Archiv der Kategorie: Frauenradsport

Ceratizit Madrid Challenge la Vuelta – Etappe 3

Ergebnisse, Etappenrennen, Frauenradsport, , , ,

The Italian rider from Valcar Travel & Service, Elisa Balsamo, won the last stage of the CERATIZIT Challenge 2020 on the circuit of Madrid ahead of Lorena Wiebes (Team Sunweb) and Marta Bastianelli (Alé BTC Ljubljana). Lisa Brennauer (Ceratizit WNT) defended the leader’s red jersey and dominated the overall standings ahead of Elisa Longo Borghini (Trek Segafredo) and Lorena Wiebes.
The riders went full gas with many attacks from the start in the Spanish capital city. Alessia Vigilia (CRONOS Casa Dorada) had to abandon after an unfortunate crash in the first laps. Meanwhile, Lisa Brennauer and Lorena Wiebes were battling the overall victory in the intermediate sprints.

After many breakaway attempts, Elisa Longo Borghini attacked on her own with some 50km to go. She opened a 30’’ gap and managed to hold off the peloton until many teams upped the ante and eventually reel in the Italian star 13km away from the finish.
The pack remained bunched until the final lap. In the sprint, Balsamo made the most of her pure speed to take victory ahead of Wiebes and Bastianelli. Brennauer took the 7th place and her consistent placings in the intermediate sprint granted her both the overall victory and the points classification. “It was a tough fight today, but I found that the harder the race became, the best was for me”, Brennauer said, highlighting the “awesome job” of her teammates to repeat her success from 2019 as the overall winner of the CERATIZIT Challenge.

Madrid – Madrid (100 km)
1 ELISA BALSAMO (VALCAR – TRAVEL & SERVICE) 2:16:49
2 LORENA WIEBES (TEAM SUNWEB) 0:00:00
3 MARTA BASTIANELLI (ALE‘ BTC LJUBLJANA) 0:00:00
4 CHIARA CONSONNI (VALCAR – TRAVEL & SERVICE) 0:00:00
5 SILVIA ZANARDI (BEPINK) 0:00:00
6 BARBARA GUARISCHI (MOVISTAR TEAM WOMEN) 0:00:00
7 LISA BRENNAUER (CERATIZIT – WNT PRO CYCLING TEAM) 0:00:00
8 SANDRA ALONSO DOMINGUEZ (CRONOS – CASA DORADA WOMEN CYCLING) 0:00:00
9 JELENA ERIC (MOVISTAR TEAM WOMEN) 0:00:00
10 ELISA LONGO BORGHINI (TREK – SEGAFREDO) 0:00:00

Endstand Gesamtwertung
1 LISA BRENNAUER (CERATIZIT – WNT PRO CYCLING TEAM) 4:29:21
2 ELISA LONGO BORGHINI (TREK – SEGAFREDO) 0:00:12
3 LORENA WIEBES (TEAM SUNWEB) 0:00:13
4 ELLEN VAN DIJK (TREK – SEGAFREDO) 0:00:31
5 LEAH KIRCHMANN (TEAM SUNWEB) 0:00:42
6 ANNEMIEK VAN VLEUTEN (MITCHELTON SCOTT) 0:00:44
7 SARAH ROY (MITCHELTON SCOTT) 0:00:46
8 MAAIKE BOOGAARD (ALE‘ BTC LJUBLJANA) 0:00:52
9 ALICE BARNES (CANYON // SRAM RACING) 0:00:52
10 MIEKE KRÖGER (HITEC PRODUCTS – BIRK SPORT) 0:00:57

Ceratizit Madrid Challenge la Vuelta – Etappe 2

Ergebnisse, Etappenrennen, Frauenradsport, , , , ,


Foto: Gerhard Plomitzer

The German leader of Ceratizit-WNT won stage 2 of the CERATIZIT Challenge by La Vuelta 2020, an individual time-trial of 9.3km in Boadilla del Monte, to also take the red leader’s jersey. Brennauer already dominated the time-trial in the 2019 edition and battled her way to the overall victory during the final stage in Madrid.
She recorded a time of 12’40’’43, one second faster than Trek-Segafredo’s Italian star Elisa Longo Borghini. Another Trek rider finished third, the Dutchwoman Ellen Van Dijk (+4’’).
The rain played a significant part in the stage as Brennauer highlighted in her post-race comments: “I had to ride conservatively at the beginning and maybe I lost a few seconds. When I was able to go faster, I gave it all until the finish line.”
Her performance sees her move to the overall leadership with a 10’’ gap to Elisa Longo Borghini. “The team and myself will prepare a good strategy for tomorrow”, Brennauer said. “I can feel the pressure but not in a negative way.”
Lorena Wiebes (Sunweb) still leads the points classification ahead of the final stage in Madrid.

