundabout - Virginie, Les Déesses' locally-born guide to all things Breton, says it's one of the most beautiful sights in the region).

The Chapelle Ste. Anne, just west of Pont Callec, looks exactly like a scaled-down model of a grand Baroque cathedral with only three windows along each side. Anne is the patron saint of - among many other things - lost objects; riders who suffered on the climb to reach her chapel and had been losing hope may find it again half a kilometre further on where the parcours flattened out for 4km as it passed Poulgroix, then descended for the next four. 5.1km from the Chapelle, the race arrived at a junction with the D204, within sight of the Le Pont Neuf roundabout negotiated earlier.

Château de Manehouarn, Plouay; as seen on a million
jigsaws, postcards and boxes of chocolates

The D204 section was fairly flat and straight, offering an opportunity for those who may have conceded time on the climbs to try to win it back before the final Cote de Ty Marrec. At the end, the riders came to a junction and turned left onto the D769 - one of the main routes through the region and into Plouay, it has little of the rural charm found along some of the earlier roads. Fortunately, after around 0.15km (which takes them past the 5km to go point), the riders turned right onto the smaller Pont le Bris road leading for 1.6km past a lake and through forest before rejoining the main road. There was a sharp left-hand turn in the forest after 1.2km, marking the beginning of the Cote de Ty Marrec climb, and the reason the organisers had directed the race away from the D769 was to take in Minojehn du Calvaire, just after the left-hander - it climbed 45m in around 0.4km and was the steepest section of the entire parcours, surpassing 10% (in fact, it looks to be nearer 15% at the steepest part). It must have been an unbearable prospect for those riders who don't the hills, lurking near the end of every lap.

After rejoining the D769, riders faced another 0.3km of much gentler climbing followed by a flat 0.45km to the 3km to go point then 1.5km downhill, at the end of which they needed to scrub off speed to be able to negotiate a sharp left turn leading via a right turn 0.17km later back onto the D110. The 1km to go point lay 0.15km ahead, just around a sweeping left bend; then it was downhill all the way back to the start/finish line.

The first hour passed without notable incident other than a puncture for Marianne Vos, but with the assistance of her strong Rabobank team she was returned to the front of the race in no time at all. Speeds remained relatively sedate during the first couple of laps as the riders tested the roads to see what sort of speeds they'd be able to safely sustain around the corners later on and tried out new lines; but after 1h05' a split had formed - 55 riders were starting to open up a gap between themselves and the remainder, and the pace was already picking up. It wasn't much longer before some riders bridged and others fell back, the numbers changing to 45 and 30; the leaders were then whittled down to ten in the penultimate lap. During the final lap, the lead group was reduced further, down to a trio made up of Tiffany Cromwell (Orica-GreenEDGE), Elisa Longo-Borghini (Hitec-Mistral) and Vos, all of them sufficiently strong that the competition looked certain to have been slashed to three contenders. Their 35" advantage had almost doubled four minutes later, then doubled again over the next ten minutes, remaining at 2' as they climbed Ty-Marrec for the final time towards the 4km to go point.

Marianne Vos: 2012 Olympic
champion and winner of the
World Cup. World Champs
next? Very possibly - it seems
there's no race she can't win
eventually!

Vos doesn't always win (though it sometimes feels like it) and she's lost out in a few sprints this season. She also didn't need to win today, because the race offered 75 points to the winner whereas she started with an 84 point lead on second-place Judith Arndt's 176 in the World Cup so she may as well have already had that trophy on her mantlepiece, but Plouay was one of the increasingly small number of races she had never won. So, she rode to the utmost of her ability and put in superhuman effort to cross the line so fast her tyres were probably beginning to melt, her determination and sheer power driving 35" wedge between herself and Cromwell. When a rider puts in a show like that (and with that look of pure happiness that she still has each and every time she wins) who could ever tire of watching her take another victory? The takeover of Nederland-Bloeit by Rabobank earlier this year was predicted to put Vos into a position from which she would dominate competition, but there have been a few times when it looked as though the 25-year-old was simply too good for the team to be able to keep up and help when she needed it - directeur sportif Jeroen Blijlevens says that he picked a new squad for Plouay, and it looks as though he's found the combination that his champion needs. Perhaps 2013 will, therefore, be the year that she tops Eddy Merckx's record season total of 56 victories?

Cromwell took 50 points for second place and Longo-Borghini earned 35 for third, finishing 4" later. First of the remainder and 2'40" behind Vos for 30 points was European Under-23 ITT Champion Anna Vanderbreggen, who is having a superb season with Sengers after a couple of quiet years; Evelyn Stevens (Specialized-Lululemon) recorded the same time and took 27 points for fifth place.

Result
Top Ten
1. Marianne Vos (Rabobank) 3h39'45"
2. Tiffany Cromwell (Orica-GreenEDGE) +35
3. Elisa Longo-Borghini (Hitec-Mistral) +39
4. Anna Vanderbreggen (Sengers) +2:40
5. Evelyn Stevens (Specialized-Lululemon) +2:40
6. Luisa Tamanini (Faren-Honda) +2:43
7. Fabiana Luperini (Faren-Honda) +4:09
8. Trixi Worrack (Specialized-Lululemon) +4:09
9. Marta Tafliaferro (Mcipollini-Giambenini) +4:09
10. Judith Arndt (Orica-GreenEDGE) +4:09
Full results


TV/Video
Eurosport 2 will be showing footage from Plouay at 19:30 on Saturday the 25th in the United Kingdom; but the half-hour show will be shared with reports on the amateur race and other events and, as a result, the time devoted to the women's race is likely to be very short.

