Classica Citta di Padova 2013

16.03.2013 Official Site

Italy, One-day road race, 126km

UCI 1.1

Warmer nations - Qatar, Costa Rica, El Salvador - got the women's professional cycling season off to a fine start before the first European races in Belgium and the Netherlands; then we had the Asian and Oceania Championships in India and Australia respectively. Now another one of cycling's homelands, a nation where cycling grew to become almost a religion for the legendarily passionate local fans, is ready to join in: the Classica Citta di Padova is Italy's first UCI Elite Women event of the year.

Carmen Small  became the first foreigner
to win the race in 2012 and earned a
place on the Specialized-Lululemon
team by doing so.

Now in its fifth year, Italian riders won the first three editions: Annalisa Cucinotta in 2008, then Monia Baccaille (who gave birth to a daughter, Aurora, a little over one month before the 2013 race) and Noemi Cantele in 2009 and 2010 respectively; the race was not held in 2011 but returned in 2012 when American Carmen Small became the first non-Italian rider to win when she took the honour in 2012, her first European victory. However, foreign riders have tended to do well with Lithuanians, Australians and Canadians all getting their feet on the podium and, with the race enjoying increasing popularity, this is likely to continue as it attracts more and more foreign teams and riders.

The season-opening races in the flat Low Countries tend to favour climbers because although the hills are small, they're very steep; meanwhile Italy, which has some of the most beautiful and challenging mountain roads to be found in Europe, gets things under way with a sprinter's race - the Classica features just three easy climbs of which the highest rises only 33m to 45m above sea level in 2.9km, creating an average gradient of only a little more than 4%. What's more, all three climbs fall within the 26.8km that make up the first part of the race; the remaining 99.2km (consisting of eight laps around a 12.4km circuit) are as flat as flat can be with only 9m of climbing split between three almost imperceptible hills on each lap.

The Parcours

The race begins on the wide and flat Via Roma in Noventa Padovana, approximately 8km from the centre of Padua, and an area noted for the many large, lavish villas that reveal it to be the second richest place in the province of Padua after Padua itself. After 1km the road forks; the riders follow it to the left to take the Via Camin onto a bridge crossing the Canale Piovego, which is the first potential hazard - although the bridge is not narrow, it's not wide enough for the entire peloton to get through en masse which, with the Via Roma encouraging a fast start, may happen. If so, some riders are going to have to give way; there may be an early crash here.

Riders complete the entire route (red and green) once, then
eight laps of the red circuit. Click to enlarge.

Having turned right once over the bridge, the riders follow the Via Camin as it bends left around a wooded area and then becomes the Via Corsica 1.8km from the start. The Via Corsica becomes the Via delle Granze; simple left, right and left turns lead onto the Via Lisbona and then Via Belgio, the latter ending in a left turn onto the Via della Regione Veneta leading to the Via Vignovese - also known as the SP40d, it leads the race into Tombelle before becoming the SP17 and presenting the riders with the first climb at 6.7km from the start. Climbing 33m in 0.8km gives it an average gradient of 4.1%, unchallenging but perhaps just sufficient for the all-rounders to get away from the specialist sprinters; something that's unlikely to make much difference so early in the race, but as it provides a chance to show off jerseys out at the head of the race (thus making sponsors happy) a chance that some riders may choose to grab.

Following the road to the right as it forks on the eastern side of Tombelle continues along the SP17, now known as the Via Padova and heading through open countryside (with potential sidewinds) to a bridge. On the opposite bank is Vigonovo; the SP17 leads into the centre of the town and turns right at a roundabout before curving left to another bridge. This forms the second climb at 9.5km - rising 29m in 0.9km gives it an average gradient of 3.2%; even less of a challenge but another opportunity for a break to form or for all-rounders who failed to get into an earlier break to attack and bridge to it. The road leads into Fosso, becoming the Via Roma after a left turn at a roundabout, riders follow it into the centre of the town and turn left onto the SP12, heading north to the third climb at 12.1km - this one ascends 28m in 1.9km, giving an average gradient of only around 1.5%.

The SP12 continues north through open countryside and past villages, then over a bridge at Brigo-Paluello. 400m from the bridge, the route turns right onto the much smaller Via Piove leading to the SR11, upon which the riders turn west to head back towards Novento Padovana, passing through Fiesso d'Artico before continuing all the way to the Via Noventana and on to the start line, where they begin the first of the 12.4km laps.

The Classica Citta di Padova is not a race for the
climbers. Click to enlarge.

For the initial 4.9km into Tombelle, the lap parcours follows the same route as the first section; however, where the first section followed the SP17 to the right into Vignovo, the riders now keep left, following a straight road for 0.69km to a sharp left turn, then continue for 0.19km to a roundabout and the Via Cristoforo Colombo. This leads into Casa Gottero, where a left turn finds the Via Dante which, after 0.22km, reaches a bridge; riders turn right onto it and then left onto the Via Noventana, following it back the same way as earlier to the start line for the beginning of a new lap. There will be intermediate sprints on the second, fourth, sixth and eighth laps offering 5, 4, 3, 2 and 1 point for the first five riders.