Boadilla del Monte – Boadilla del Monte (9,3 km)
1 LISA BRENNAUER (CERATIZIT – WNT PRO CYCLING TEAM) 0:12:40
2 ELISA LONGO BORGHINI (TREK – SEGAFREDO) 0:00:01
3 ELLEN VAN DIJK (TREK – SEGAFREDO) 0:00:04
4 ANNEMIEK VAN VLEUTEN (MITCHELTON SCOTT) 0:00:08
5 LEAH KIRCHMANN (TEAM SUNWEB) 0:00:14
6 SARAH ROY (MITCHELTON SCOTT) 0:00:18
7 MIEKE KRÖGER (HITEC PRODUCTS – BIRK SPORT) 0:00:21
8 ALICE BARNES (CANYON // SRAM RACING) 0:00:25
9 MAAIKE BOOGAARD (ALE‘ BTC LJUBLJANA) 0:00:26
10 HANNAH LUDWIG (CANYON // SRAM RACING) 0:00:28
11 LORENA WIEBES (TEAM SUNWEB) 0:00:28
12 VITA HEINE (HITEC PRODUCTS – BIRK SPORT) 0:00:31
13 MARTA CAVALLI (VALCAR – TRAVEL & SERVICE) 0:00:33
14 GEORGIA WILLIAMS (MITCHELTON SCOTT) 0:00:33
15 LIANE LIPPERT (TEAM SUNWEB) 0:00:35

Gesamtwertung
1 LISA BRENNAUER (CERATIZIT – WNT PRO CYCLING TEAM) 2:12:51
2 ELISA LONGO BORGHINI (TREK – SEGAFREDO) 0:00:10
3 ELLEN VAN DIJK (TREK – SEGAFREDO) 0:00:13
4 ANNEMIEK VAN VLEUTEN (MITCHELTON SCOTT) 0:00:17
5 LORENA WIEBES (TEAM SUNWEB) 0:00:18
6 LEAH KIRCHMANN (TEAM SUNWEB) 0:00:23
7 SARAH ROY (MITCHELTON SCOTT) 0:00:27
8 MIEKE KRÖGER (HITEC PRODUCTS – BIRK SPORT) 0:00:30
9 ALICE BARNES (CANYON // SRAM RACING) 0:00:33
10 MAAIKE BOOGAARD (ALE‘ BTC LJUBLJANA) 0:00:35
11 HANNAH LUDWIG (CANYON // SRAM RACING) 0:00:37
12 VITA HEINE (HITEC PRODUCTS – BIRK SPORT) 0:00:40
13 MARTA CAVALLI (VALCAR – TRAVEL & SERVICE) 0:00:42
14 GEORGIA WILLIAMS (MITCHELTON SCOTT) 0:00:42
15 LIANE LIPPERT (TEAM SUNWEB) 0:00:44

Ceratizit Madrid Challenge la Vuelta – Etappe 1

Ergebnisse, Etappenrennen, Frauenradsport, , , , ,

Toledo – Escalona (83 km) 1. Etappe und Gesamtwertung:
1 LORENA WIEBES (TEAM SUNWEB) 2:00:16
2 ELISA BALSAMO (VALCAR – TRAVEL & SERVICE) 0:00:00
3 LISA BRENNAUER (CERATIZIT – WNT PRO CYCLING TEAM) 0:00:00
4 JELENA ERIC (MOVISTAR TEAM WOMEN) 0:00:00
5 ALICE BARNES (CANYON // SRAM RACING) 0:00:03
6 SILVIA ZANARDI (BEPINK) 0:00:04
7 ALEXIS RYAN (CANYON // SRAM RACING) 0:00:04
8 LAURA ASENCIO (CERATIZIT – WNT PRO CYCLING TEAM) 0:00:04
9 VITTORIA GUAZZINI (VALCAR – TRAVEL & SERVICE) 0:00:04
10 SARAH ROY (MITCHELTON SCOTT) 0:00:04
11 ELLEN VAN DIJK (TREK – SEGAFREDO) 0:00:04
12 LETIZIA PATERNOSTER (TREK – SEGAFREDO) 0:00:04
13 ANNEMIEK VAN VLEUTEN (MITCHELTON SCOTT) 0:00:04
14 LUCY VAN DER HAAR (HITEC PRODUCTS – BIRK SPORT) 0:00:04
15 ELISA LONGO BORGHINI (TREK – SEGAFREDO) 0:00:04

