Monday, 2 April 2012
Women's Cycling News 02.04.12
GP de Dottignies
The big women's cycling event of the day was the Grand Prix de Dottignies, a 133.25km race taking place in the French-speaking Walloon region of Belgium. The race consisted of one 77.25km parcours with a couple of interesting climbs halfway through and one in the latter half, followed by four passes of a flat 14km circuit. Maps here: 77.25km / 14km; profiles here: 77.25km / 14km.
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| Monia Baccaille (image credit: ghirolfo CC BY-NC-SA 2.0) |
With the 14km circuit being flat, the peloton played cat and mouse games with various riders feigning attacks and then mounting real attacks as the entire pack slowed down and then sped up repeatedly and apparently at random as they dared one another to make an early break. The 23-year-old Belarusian Alena Amialiusik (BePink) did extraordinarily well to maintain her lead once the riders down the road began to pick up the pace as the finish line drew near (especially considering she was 10th at the Ronde van Vlaanderen and must have been feeling it), but she was eventually caught with 2km to go.
There was no surprise when it all ended with a bunch sprint but with several of the top riders also still feeling the effects of the Ronde in their legs, it was a sprint that could have gone anywhere right up until the last second and a number of less-well-known riders were battling it out with the big guns right to the line. In the end, a group of thirteen crossed the line as a group, but nobody could top the sheer power of Monia Baccaille (MCipollini) when she launched herself from the group and crossed the line like a luminous green rocket to take a stunning victory. Emma Johansson (Hitec-Mistral) was just behind her for second place, followed by Alona Andruk (Diadora-Pasta Zara) for third. (Full results)
1. Monia Baccaile MCipollini-Giambenini-Gauss 03:29:49
2. Emma Johansson Hitec Products-Mistral Home zt.
3. Alona Andruk Diadora-Pasta Zara zt.
4. Christine Majerus Team GSD Gestion zt.
5. Rasa Leleivyte Vaiana-Tepso zt.
6. Valentina Scandolara S.C. Michela Fanini Rox zt.
7. Carmen Mcnellis Small zt.
8. Isabelle Soderberg AA Drink - Leontien.nl zt.
9. Nathalie Lamborelle Kleo Ladies Team zt.
10. Nicole Cooke Faren-Honda Team zt.
Irene van den Broek out of competition
Dolmans-Boels' Irene van den Broek - who finished in second place at the Dutch National Championships last year - has been forced to bring a temporary halt to her racing due to a lung complaint. The 31-year-old suffered painful breathing throughout the Trofeo Binda and Ronde van Vlaandered, leaving her unable to finish in both cases. She'll now undergo medical tests to find out what's wrong.
Wednesday, 21 March 2012
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| Monique van de Ree (image credit: 1t41) |
1t4i's Monique van de Ree beat Gilke Croket (Top Sport Flanders-Ridley 2012) and Petra Dijkman (Kleo) in three-rider sprint to the end of Wednesday's Dwars door Vlanderen voor Vrouwen. Team mate Adrie Visser picked up the points in the intermediate sprint earlier on in the race. Best Brit was 39-year-old Claire Thomas in 26th, then Sarah Coney in 29th and Emma Silversides in 56th, while Emma Trott didn't finish. (Results)
Monique van de Ree @MoniquevdrHell yeah, I did it! Just WON Dwars door Vlaanderen!! Really happy, and also thanks to my team mates!#that's the spirit!#1t4i <3 winning ; )Good news for women's cycling: while some fans felt that this year's women's event - the first in the Dwars' history - felt like it had been rather hurriedly put together, organisers are pleased with how it went and hope to improve it over the coming years
Sunday, 18 March 2012
Small victory at Classica Cita di Padova
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| Carmen Small (image credit: Optum ProCycling) |
Audrey Cordon of Vienne Futurscope won the 9th Cholet Pays De Loire Dames when she crossed the finish line alone 45" ahead of a 34-women group that included her team mate Pascale Jeuland (second place) and Emilie Moberg (Hitec Products-Mistral Home, third). Claire Thomas was best-placed British women in 10th place (full results).