The laps route resembles a criterium race and is characterised by numerous tight corners, a combination that provides many opportunities for attacks and breakaway attempts by groups or individuals. If a group formed of strong riders early on, they might simply pull further and further away from the peloton, thus whittling down contenders to just those sprinters in the group and able to keep up the pace for however much of the race is left; alternatively, there is plenty of scope for the peloton to send chasers after breaks, either keeping the bunch together all the way or bringing it back together as the finish line draws near - the Classica Citta di Padova, being two races in one, can keep us guessing right to the very end.

Prizes

1° € 379,00
2° € 326,00
3° € 272,00
4° € 164,00
5° € 152,00
6° € 141,00
7° € 130,00
8° € 119,00
9° € 109,00
10° € 97,00
11° € 87,00                
12° € 76,00
13° € 66,00
14° € 53,00
15° € 42,00
16° € 28,00
17° € 28,00
18° € 28,00
19° € 28,00
20° € 28,00

Intermediate Sprint prizes (decided by accumulated points)

1° € 200,00              
2° € 150,00              
3° € 120,00
4° € 100,00
5° € 80,00

Start List

Not yet available

Weather

More information nearer to the race

Novilon Euregio Cup 2013

10.03.2013 Official Site
Netherlands, One-day Road Race
UCI 1.2

No Vos this year - but there'll be
plenty of other worthy adversaries
for Armitstead

The third of the big UCI women's races at the Drenthe Wielerweekend (though not the last race, as the Rabobank Toertocht van Coevorden takes place later on the same day), the Novilon Euregio Cup (named after sponsors Novilon, a flooring manufacturer, and Euregio - more on that below) has - like the Drentse 8 and Ronde van Drenthe that took place over the last few days - been dominated by Dutch riders in most years: German Viola Paulitz-Müller won the first edition in 1998, then Dutchwoman Leontien van Moorsel won in 1999 followed by the Swedish Madeleine Lindberg in 2000. The race couldn't be held in 2000 due to an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease in the agricultural province; then van Moorsel won again in 2001 followed by fellow Dutch riders Mirjam Melchers, Sissy van Alebeek, Suzanne de Goede and Loes Markerink over the subsequent four years. Giorgia Bronzini, an Italian, took the honours for 2007 before Kristin Armstrong became the first and to date only American to stand on the podium when she won in 2008, then the Dutch took over once again with a win by Marianne Vos is 2009, Annemiek van Vleuten in 2010, de Goede again in 2011 and then Vos again in 2012. British riders have done well too, perhaps because Drenthe is so similar to much of England, with three third places - Ceris Gillfillan in 2000, Rachel Heal in 2003 and Lizzie Armitstead in 2012. Armitstead, of course, was the only rider to challenge Vos in the Olympics road race later that year; Vos, who won the Ronde van Drenthe on the 9th of March, isn't taking part in the Novilon Cup this year but there are plenty of her nation's finest - on her Rabo team and in other squads - mean that Armitstead has plenty of competition of she fancies a chance to returning the favour of winning on a rival's home soil. Expect a battle..

The Ronde, with its three ascents of VAM berg, suits the climbers; in the past the Novilon has featured four climbs but became more of a sprinters' race from 2012 - it now takes in VAM berg only once relatively early in the race before taking flat roads to the final flat, straight sprint finish. The schedule can be downloaded here.

Click to enlarge

The Parcours

Coevorden is a municipality in the south of Drenthe; the city from which it takes its name is just metres from the German border in Euregio, a cross-border region in which Dutch and German authorities, enterprises and other entities have agreed to work together without regard to their different nationalities for the good of the region (Euregio was the first such area, established in 1958, and has been enormously successful; there are now a total of 74 similar Euroregions). Although it has the feel of a market town, Coevorden has held city status since 1408, at which point it was the largest and most important in the area. Since eclipsed by Emmen, its illustrious past is made evident by the large star-shaped fortifications in the centre of the city, designed by Menno van Coehoorn - the design will look familiar to anyone who has been to Besançon to see the Tour de France, though in fact Besançon's star-shaped fort was designed by Sébastien Le Prestre de Vauban. Right in the centre is the marketplace - not, it has to be admitted, the most attractive in the Netherlands, but it's from here that the race begins before heading north out of the city to De Loo, arriving there after ten minutes, then through the flat countryside - where the riders get their first taste of the wind that often characterises races at this time of year - to Dalen, birthplace of professional cyclist Karsten Kroon and home to several windmills. The N854 then carries the race toward Gees and, at 14.7km when they're on roads familiar from the previous day's Ronde van Drenthe, to the first cobbles. Situated in a damp forested region, these cobbles are made especially dangerous by slippery moss and may easily finish off any early breakaways - or, if a small group finds its lower density offers an advantage, serve to increase their advantage if the peloton is held up by a crash.