Lorena Wiebes (Team Sunweb) dominated the uphill sprint in Escalona to win stage 1 of the CERATIZIT Challenge by La Vuelta in Escalona.

The race starts from Toledo with strong crosswinds and headwinds set to have a strong impact on the race. Mireia Benito (Massi Tactic) is the first attacker to get away from the bunch.
The gap never gets higher than 40 seconds. The race is stopped for a few minutes after a mistake in the route directions. A new start is given with the same gap between Benito and the peloton.
Mitchelton-Scott pull the bunch to get back to the Spanish attacker a few kilometres later. Then Movistar, Sunweb, Canyon and Trek take the front positions to set a hard pace en route to the finish.
The stage was set for the punchiest riders to battle it out in the final kilometre, with an uphill sprint won by Lorena Wiebes (Sunweb). The Dutch star managed to gain a few metres to take the win ahead of Elisa Balsamo (Valcar – Travel & Service) and Lisa Brennauer (Ceratizit – WNT).
“It was a really fast start, we had tailwind and then we hit more crosswinds. It was a lot of speed today and it was a nice day on the bike with some hard moments, specially this really hard finish. I was not in the perfect position into the last corner but the team did an amazing job to be there”, Wiebes said. “I will do my best”, she said ahead of Saturday’s time-trial in Boadilla del Monte.

CERATIZIT CHALLENGE BY LA VUELTA 20

Etappenrennen, Frauenradsport, , , ,

Key points :

• 87 riders are gathering in the province of Toledo to kick-off the Ceratizit Challenge by La Vuelta 20 with an unprecedented 3-day format.
• Winner of the 2019 edition, Lisa Brennauer returns to Spain with the clear intention of fighting her way to a second consecutive victory in the last event of the 2020 UCI Women’s WorldTour.
• Among the many stars expected to fight for glory en route to Madrid, Annemiek van Vleuten is riding for the last time with Mitchelton-Scott as she’ll ride for the Spanish Movistar Team next season.

THE STAGE IS SET FOR THE FINAL BATTLES OF THE 2020 UCI WWT

87 riders from 16 teams have arrived in Toledo, where they’ll start on Friday the 11th and final event of the 2020 UCI Women’s WorldTour. The peloton feature six World Teams, including the Trek-Segafredo powerhouse. Lizzie Deignan, who is set to win the overall standings after her victories in the GP de Plouay, La Course by Le Tour de France and Liège-Bastogne-Liège, won’t be there but her partner Elisa Longo Borghini can threaten Anna van der Breggen’s place of second in the overall standings. Lisa Breannauer (Ceratizit-WNT) can also make her way inside the top 3 of the 2020 UCI WWT if she repeats her successes from last year’s edition. Liane Lippert, winner of the first event of the season, the Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race, is here to defend her lead in the Youth standings.

LISA BRENNAUER : «I REALLY EXPECT A TOUGH FIGHT ALL THE WAY TO THE END »
Last year, Germany’s Lisa Brennauer took the lead by winning the time trial and defended her advantage over Lucinda Brand throughout the intermediate sprints on the circuit of Madrid to become the fifth winner after Shelley Olds, Jolien D’Hoore on two consecutive editions and Ellen van Dijk. The defending champion is back. “I’m really looking forward to finishing my season with the CERATIZIT Challenge”, she informed. “This year, it’s gonna be three stages. The first one looks pretty challenging with a hilly route and we can expect a lot of action there. Then going into a time trial, it’s always special but it’s a short time trial only, so I believe the time gaps are not gonna change that much but then on the last day, probably there’s gonna be a lot of bonus sprints again, where you can gain or lose a lots of seconds, so I really expect a tough fight all the way to the final.“

ANNEMIEK VAN VLEUTEN AT THE END OF THE ROAD WITH MITCHELTON-SCOTT
Before moving to Movistar Team, former world champion and current European champion Annemiek van Vleuten will have one last taste of Spanish racing under the banner of Mitchelton-Scott. “I’m looking forward to finishing off this season with the team on a high after my five years with them”, she said. “That will not be achieved by just results, but more when we work together as a team and go for a plan together. The uphill finish on stage one is not really a long uphill, but for sure I would love to give it a go there! The short TT will be challenging. Also, I look forward to the last stage where we will work together in the lead-out for Sarah Roy, and after I am going to cry because then I will realise my time with this amazing team and people has come to an end!”