Photos: Vos (MarieTiburce)

Other Sites 
The legendary Gwéna, queen of women's cycling reporting, has an interesting post on the differences between this edition and 2011.
Monty at Podium Cafe has a guide which will be especially worth keeping an eye upon for the comments added during the race.
With a bit of luck, Meredith Miller will be writing one of her always-excellent reports after the race, bringing us news from within the peloton.
Tiffany Cromwell of Orica-GreenEDGE has a pre-race report.

35th Gouden Pijl

07.08 Official site Twitter
Netherlands, 60km Criterium, National

Taking place in Emmen, Drenthe, the Gouden Pijl enjoys the backing of Rabobank - one of the few sponsors that became involved in cycling not only for the advertising opportunities it offers but due to a deep love for the sport. As a result, it has become one of the biggest, most popular and best-organised races in the country and is able to attract the top names in both the men's and women's categories. In common with several other races in the Netherlands and Belgium, cycling is only part of the attraction - the event also features skating, food and live music, attracting thousands of people each year.

For sheer excitement, no other race rivals a criterium: they take place on short city circuits, more often that not with at least a few difficult corners. Heavy rain and thunder were predicted for Emmen today, which made the entire parcours slippery and more challenging than usual and might have slowed things down were it not for the fact that this was Marianne Vos' first race since she won the Olympic Road Race - and if you're in a race with Vos, you've got to ride as fast as you possibly can at all times to avoid being left far behind, because the 25-year-old Dutch star rides like a rocket at all times. Even after the first lap Vos had a significant lead, then she seemed to get faster and faster as the race progressed. The result, as so often tends to be the case when she's racing, was inevitable - and was her 24th opportunity to stand on the top step of a podium so far this year. Team mates Iris Slappendel and Roxane Kneteman, a lap behind her, took second and third place, making it a clean sweep for the Rabobank team.

(More to come...)

Photos by: @dy9ee8 @dianadegroot @drenthe2028 @kaatjemulder Bastiaan Hollander @ArjanTenHhof

Marianne's 24th victory of 2012

Results

  1.  Marianne Vos Rabobank Women Team 
  2.  Iris Slappendel Rabobank 
  3.  Roxane Knetemann Rabobank 
  4.  Loes Gunnewijk Orica-GreenEDGE
  5.  Amy Pieters Skil-Argos  
  6.  Janneke Kanis Ski-Argos
  7.  Ilona Hoeksma WRV De Peddelaars Hoogeveen 
  8.  Melanie Hessling  
  9.  Ivana Tiessens De Noordelijke ATB Club
  10.  Moniek Tenniglo  
  11.  Mariël Borgerink WV De Noord-Westhoek 
  12.  Djoeke Donkers NWV Groningen 
  13.  Trieneke Fokkens De Noordelijke ATB Club
  14.  Annet Pit WRV De Peddelaars Hoogeveen  
  15.  Elise Karssies De Noordelijke ATB Club
  16.  Judith Jelsma WV De Noord-Westhoek 
  17.  Marije Joling Specialized-DPD-SRAM
  18.  Willeke Knol GRC Jan Van Arckel  
  19.  Ingeborg Kreuze WV De Noord-Westhoek 
  20.  Hilde van Slochteren De Noordelijke ATB Club
  21.  Linda Ringlever NWV Groningen 
  22.  Carolin Schiff 
  23.  Silke Kogelman GRC Jan Van Arckel 
  24.  Winanda Spoor Dolmans-Boels
  25.  Erika Broekema NWV Groningen 
  26.  Kayleigh Brogan Ibis
  27.  Laura Murray 
  28.  Janien Lubben WRV De Peddelaars Hoogeveen 
  29.  Anne Ewing Ibis
  30.  Joran Tromp GRC Jan Van Arckel  
  31.  Hilde Oudman NWV Groningen  
  32.  Hannah Barnes Ibis
  33.  Annouk van der Weijden Specialized-DPD-SRAM
  34.  Geerte Hoeke - -
  35.  Simone de Vries WRV De Peddelaars Hoogeveen 
  36.  Jarmila Machacova  
  37.  Nathasja Heijting PRC Delta  
  38.  Hannah Welter GWC De Adelaar 
  39.  Nathalie van Katwijk W.V. Noord-Holland
  40.  Annewil Schreuder W.V. Omega 
  41.  Melanie Klement WRV De Peddelaars Hoogeveen 
  42.  Astrid          Schuitema De Noordelijke ATB Club 
  43.  Linda de Croon W.V. De Noord-Westhoek 
  44.  Ester Scholten GRC Jan Van Arckel 
  45.  Liesbeth Zeeman Hoornse Ren En Toerclub 
(Times not yet published)