Once they're through Nieuw-Balinge (also familiar from the Ronde), the riders come to Drijber, a village that would fit several times over into the land occupied by its neighbour - the Essent-Attero waste disposal plant better known to cyclists and fans as VAM, site of the VAM berg climb. VAM berg, which climbs to 56m above sea level in 0.4km at an average gradient of 9.7% with one section as steep as 16%, is an attractive hill that appears far higher than it really is due to the flat surroundings but isn't a natural hill: under the grass and soil that was placed over it when it came to the end of its operational life is a vast rubbish dump (VAM was the name of the company that operated the site). It's another point at which a break might be reeled in and caught by climbers, though at this early stage in the race the peloton is unlikely to show much concern unless the break includes riders who might be able to stay out in front until the next ascent.

After VAM berg, the race turns back to Drijber and then to Mantinge, another village, before arriving at Meppen 44.8km into the race. The parcours now leads via Oosterhesselen and Wachtum back to Dalen, then to Dalerveen at 61.6km, Schoonebeek at 73.5km, Twist at 89.5km and Emmlicheim at 106.9km; at 108.3km the riders come to an intermediate sprint and begin to make their way back to Coevorden, 129.5km into the race. At 131.8km they pass over the finish line, beginning a second intermediate sprint and a final 9.3km section through the city then back out to Achterloo, returning on the Daler Allee road that ends at a roundabout where the riders continue straight ahead onto Stationstraat, marking 1.5km to the finish. Stationstraat ends at another roundabout; the riders again continue straight ahead onto Friesestraat, which takes them back to the marketplace in the centre of the city prior to the last 400m along the straight Kasteel (and past the kasteel, a pink fortified manor house now occupied by a restaurant).

Start List

Click to enlarge

Weather

Like your bike races tough, just like the Dutch do? Well, here's some good news - in addition to "high" temperatures of just 3C (and lows of -5C), the riders are likely to experience some flurries of snow en route. It's not predicted to settle, but with conditions throughout north-western Europe becoming colder as next week begins it'll feel bitingly cold as they ride into it.

Boels Rental Ronde van Drenthe

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

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

 

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

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

The Parcours

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

VAM berg

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

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

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

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

Start List

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Weather

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Drentse 8 van Dwingeloo 2013

07.03.2013 Official Site
Netherlands, 1-day Road Race, 141.2km
UCI 1.2

2012 winner Chloe Hosking

There have been several races in exotic, warmer climes such as Qatar, Costa Rica and El Salvador already this season and even three in the somewhat less warm at this time of year Belgium; now the fantastically-named Drentse 8 van Dwingeloo marks women's cycling's return to the home of its greatest star (that's Marianne Vos, of course) - the Netherlands.

Drentse 8 began in 2007 with Regina Sleicher taking first place, then Ina-Yoko Teutenberg dominated with three consecutive victories before Vos won in 2011. Vos, who by 2012 had left little doubt that she's the most successful cyclist in the world today (some would say ever), was favourite for the World Championship in 2012 but ultimately lost out to Giorgia Bronzini, another rider who has done well in this race with third place in 2007; when they faced each other at the Drentse 8 early in 2012 many fans expected the outcome of the race to be decided between the two riders and were therefore surprised when the then-little-known 21-year-old Australian Chloe Hosking (now riding with Hitec-UCK) proved herself their equal when she got the better of them both in an 11-woman final bunch sprint - a glorious and entirely unexpected finish.

Chloe Hosking beats Bronzini and Vos, 2012

The Parcours

If you're wondering where the "8" in the race's name comes from, it's due to the shape of the route - a great big 47km figure of eight (well, sort of - it's a straggly 8 with an extra loop on top) around which the riders race three times. Dwingeloo, home some 2,500 people, has a claim to fame that few villages can match - two galaxies, Dwingeloo 1 and 2, both of which are approximately 10 million lightyears from Earth - are named after it; the connection being that they were discovered using the 25m radio telescope (the largest in the world when it was built in 1956) just south of the village.

Having started on Brink, a street in the village, the riders head north-west and into the first loop, then south and back to Dwingeloo before turning east and passing through the Nationaal Park Dwingeldvelde, at 37 square kilometres the largest area of wet heathland in Western Europe. The telescope, restored during 2012 and now a national monument, can be seen over the trees from various points along the road. The route then heads south before turning west to skirt a plain dotted with circular lakes, thermokaarsts created by retreating glaciers in the last ice age.

Drentse 8 is the flattest of the three Drentse Week races (the others are the Boels Rental Ronde van Drenthe, taking place on the 9th, and the Novilon Euregio World Cup race one day later) but the numerous technical sections along the parcours, including numerous tight corners and cobbles interspersed with long straights, makes this an ideal race for attacks - last year, they came in waves and continued throughout the event. It's very likely that this year's race will see more of the same; whether any one of those attacks will lead to a break getting away and staying away from the peloton in order to avoid another bunch sprint finish will be decided on the day.