SARA MARTÍN, THE SPANISH HOPE
Six Spanish teams will take part in the CERATIZIT Challenge by La Vuelta 20. One of them belongs to the UCI Women’s WorldTour: Movistar Team. The other five are from the Continental ranks: Bizkaia-Durango, Cronos-Casa Dorada Women Cycling, Massi Tactic Women Team, Rio Miera-Cantabria Deporte and Sopela Women’s Team. Sara Martin (born in 1999 at Aranda de Duero, province of Burgos) is part of the latter. She’s one of the big hopes of Spanish cycling. Her first international performance was precisely in this same event back in 2018. “This was my first year in the u23 category and I took part in the breakaway on La Castellana”, she said with a smile. “I suffered a lot but but I managed to get a good position. I even attacked in the final kilometers looking to surprise.
I had nothing to lose and a lot to gain.” According to Martin, the inaugural stage from Toledo will bring a new dimension to the event. “It will give life and it will enable the race to be recognised as a true stage race”, added the u23 Spanish champion for road racing and time trial. This will be her last race with Sopela, the team she joined for two years as a junior and three as an u23, before moving to Movistar Team in order to discover the top international level. “I’m extremely grateful to this team that has supported me tremendously in my development. I want to enjoy my last race with their colours and my team-mates from always.”

Frauen: DRIEDAAGSE BRUGGE – DE PANNE 2020

Eintagsrennen, Ergebnisse, Frauenradsport, ,

Brugge – De Panne (156km)
1 WIEBES Lorena (NED) TEAM SUNWEB 3:39:43
2 BRENNAUER Lisa ( GER ) CERATIZIT – WNT PRO CYCLING TEAM 0:00:00
3 KOPECKY Lotte (BEL) LOTTO SOUDAL LADIES 0:00:00
4 ROY Sarah (AUS) MITCHELTON – SCOTT 0:00:00
5 BERTIZZOLO Sofia (ITA) CCC – LIV 0:00:00
6 BARNES Alice (GBR) CANYON / /SRAM RACING 0:00:00
7 LONGO BORGHINI Elisa (ITA) TREK – SEGAFREDO 0:00:00
8 VAN DIJK Ellen (NED) TREK – SEGAFREDO 0:00:00
9 JACKSON Alison (CAN) TEAM SUNWEB 0:00:00
10 DUVAL Eugénie (FRA) FDJ NOUVELLE – AQUITAINE FUTUROSCOPE 0:00:00
11 KASPER Romy ( GER ) PARKHOTEL VALKENBURG 0:00:00
12 UNEKEN Lonneke (NED) BOELS DOLMANS CYCLINGTEAM 0:00:00
13 COPPONI Clara (FRA) FDJ NOUVELLE – AQUITAINE FUTUROSCOPE 0:00:00
14 PIETERS Amy (NED) BOELS DOLMANS CYCLINGTEAM 0:00:00
15 BALSAMO Elisa (ITA) VALCAR – TRAVEL & SERVICE 0:00:00

GENT – WEVELGEM 2020

Eintagsrennen, Ergebnisse, Frauenradsport, Frühjahrskassiker, Weltcup und Klassiker, , ,

Ieper – Wevelgem (232,5 km)
1 Mads Pedersen (Trek)
2 Florian Sénéchal (Deceuninck)
3 Matteo Trentin (CCC)
4 Alberto Bettiol (EF)
5 Stefan Küng (Groupama)
6 John Degenkolb (Lotto)
7 Yves Lampaert (Deceuninck)
8 Wout Van Aert (Jumbo)
9 Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin)
10 Dylan Teuns (Bahrain)
11 Kasper Asgreen (Deceuninck)
12 Luke Rowe (Ineos)