Other races
Ronde Van Woensdre
Omloop Van Strijen
Saturday, 10 March 2012
Pijnenborg takes first win for Dolmans-Boels
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| Mascha Pijnenborg (image credit: Dolmans-Boels) |
Ronde van Drenthe Women's Road World Cup
Marianne Vos wins the first round of the World Cup
Saturday brought us the Ronde van Drenthe, Round 1 of the 2012 Women's Road World Cup which, as such, is arguably the most important date on the Elite Women's racing calendar so far this season. The top cyclists in the world were in attendance, including World Champion Giorgia Bronzini, Martine Bras, Ellen Van Dijk, Trixi Worrack, Lizzie Armitstead, Kirsten Wild, Nicole Cooke, Janneke Kanis, Loes Guunewijk, Judith Arndt, Emma Johansson and current favourites for the Cup Marianne Vos, in her second road race of the year after a stellar cyclo cross season, and last year's winner her Rabobank team mate Annemiek Van Vleuten.
Several of the women have won on this route before: Vos last year, Gunnewijk in 2010, Johansson in 2009. Bronzini finished third in 2011 and 2010, meaning she'll be eager for success today - however, Bronzini is likely to be basing her season around a performance peak in time for the World Championships and a third consecutive win, which left the majority of fans expecting Vos - who seems to be able to peak 365 days of the year - to take this one, and as ever the 24-year-old Dutch phenomenon did not disappoint: once the group of favourites, having led for much of the race, had been whittled down by the narrow roads and testing cobbled sectors, the Rabobank team went to work for their leader and finished off the competition one by one. Chantal Blaak made a brave attack but the Rabo women let her exhaust herself, leaving Vos to demonstrate again just how good she is with a fast and furious twelve-women sprint to the finish line. Vos, despite having won more races than just about any currently-active rider of either gender, still manages to look overjoyed and thankful with each new triumph she adds. Today was no different - looking every bit as excited as a neo-pro minutes after their first victory, she told reporters how thankful she is to have such a great team supporting her.
The 132.8km parcours was a tough one with some cobbled sections and no fewer than three ascents of the VAMberg, the green and lush 75m "mountain" that is spelled in the unusual way that it is because it's really a rubbish dump created by waste disposal company Vuil Afvoer Maatschappij. The dump has been turfed over, making what was a blight on the landscape into a very beautiful feature among the flat surrounds, and in parts it's very steep indeed - as much as 16.7% at one point, making it one of the steepest climbs in professional cycling. Emma Johansson of Hitec Products-Mistral Home, back from a double clavicle fracture sustained in a training accident earlier this year, did remarkably well therefore to take third, recording the same time as Vos; especially since her team started the race with only five riders after Lise Nøstvold became ill. Best placed Brit was Lizzie Armitstead with 17th place, 3" down on Vos. (Full results here,)
Saturday brought us the Ronde van Drenthe, Round 1 of the 2012 Women's Road World Cup which, as such, is arguably the most important date on the Elite Women's racing calendar so far this season. The top cyclists in the world were in attendance, including World Champion Giorgia Bronzini, Martine Bras, Ellen Van Dijk, Trixi Worrack, Lizzie Armitstead, Kirsten Wild, Nicole Cooke, Janneke Kanis, Loes Guunewijk, Judith Arndt, Emma Johansson and current favourites for the Cup Marianne Vos, in her second road race of the year after a stellar cyclo cross season, and last year's winner her Rabobank team mate Annemiek Van Vleuten.