Start List

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Grand Prix GSB and Grand Prix El Salvador 2013

Grand Prix GSB

07.03.2013 Official Site
El Salvador, 1-day Road Race, 97km
UCI 1.1

Click to enlarge

El Salvador has not been listed among the great cycling nations in years gone by - though they do take sport very seriously, having had a war with neighbouring Honduras after a football match - but they've certainly got a taste for women's cycling: already this season the tiny Central American country has played host to the Grand Prix de Oriente and Vuelta El Salvador, now it's time for the Grand Prix Grand Saint Bernard and tomorrow the Grand Prix El Salvador. It's a very fine place for bike racing too, with 65% of the nation being mountainous (including volcanoes) and most of the rest being beautiful tropical rainforest - thanks to environmental programmes El Salvador is one of the very few nations where rainforest is actually increasing.

Some of the European riders might feel rather at home at the end of the race due to the finish line being located at the Grand St. Bernard Swiss Resort and Spa. This hotel, high in the mountains at Juayúa and owned by the main sponsor (hence the name of the race) is modeled on a typically Alpine chalet, while the rest of the town is characterised by its well-preserved Spanish colonial architecture. To get there, they'll pass through unmistakably tropical rainforest landscape and climb some tough mountains.

Note that the altimetry profile on the official race website seems not to correspond with altitude
figures given in the race schedule - click to enlarge

The race begins at capital city San Salvador before heading first north and then east around the El Boquerón volcano, a familiar sight to those who took part in the Vuelta El Salvador which climbed it in Stage 4 - they don't need to repeat that climb today and, having started at an altitude of 744m, face only a small and gradual climb over the first couple of kilometres before a long descent - gradual at first, then steeper - leads into a flat section approximately 30km in length. It's likely that several riders, probably in groups, will attempt to use the descent to get ahead of the climbers and then try to extend any lead they can find in the flat section, thus giving themselves a greater chance of staying within reasonable distance on the big climbs lurking towards the end of the race. Many climbers, being too light to keep a comfortable level of control over their machines on fast downhill sections, don't like descents and may prefer to allow a break to get away; their teams will respond to a break by sending out chasers to try to bring back escapees on the flat section in order to get climbers where they need to be for the second half.

Final 3km

The terrain starts heading upward at Ciudad Arce, 44km along the parcours, where the altitude is 470m above sea level. 8km later, having climbed 380m, they arrive at El Congo and an altitude of 850m. A short descent of around 4km follows and precedes another flat section some 12km in length, potentially the scene of more breaks as riders try to get ahead in preparation for the big climb up to 1,471m at 82km. This is where the climbers get their own chance to take the lead: with the road turning downhill for the next 12km, they'll need it because they're going to be chased all the way to the final 3km where the race begins a 40m climb to the finish line - while that's an average gradient of only 1.3%, note that the parcours becomes steeper on the approach to the final flat 500m.


Start List

Not yet available


Grand Prix El Salvador

08.03.2013 Official Site
El Salvador, 1-day road race, 93.2km
UCI 1.1

Click to enlarge

Taking place the day after the Grand Prix GSB, the Grand Prix El Salvador is the final UCI Elite women's race of the season and gives those riders that don't specialise in mountains a chance to turn the tables on the climbers. Possibly, at any rate - El Salvador, being situated on a tectonic rift, has many volcanoes and mountains; a race organiser would be hard pushed to set out a parcours that didn't feature at least a bit of climbing.

Once again the riders start their day in the capital San Salvador, but this time they head south out of the city before turning east towards the nation's second biggest lake, Lago de Ilopango, situated in a 72 square kilometre volcano crater. This volcano was subject to a huge eruption some time in the 5th or 6th Century CE, which destroyed several Mayan cities and made agriculture impossible in the region for many years; it last erupted - on a much smaller scale - in 1879-80. Before reaching the lake, the riders turn south again and head towards Comalapa, descending from the race's highest point at 779m above sea level 2.1km from the start to 154m at 28.1km; since many climbers are not good descenders, this gives the rest of the peloton - especially the less well-known riders, eager to please sponsors by showing off their jerseys at the head of the race - the opportunity to leave the climbers far behind. With a climb of 600m in the final 13.6km, average gradient 4.4%, they'll want to do precisely that to prevent a climber getting away as the finish draws near.