BORA – hansgrohe glücklos bei Gent-Wevelgem
Mit Gent-Wevelgem startet heute die verkürzte Saison der Kopfsteinpflaster-Klassiker. Die Strecke von Ieper nach Welgem führte über 233 Kilometer, wobei auch einige Hellingen zu bewältigen waren. In einer ersten, schnellen Rennstunde setzten sich zuerst sieben Fahrer vom Feld ab und konnten einen Vorsprung von bis zu acht Minuten herausfahren. Im Feld arbeiteten einige Teams, darunter auch BORA – hansgrohe für Pascal Ackermann, einen der Mitfavoriten. Regen und starker Wind machte das Rennen heute extrem schwer und hektisch. Immer wieder kam es zu Stürzen und Lukas Pöstlberger musste leider nach rund 100 km aufgeben. Auch Pascal Ackermann hatte heute kein Glück. Im ersten Anstieg zum Kemelberg hatte er einen Schaltungsdefekt und musste das Rad wechseln. Da die Begleitfahrzeuge am Kemelberg dem Feld aber nicht folgen dürfen, verlor Pascal wertvolle Zeit. Mit der Hilfe von M. Schwarzmann und A. Schillinger versuchte Ackermann noch einmal aufzuschließen, musste aber wenig später erneut das Rad wechseln und war damit aus dem Rennen. Bereits 70 Kilometer vor dem Ziel teilte sich das Feld mehrmals. Zuerst war Jempy Drucker Teil einer etwa 30 Mann Verfolgergruppe, die wenig später zur Spitze des Rennens aufschließen konnte. Nach einer neuerlichen Attacke teilte sich auch das Feld im zweiten Anstieg zum Kemelberg. Leider verpasste BORA – hansgrohe diese entscheidende Gruppe und als an der Spitze das Rennen zusammenlief, fand sich Jempy erneut in der ersten größeren Verfolgergruppe zusammen mit Marcus Burghardt wieder. Am Ende holte M. Pedersen den Sieg, während sich Jempy Drucker noch einmal mit einer Gruppe vom Feld absetzen konnte und das Rennen auf Rang XX beendete.
Reaktionen im Ziel
„Es war brutal heute da draußen. Das Rennen war extrem schnell, aber auch sehr gefährlich. Es gab unzählige Stürze und leider waren da auch ein paar unserer Jungs dabei. Ich habe mich eigentlich ganz gut gefühlt und wollte am Ende vorne dabei sein. Als sich das Feld zum ersten Mal geteilt hat, war ich vorne dabei. Aber danach, als Van Aert am Kemelberg attackierte, war ich nicht gut genug positioniert. Dann gab es keine Chance mehr zurückzukommen, da alle Teams Fahrer vorne hatten. Am Ende nicht das Ergebnis, das ich erhofft hatte, aber zumindest waren meine Beine gut. Das stimmt mich zuversichtlich.“ – Jempy Drucker

„Das ist heute nicht gelaufen, wie wir gehofft hatten. Unser Plan war mit Pascal im Finale noch dabei zu sein, doch das Rennen war heute durch den Wind extrem hart und hektisch. Wir hatten wirklich kein Glück, es gab immer wieder Stürze und Lukas musste leider aufgeben. Pascal hat zwei Mal das Rad wechseln müssen und war daher chancenlos. Wir haben dann versucht, mit Jempy auf Ergebnis zu fahren, allerdings hatte er nicht die nötige Position, um am Kemelberg die entscheidende Attacke mit zu gehen. Danach war das Rennen gelaufen und wir konnten nur noch um die Platzierungen fahren.“ – Steffen Radochla, sportlicher Leiter

Frauen: GENT – WEVELGEM 2020
1 Jolien D’Hoore (Boels)
2 Lotte Kopecky (Lotto)
3 Lisa Brennauer (Ceratizit)
4 Sarah Roy (Mitchelton)
5 Marta Cavalli (Valcar)
6 Lauren Stephens (Tibco)
7 Demi Vollering (Parkhotel)
8 Lizzie Deignan (Trek)
9 Amy Pieters (Boels)
10 Elisa Longo Borghini (Trek)