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| 2011 Cup winner Annemiek Van Vleuten (image credit: K.J. Schilstra CC BY 3.0) |
"In the sprint, I joined Kirsten Wild’s train. When she started it, I went along with her immediately and rode blind to the finish in the hope that nobody else would get past us. I’m really pleased with this win, but particularly pleased with the fact that the team worked so well together. The communication was excellent and we now seem to be in tune with each other. Iris Slappendel, Roxane Knetemann and Sarah Dünster put in a lot of work into the pursuit." - Marianne Vos
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| Vos: "I'm just very glad I was able to win again!" |
Thursday, 8 March 2012
Hosking surprise winner at Dwingeloo
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| Chloe Hosking beat some very stiff opposition indeed today (image credit: jjron GNU1.2) |
(video after the results)
1. Chloe Hosking 03:41:15
2. Giorgia Bronzini
3. Marianne Vos
4. Monia Baccaile
5. Emma Johansson
6. Pascale Jeuland
7. Belinda Goss
8. Giada Borgato
9. Sarah Düster
10. Megan Guarnier
11. Trixi Worrack
12. Loes Gunnewijk
13. Audrey Cordon 00:10
14. Romy Kasper 00:11
15. Daniela Gass ST
16. Roxane Knetemann
17. Julia Martisova
18. Sharon Laws
19. Barbara Guarischi
20. Inga Cilvinaite
21. Emilie Moberg
22. Monique Van De Ree
23. Alessandra Dettorre
24. Alexandra Burchenkova
25. Marlen Johrend
26. Jennifer Purcell
27. Marta Tagliaferro
28. Josien Van Wingerden
29. Tiffany Cromwell
30. Lisa Brennauer
31. Martina Corazza
32. Judith Arndt
33. Bianca Van Den Hoek 00:16
34. Anna Sanchis ST
35. Mascha Pijnenborg
36. Willeke Knol
37. Madeleine Sandig
38. Edita Janeliunaite
39. Jennifer Hohl
40. Christelle Ferrier-Breneau
41. Julia Soek
42. Gloria Presti
43. Lise Nøstvold
44. Charlotte Becker
45. Carmen Mcnellis Small
46. Madeleine Olsson
47. Marta Bastianelli
48. Marijn De Vries
49. Kelly Markus
50. Julie Beveridge
51. Emilia Fahlin
52. Janneke Kanis
53. Iris Slappendel
54. Sandra Van Veghel
55. Elisa Longo Borghini
56. Froydis Waerstad
57. Andrea Dvorak
58. Irina Molicheva
59. Tatiana Guderzo
60. Alessandra Borchi
61. Valentina Carretta 00:36
62. Theresa Cliff-ryan 01:03
63. Samantha Schneider 04:42
64. Agne Silinyte ST
65. Ashlynn Van Baarle
66. Anouska Koster
67. Jessie Daams
68. Ymke Stegink
69. Ilona Hoeksma
70. Sione Jongstra
71. Natalie Van Gogh
72. Manon Klomp
73. Martina Ruzickova
74. Judith Bloem
75. Alina Bondarenko
76. Oxana Kozonchuk
77. Henriette Woering
78. Silke Kogelman
79. Anne De Wildt
80. Elena Utrobina
81. Robin Farina
82. Petra Dijkman
83. Elena Berlato
84. Francesca Cauz
85. Jacquelyn Crowell
86. Melanie Bravard
87. Jessie Maclean
88. Nathalie Lamborelle
89. Winanda Spoor
90. Marissa Otten
91. Rochelle Gilmore
92. Jennifer Wheeler
93. Giuseppina Grassi
94. Simona Frapporti
95. Giulia Ronchi
96. Amelie Rivat
97. Rowena Fry
98. Lina- Kristin Schink
99. Carlee Taylor
100. Lauren Hall
101. Nathaly Van Wesdonk -
102. Amanda Miller
103. Annalisa Cucinotta
104. Valentina Scandolara
105. Anne Heijkoop -
106. Martina Thomasson
107. Stephanie Pohl
108. Joanne Hogan
109. Pauliena Rooijakkers
110. Marielle Kerste
111. Marie Lindberg
112. Evgenia Romanyuta
113. Evelyn Arys 05:19
114. Juliette Wigbold ST
115. Pauline Ferrand Prevot
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