Click to enlarge

At the airport 29.6km in, the altitude drops to 59m and then remains relatively flat, climbing only two small hills before a long, gradual descent to 79.6km where the riders will be only 9m above sea level - 50km in which a breakaway group could extend its lead or the peloton could draw them back in, sending chasers out to catch them while the teams cluster around their climbers to keep them up to speed and get them into position for the final climb. The final 3km, running into Zaragoza, climb at an average gradient of around 5% all the way to a straight section leading to the finish; a challenge after 90km, but not steep enough to automatically give the climbers a winning advantage - the eventual winner of this race might not be a dedicated climber, as was the case in 2012 when all-rounder Noemi Cantele won days after taking sixth place overall in the Vuelta El Salvador.

Start List

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Omloop van het Hageland - Tielt-Winge 2013

03.03.2013 Official Site (race schedule)
Belgium, 1-day Road Race, 122.3km
UCI 1.2

Although we've had a number of events outside Europe (Qatar, Costa Rica, El Salvador) by this point in the year, as far as many fans are concerned the season hasn't really got going until the European - and specifically in the case of women's cycling Belgian, and in the case of Belgian cycling specifically Flemish - season is underway. The Omloop Het Nieuwsblad took place in February, now the Omloop van het Hageland is the second big Flanders race: the racing season has well and truly begun.

55.3km parcours - click to enlarge

The race, now in its fifth edition, consists of one main section of 55.3km and five laps around a 13.4km circuit for a total of 122.3km, offering all the usual features of a Flemish race - tough and narrow roads, knee-busting climbs, bone-and-bike-breaking cobbles and, because it's early March and this is Flanders, potentially horrible weather. Cycling is a cruel and brutal sport; all its cruelty and brutality can be found in the Flemish races, combining to make for spectacular racing.

Last year, Lizzie Armitstead became the first British rider to win when she completed the parcours in 3h17'49", beating Pauline Ferrand-Prévot by 2" and Elisa Longo-Borghini by 4" while the tough Dutch sprinter Kirsten Wild led a group that came in 43" later. No start list has been published at the time of writing but, having gone on to enjoy enormous success throughout last year, we can expect to see Lizzie going for a second victory if she takes part this year.

As is usually the case, there will be three competitions taking place in the race. The first is the General Classification, for which the winner will be awarded €326 and 40 UCI points, second €217 and 30 points, third €164 and 16 points (4th-8th will receive 12, 10, 8, 7 and 3 points respectively) and the next  17 across the line various sums down to €22 for 16th-20th - rather paltry amounts, reflecting the realities of professional women's cycling. There will also be a GPM or hill climbing competition with hill sprints on Kerkstraat in the 55.3km route and on Roeselberg during the first, second, third and fourth laps of the circuit - the first rider to the top receives 5 points, second 3 points and third 1 point; at the end of the race the rider with the most climbing points wins €75, second €50, third €25. Intermediate sprints will be contested at 55.3km as the riders enter the circuit and then at 68.7km, 82.1km and 95.5km as they begin the second, third and fourth laps. The intermediate sprint points system and prizes are the same as the GPM.

13.4km circuit - click to enlarge

The race starts and ends at Tielt, a town of just under 20,000 people that became a German headquarters during the First World War and suffered heavy Allied bombing as a result - almost all of the buildings, many of which look as though they've stood for hundreds of years, had to be rebuilt after the conflict. It is the birthplace of Gianni Meersman, who currently rides for Omega Pharma-Quickstep, and was once the home of the legendary Flandrien (some say the only Flandrien) Briek Schotte.

Climbs

Kerkstraat

Kerkstraat, beginning 50.7km into the race (highest point: 57.2km), is a mere 697m in length and has an average gradient of 4%, which doesn't sound difficult - even the maximum 10.5%, for approximately 20m starting 300m from the start of the road, isn't particularly hard compared to the insane gradients of Paterberg and the infamous Koppenberg. However, conditions on the road are extremely tricky - there is ample opportunity for an unfortunate rider to lose significant time here.


Kerkstraat View Larger Map

It doesn't look like much at the beginning - just a left turn between a grey barn and some modern red-brick houses, leading through some trees toward the church that gives it its name, and despite the cobbles and a low wall on the right during the first hundred metres or so it's straightforward, though too narrow to allow riders to change position much. Then, suddenly, a hazard: on the left, there's a deep, stone-lined ditch running  right along the side of the road for 45m - unless they're near the back of the peloton, any rider who gets in there is going to have a long wait for the mechanic to get through with the spare bike at best and at worst will be out of the race with fractured bones.

Kerkstraat altimetry profile - click to enlarge

The first bend lies 167m from the start of the road - with stone walls either side, all the riders are squeezed tightly together as they attempt to get round and, just to make matters worse, there are steep banks behind the walls meaning that the road is likely to be covered in a slippery layer of mud after rain. Just around the bend the road becomes narrower and steeper; a ditch now runs along the right side and forms another potentially race-ending trap for any rider that runs out of space and rides into it. More banks on both sides mean more slippery cobbles, and the brambles growing on the banks threaten punctures. 47m after the bend the road opens up to the left but becomes even narrower; a short way ahead, where the hedge starts again on the left, the steepest part begins. There's another bend 437m from the start, not as sharp as the first but tighter due to the narrowness of the road and with more banks; then 84m a right bend as the race leaves the trees behind and heads into a final straight 197m past an orchard where any rider that has managed to stay ahead of the pack and find an advantage might - provided the cobbles aren't too wet - be able to step up her speed and extend it before turning left onto the very welcome smooth asphalt of Driesstraat 51.8km from the start of the race. If she can, that rider will then have a good chance of being first through the intermediate sprint at the beginning of the circuit 3.5km away.