Brabantse Pijl – BEL – Women – 1.1 – 121,9 Km

Eintagsrennen, Ergebnisse, Frauenradsport, Weltcup und Klassiker, ,

1 BROWN Grace AUS MITCHELTON – SCOTT 03:03:38 39,83
2 LIPPERT Liane GER TEAM SUNWEB 00:47
3 MACKAIJ Floortje NED TEAM SUNWEB 00:51
4 KOPECKY Lotte BEL LOTTO SOUDAL LADIES 01:19
5 FAHLIN Emilia SWE FDJ NOUVELLE – AQUITAINE FUTUROSCOPE 01:19
6 LELEIVYTE Rasa LTU AROMITALIA – BASSO BIKES – VAIANO 01:19
7 CONFALONIERI Maria Giulia ITA CERATIZIT – WNT PRO CYCLING TEAM 01:19
8 RAGUSA Katia ITA ASTANA WOMEN’S TEAM 01:19
9 GARCIA CAÑELLAS Margarita Victo ESP ALE‘ BTC LJUBLJANA 01:19
10 STEPHENS Lauren USA TEAM TIBCO – SILICON VALLEY BANK 01:19


Foto: Gerhard Plomitzer

LIÈGE – BASTOGNE – LIÈGE FEMMES 2020

Eintagsrennen, Ergebnisse, Frauenradsport, Weltcup und Klassiker, , ,

Bastogne – Liège (135,0 km / 2100 hm)
1 DEIGNAN Elizabeth (GBR) TREK – SEGAFREDO 3:29:48
2 BROWN Grace (AUS) MITCHELTON – SCOTT 0:00:09
3 VAN DIJK Ellen (NED) TREK – SEGAFREDO 0:02:19
4 VOS Marianne (NED) CCC – LIV 0:02:19
5 PIETERS Amy (NED) BOELS DOLMANS CYCLINGTEAM 0:02:19
6 BARNES Hannah (GBR) CANYON / /SRAM RACING 0:02:21
7 REUSSER Marlen (SUI) EQUIPE PAULE KA 0:02:21
8 LABOUS Juliette (FRA) TEAM SUNWEB 0:02:21
9 AALERUD Katrine (NOR) MOVISTAR TEAM WOMEN 0:02:26
10 LIPPERT Liane (GER) TEAM SUNWEB 0:03:27

October 4 th 2020 – 13:01

At the end of a tremendous show of courage in the difficult conditions of the rainy Ardennes, Lizzie Deignan claimed Liege-Bastogne-Liege for the first time of her career. The Brit powered away on the Cote de la Redoute never to be caught despite the strong counter-attack of Grace Brown. She wins this 4th edition of the race ahead of Brown and Ellen Van Dijk. Thanks to her success, the Trek-Segafredo rider takes command of the UCI Women’s World Tour again.
Five months after its initial date, the weather conditions were just as cold for the ladies of the 4th edition of Liège-Bastogne-Liège women. Cold temperatures and rain as the 136 riders took off on the 135-km course from Bastogne to Liège. In these difficult conditions and with a strong tailwind, the pack remained bunched.
Hard to take off and power away from a pack well under the control of teams Sunweb, Trek-Segafredo and Boels-Dolmans. A first decisive move eventually came on the first climb of the day, the Cote de Wanne (km 56.5) when seven riders pulled away: Peters (Boels-Dolmans Cycling Team), Labous (Team Sunweb), Barnes (Canyon Sram), Van Dijk (Trek Segafredo), Vos (CCC Liv), Reusser (Paule Ka) and Stephens (Team Tibco – Silicon Valley Bank).
On the following climb, while Stephens was dropped, two others very interesting riders joined the front group: Deignan (Trek Segafredo) and Aalerud (Movistar Team). The advantage of the front 8 reached 32” at the top of the Cote de la Haute Levée.
That gap carried on growing despite the efforts of teams Mitchelton-Scott and FDJ-Nouvelle Aquitaine Futuroscope at the front of the chasing bunch of around 40 riders. On the climb up the Côte de la Vecquée, Grace Brown (Mitchelton-Scott) managed to take off and eventually joined the escapees before the top where the gap had reached 1’20’’.
Among the seven former UCI road World champions present on the race, Lizzie Deignan was the first to give it a go as she powered away on the climb up the Côte de la Redoute. The Brit reached the summit with a 20” advantage over her former group and 1’30” over the pack.

Deignan saw her lead grow to 52” on her closest rivals and 2’20” on the pack with 20kms to go. On the final climb up La Roche aux Faucons, Grace Brown decided to take off on a counter-attack. At the summit, the Australian was only 35” adrift. While the pack of favourites including Van der Breggen and Van Vleuten failed to move any closer, a fantastic battle started between Deignan and Brown on the last 13kms to the finish in Liège.
With 5kms to go, Deignan could still enjoy a slim 10” lead over Brown. She eventually managed to remain clear all the way to the line, clinching Liège-Bastogne-Liège for the very first time. Deignan wins with a 9” advantage over Brown and 2’19” over third placed rider Ellen Van Dijk (Trek Segafredo). Deignan, thanks to her success, moves back into first position of the UCI Women’s World Tour.
@ASO

LIÈGE-BASTOGNE-LIÈGE 2020: INFO WITH ONE DAY TO GO

Eintagsrennen, Frauenradsport, Frühjahrskassiker, Strassenrennen, Vorschau, Weltcup und Klassiker, ,

Key information:
 On the eve of Liège-Bastogne-Liège, all eyes are set on Julian Alaphilippe. The Frenchman is the main favourite for victory on his maiden race with the rainbow jersey – even more so after Alejandro Valverde’s last-minute withdrawal.
 There is a very long list of outsiders. Those who were up there already in Flèche Wallonne, such as Marc Hirschi, Benoît Cosnefroy, Michael Woods or Michal Kwiatkowski, are obvious names. And then there are those who have travelled to Belgium just for this event – such as Chris Froome, Primoz Roglic or Adam Yates.
 A surprise, late addition to a startlist already packed with talent is Mathieu Van der Poel. Right after winning the BinckBank Tour this very Saturday, the Alpecin-Fenix team confirmed the Dutch rider will take part in La Doyenne.
 The fourth edition of the Women’s Liège-Bastogne-Liège will be held hours before the men’s event, and pretty much on the same roads. Dutch duo Anna van der Breggen and Annemiek van Vleuten are the main favourites for victory on a race that will be broadcasted live across 190 countries.

WILL THE ROCHE-AUX-FAUCONS BE DECIDING AGAIN?
Last year, Liège-Bastogne-Liège went back to holding its finish line in the centre of the Ardennes city after 27 straight years ending with an uphill finish on its suburb Ans. Jakob Fuglsang took advantage of this set-up already in 2019, when he accelerated with 16 kilometres to go, up the Côte de la Roche-aux-Faucons, to later launch his winning attack at its small, follow-up hill, the Côte de Boncelles. “It’s the change we were hoping for,” says route designer Jean-Michel Monin. “In previous years, riders waited until the eleventh hour at the Côte de Saint-Nicolas, 5 kilometres from the finish, to try and break away. The Roche-aux-Faucons is the key climb now, and that forces the favourites to attack earlier and provides for a more exciting finale. This year we can picture an outcome similar to 2019, although I only see one guy capable of pulling out such exploit: that’s Julian Alaphilippe, and only if he is in the same shape he was in Imola. In any case, the 90 final kilometres are very demanding and we can expect a very reduced group to contend for victory in the closing stages of the race.”

ALAPHILIPPE’S RAINBOW SPELL TO BEGIN IN LIÈGE
Last Sunday, Julian Alaphilippe crowned himself UCI World Champion in Imola. Showcasing his recently attained rainbow jersey for the first time, the Deceuninck-Quick Step rider will try to finally net victory at Liège-Bastogne-Liège after placing 2nd in 2015 and 4th in 2018. Given his current shape and his knowledge of the event, he will be the man to watch – a favourite role reinforced by the last-minute absence of four-time winner Alejandro Valverde. “I’m very happy to honour the rainbow jersey by wearing it for the first time on a race such as La Doyenne,” said Alaphilippe on a virtual press conference. “It’s one of the races I’ve long dreamt of winning, and this is a new chance for it.” It’s not usual for the rainbow jersey to triumph in this race, though. Only 5 out of the 105 editions of Liège-Bastogne-Liège ended with the rainbow jersey raising his arms, with wins by: Ferdi Kübler, in 1952; Rick Van Looy, in 1961; Eddy Merckx, both in 1972 and 1975; and Moreno Argentin in 1987.