Roeselberg

Located 7.6km into the circuit, Roeselberg is shorter at 200m and, despite being steeper (the average gradient is 7.5%) would be a far less daunting prospect than Kerkstraat due to the wider and smoother road - if the riders didn't have to climb it five times, of course.


Roeselberg View Larger Map

The climb begins from a left turn out of Kriebekestraat; there's a bank on the right for the entire climb (and for 100m after it), but it looks stable and is unlikely to cause slippery conditions unless rain has been exceptionally heavy. As the bank ends, the road becomes Motbroekstraat and there are 4.1km to the beginning of the next lap.

Start List

Not yet available

Weather

More details nearer to the date

Vuelta El Salvador 2013

28.02 - 05.03.2013 Official Site Race Schedules and further details
El Salvador, 7-stage Road Race, 491.2km
UCI 2.1

Stage 5 finishes near to the El Boquerón crater, clearly
seen on the satellite photo

With the Women's Tour Down Under - really a criterium series rather than a stage race like the men's Tour - cancelled this year, we have only three women's stage races from outside Europe before the 2013 season gets into full swing. The first was the Tour of Qatar, won in spectacular style by Argos-Shimano's powerhouse sprinter Kirsten Wild; the second is the Vuelta Femenina a Costa Rica. The third the is the Vuelta El Salvador, and it will not be won by a sprinter.

The El Salvadoran parcours is the absolute opposite of the Qatari route - Qatar is much flatter than the Netherlands and the roads are long and, usually, arrow straight; El Salvador is one of the world's most seismologically active regions, sitting atop two tectonic plates that have created mountains including 22 volcanoes - among them are Izalco, so active until the middle of the 20th Century that it was known as "The Lighthouse of the Pacific," and El Boquerón at San Salvador, which will be climbed in Stage 4.

Stages

1 28.02 LA LIBERTAD - NAHUIZALCO, 95 Km
2 01.03 PASEO DEL CARMEN, SANTA TECLA - CIRCUITO MONSEÑOR ROMERO, SANTA 
TECLA, 11 Km (team time trial)
3 01.03 CIRCUITO MONSEÑOR ROMERO, SANTA TECLA - CAFETALON, 77 Km (criterium)
4 02.03 APOPA – QUEZALTEPEQU 50km
5 03.03 SALVADOR DEL MUNDO - REDONDEL MASFERRER - MULTIPLAZA - ESTADIO FLOR 
BLANCA- REDONDEL OLIMPICO- SALVADOR DEL MUNDO,  53.2 Km
6 04.03 OLOCUILTA - PUENTE DE ORO RETORNO - OLOCUILTA, 115 Km
7 05.03 NUEVA CONCEPCION - NUEVA CALLE LONGITUD DEL NORTE - METAPAN  
SANTA ANA, 90 Km.

Stage Details
Stage 1 95km

Stage 1 - click to enlarge

Most of the riders will have got a taste of the sort of climbing El Salvador has to offer during the Grand Prix de Orient, which took place the day before this stage, but the masseurs had better not pack away their oils just yet because there's plenty more to come - including in this first stage which, following some 70km with only a few small hills (and five tunnels, something that many cyclists detest), ends with a fearsome Category 2 575m ascent in 17km to the finish. That's an average gradient of only around 3.4%, but the climb comes in two sections. Separated by a plateau in between, both are far steeper than the average and there are climbing points on offer at the top.

Stage 1 - click to enlarge

It looks to be a route that will encourage early breakaway attempts, the terrain in the first half, where tunnels carry the riders through headlands that would otherwise have been steep climbs, create a good opportunity for those riders with little chance of contesting the General Classification to get away from the pack, pick up points at the first intermediate sprint and - maybe - even retain a sufficient lead for more at the second intermediate sprint. If this proves to be the case, they'll most likely be caught on the plateau shortly after the first big climb, but it's not impossible that a couple of riders who can keep up a good pace on the flat as well as when climbing could stay out in front - and if that happens, the peloton are going to want to reel them back in as soon as possible, lest they stay away and win the stage.

Stage 2 11km (TTT)

Stage 2 - click to enlarge

Taking place the morning after Stage 1 and prior to the afternoon's Stage 3, Stage 2 is a team time trial - the only time trial in this race, as the organisers have elected to include a criterium stage instead of an individual competition against the clock.

Stage 2 - click to enlarge

It's not a flat parcours, but with total climbing over the 11km no more than 150m it's no knee-breaker. The only point at which riders will need to slow appreciably is at the western end of the course where they make a U-turn to head back the way they came and, as a result, we should see some fast performances - don't expect records to be broken, however; with all the climbing ahead, teams are going to be sending riders they know can get up and over the mountains rather than their out-and-out time trial specialists - there have been climbers who were extremely talented time trial riders, but this race is definitely for the climbing specialists.


Stage 3 77km (criterium)

Stage 3 - click to enlarge

The Stage 3 parcours is immediately familiar, consisting as it does of the same roads that made up the main section of this morning's team time trial. Cutting out the first section heading north reduces the distance to 10km; riders will complete six full laps and one final lap of 7km.

Stage 3 - click to enlarge

Adding a criterium stage seems to be the in-thing at stage races in the western hemisphere these days, with several organisers in the USA and other American nations, north and south, adding them to their events. In Europe, they tend to be stand-alone events, often rather local in nature, and as such can be somewhat overlooked - if you're new to the sport, the format involves a short course, usually in a city centre and raced at high speed. With numerous corners, this leads to a down-and-dirty style of racing with riders fighting hard for good places; not unlike cyclo cross on the road, it's a fantastic spectacle and, as broadcasters are beginning to realise, absolutely ideal for TV. Anything can happen - all it takes is a tiny mistake on a fast corner, allowing a large number of rivals to power past and block off access back to the head of the race, and a rider standing a good chance of overall victory can suddenly lose a huge amount of time in a criterium. The hopefuls know that and are ready to grab what they can. Extra points will be awarded to the first riders to reach the start line at the beginning of laps 2, 4 and 6.

Stage 4 50km

Stage 4 - click to enlarge

After yesterday's time trial and criterium, the Vuelta returns to standard stage race format - albeit it with an unusually short parcours of only 50km. However, only a brief glance at the altimetry profile is required to see that by no definition whatsoever is this an easy route: after a relatively flat 36km, the riders face the Category 1 1,113m ascent of the San Salvador volcano which can clearly be seen in the south of the satellite photo. The average gradient is 7.95%, but it gets steeper 4km before the top with a maximum of 21%.

Stage 4 - click to enlarge

Those first 36km matter little to the eventual outcome of either the stage or the race. There might be a break, aiming to grab the intermediate sprint points 22km into the parcours and perhaps make it to the climb with enough of a lead to stand a chance of making it to the finish line without being left too far behind and failing to make the time cut-off; there might be a battle between the teams to get their climbers to the foot of the volcano before anyone else, ready to point them upwards and light the touchpaper. None of it matters, really, because sometimes tactics will only get you so far - this stage is all about the climber who is strongest on the day.

Stage 5 53.2km (criterium)

Stage 5 - click to enlarge

Another short stage and another criterium, this time following a more typical roughly square format than Stage 3. There are several long, fast, straight sections to allow riders to break away from the peloton, but there are also some tight corners where places can be lost - and where crashes are always possible. Unusually, there's a considerable amount of climbing - with an ascent of around 130m in the first 3km (average gradient approximately 4.3%), riders will climb around 550m over the course of the four 13.3km laps. Extra points will be awarded to the first riders over the start line on the second, third and fourth laps.

Stage 5 - click to enlarge

Stage 6 115km

Stage 6 - click to enlarge

The longest stage of the race, Stage 6 begins with a fast descent of more than 400m from Olocuilta, then begins a small climb to 159m from 18-36km - there's an intermediate sprint at the end of this section. Another descent follows, then from 48km the terrain flattens out all the way to 70km where, having turned back the way it came, it follows a similar route taking in the first climb for a second time, now reaching 204m at 86km. A short but steep 2km descent follows, then the parcours heads gradually downhill to 108km, at which point it arrives back at the foot of the Olocuilta climb and riders have an ascent of 408m to the finish line 7km away. With an average gradient of 5.7%, the first half is considerably steeper than the last; earning it Category 2 status.

Stage 6 - click to enlarge

It's probable that a climber will win again; largely because, as the longest stage, other riders will find the last ascent harder going. However, climbers are frequently not good descenders, lacking the mass and physical strength required to maintain control of the bike on fast descents such as the one at the beginning of the stage, which presents other riders with an opportunity to get ahead. Therefore, teams will need to use some careful tactics and pool their resources, sending chasers out after any breaks that form while also keeping enough riders around their climbers to get them through to the end - and pay close attention to what's happening out in front so that they can respond to changes the moment they happen.

Stage 7 90km

Stage 7 - click to enlarge

Nice easy stage to wind down the race? Not a chance - there are no really big mountains today with the highest point along the parcours being 803m, but there are numerous smaller ones and the total amount of climbing over the 90km is in excess of 1,350m.

The first and biggest climb, Category 2, comes in the 14km immediately after the race begins, rising 477m in 12km with an average gradient of 3.9% and a much steeper section between 6 and 8km, which promises to see the climbers take an early lead. A steep 6km descent follows and ought to even things up a little - however, the "climbers can't descend" rule doesn't always hold true and any that is able to keep up a high speed on the way down will find a massive early advantage here - one that, with all those climbs still to come, could even permit a solo break all the way to the finish. If a General Classification contender managed to pull that one off and if the gaps between the top riders are not too great, this could lead to big changes and even win the race.

Stage 7 - click to enlarge

The next climb begins at 20km and reaches a summit only slightly lower than the first 4km later; as the climb begins at a greater altitude, it's not as long as the first but the gradient is considerably steeper for most of the ascent with an average of around 7.5%. The next 50km is characterised by numerous smaller climbs followed by more descents; if a climber or group of climbers has successfully got away, this section will see a drawn-out game of cat-and-mouse and the climbers extend the gap on the way up and the chasing peloton decreases it on the way down. Where they stand at 80km, when the final climb to 753m begins, will give us some idea of the outcome: if the climbers still have an advantage the race is theirs, but as the last climb flattens out considerably after the first 4km (rated Category 3) it's not impossible that a strong rouleur could stay with them and then have just enough left over for an uphill sprint on the flatter section in the final kilometre. Whether they can do so with enough time to make any difference to the overall standings is another matter entirely.

Jerseys

Red - General Classification leader
Black and gold - Points leader
Dark red and white - Combination leader
Orange with white polka dots - Mountains leader
Light blue and white - Combativity
Grey - leading young rider
Dark blue and white - leading Salvadoran rider

Start List


Brazil
1 FERNANDES Clemilda
2 DA SILVA  Fernanda
3 DE OLIVEIRA Flavia
4 FERNANDES Marcia
5 FERNANDES Uenia
6 FERREIRA Luciene
7
8

Pasta Zara-Geas-Manhattan
11 BORGATO Giada
12 CALLOVI Rossella
13 CILVINAITE Inga
14 GARCIA Evelyn
15 JANELIUNAITE Edita
16 NEBEN Amber
17 PIERCE Amber
18 SILINYTE Agne

Be Pink
21 AMIALIUSIK Alena
22 ALGISI Alice
23 CANTELE Noemi
24 FRAPPORTI Simona
25 MUCCOLI Dalia
26 SCHWEIZER Doris
27 VALSECCHI Silvia
28 ZRIMSEK Petra

Lituania-Gatorade
31 JANKAUSKAITE Milda
32 KUBILIUNAITE Jurgita
33 LATOZAITE Silvija
34 NORVAISAITE Kristina
35 POSKAITE Egle
36 TITENYTE Zavinta
37
38

Bogota-Gatorade
41 GULUMA Wendy
42 ESTRADA Nicole
43 MUNOZ Paola
44 RAMOS Yuleidy
45 ROJAS Gabriela
46 SALCEDO Jannie
47 TOVAR Luz
48 VALLEJOS Karla

Venezuela
51 BRICENO Maria
52 CESAR Jennifer
53 CHACON Lilibeth
54 GARCIA Daniely
55 GONZALEZ Angie
56 MORENO Wilmarys
57
58

Vanderkitten
61 CHILCOTT Kate
62 CUTLER Jessica
63 KUHAJEK Jennie
64 RACHETTO Liza
65 REITHER Jennifer
66 TEDDERGREEN Starla
67 WILLIAMSON Sophie
68 WINDER Ruth

Garrobo Texops
71 ALBERSHARDT Addyson
72 DIAZ Iris
73 ESTRADA Xenia
74 FORTIN Veronique
75 MAJANO Natalia
76 RUZICKOVA Martina
77
78

Iscorp-USA
81 GUIDENS Heylen
82 PANIAGUIA Valentina
83 ROJAS Adriana
84 RUBIANO Marcela
85 SANTOS Patricia
86 TELLADO Marisol
87 VARGAS Lorena
88

Rayvita
91 BERTINE Kathryn
92 CAMACHO Susan
93 CASAS Ana-Teresa
94 CORTES Cristina
95 LOZANO Camila
96 RIOS Julissa
97 ROJAS Fiorella
98 VICENCIO Maria Paz

San Luis
101 ARIAS Andrea
102 GUZMAN Florencia
103 MONSALVO Valentina
104 MAZZOCCA Gisela
105 OLIVERA Lucila
106 SAENZ Silvana
107
108

Colombia-Specialized
111 BUITRAGO Claudia
112 FAGUA Ana
113 GULUMA Serika
114 MORENO Liliana
115 MUNOZ Natalia
116 PENUELA Diana
117 SANABRIA Ana
118 SANABRIA Angie

Costa Rica
121 GUILLEN Edith
122 HERRERA Katherine
123 MARTINEZ Daniela
124 MUNOZ Brenda
125 RUBIANO Marcela
126
127
128