HIRSCHI FOR THE DOUBLE
Already victor at Wednesday’s Flèche Wallonne, Marc Hirschi is going to try and double-up his Ardennes Classic winning tally this Sunday at Liège-Bastogne-Liège. “We knew he had a big potential, but lately everything seems to be falling into place for him,” says his DS at Team Sunweb, Michiel Elijzen. “Tomorrow it will be a more difficult race to win, though, because there are way more cards and scenarios to play. It’s a longer, more challenging route, and the quality of the field is higher. The weather will play a part, too, as the headwind will make for a slow pace at the beginning, when heading south. Another big factor for the outcome is that no one will want to be a on a breakaway group with Julian Alaphilippe or Marc Hirschi. Deceuninck-Quick Step has multiple riders capable of winning, and we have a good back-up option in Tiesj Benoot. Anyways, it’s hard to predict how the race will pan out.”

BENOÎT COSNEFROY: “IT WILL BE ABOUT WHO PLAYS TACTICS BETTER”
After his aggressive performance in the Tour de France, the runner-up position at Flèche Wallonne went to confirm Benoît Cosnefroy’s prospects as one of the names to follow in professional cycling. Speaking to letour.fr ahead of Liège-Bastogne-Liège, the French rider explained: “I love the Classics. It’s the races that suit better my nature and my qualities as a rider. I knew I was capable of getting a result [atop the Mur de Huy], but I needed to actually deliver it.” Well aware of his potential, the AG2R La Mondiale rider will try to make the most out of it in La Doyenne. “I really like Liège because tactics and strategy are a bigger factor than in Flèche. The Roche-aux-Faucons definitely is the climax. I need to be amongst the top four or six riders at its summit. Right after comes the downhill and the flat terrain on the way to Liège, on which it will be about who plays tactics better. Although if Julian Alaphilippe puts the same attack he did last Sunday in Imola, it will be difficult to beat him…”

ROGLIC STARTS OVER
After the disappointing, heart-breaking ending of his Tour de France, Primoz Roglic has cleared his mind and is bound to start a campaign to defend his championship at La Vuelta. The first stop will be his maiden appearance at Liège-Bastogne-Liège. A stage-race man, Roglic found out the joy of one-day racing last autumn in Italy, where he won both the Giro dell’Emilia and the Tre Valle Varesine. His DS Franz Maassen considers we may see him shine tomorrow in Liège, along with his Team Jumbo Visma teammate Tom Dumoulin. “Primoz [Roglic] has the morale and the willingness to race a Monument. The length of the race may suit him. We are sure the Côte de la Redoute will be a key point, but the defining climb will be the Roche-aux-Faucons. Tom [Dumoulin] felt a bit tired at Flèche Wallonne, but it is entirely possible for him to surprise everybody tomorrow.”

POGACAR STILL IN THE MIX
UAE Team Emirates was one of the most relevant outfits at Wednesday’s Flèche Wallonne. “We did a great job, indeed – the best we could,” asserts DS Neil Stephens. In the final lap, both Sergio Henao and Rui Costa attacked to set-up a hard course in the benefit of their leader Tadej Pogacar, who could only deliver a 9th place atop the Mur de Huy. “We have to be realistic about Tadej,” Stephens explains. “The Tour de France was obviously very demanding for him, and he hasn’t recovered from it yet for a number of reason. Even if he wanted to perform in Flèche Wallonne and was in the right mindset to do so, he couldn’t do better than 9th. And it’s the same situation for tomorrow. Liège is one of the most beautiful Classics of the year. We have good cards to play, with several very good riders who are perfectly able to crack a top10 but for whom a victory is a tough ask. We expect the race to be decided at the Roche-aux-Faucons. The winner will go clear there – be it solo or in a group.”

FROOME + KWIATO = DOUBLE THREAT FROM INEOS GRENADIERS
It won’t be a first, because he has already participated six times in Liège with the 36th position achieved in 2013 as his best result – but it will be a last. Liège-Bastogne-Liège will be Chris Froome’s final one-day race with Ineos Grenadiers. The four-times winner of the Tour de France will play a domestique role, working for his teammate (and loyal domestique) Michal Kwiatkowski, who has stood twice at the podium of La Doyenne (3rd in both 2014 and 2017). But Ineos Greandiers’ DS, Brett Lancaster, doesn’t rule out the possibility of seeing Froome on a different note. “Chris [Froome] has worked very well over the last few weeks in Andorra and is in very good shape. He is set to work for Michal [Kwiatkowski], but he might be on the offensive if any dangerous break goes early. It’s true Michal is very focused on this Classics campaign. We’ve been discussing it for three months already and he is determined to race all the way to Paris-Roubaix.”

VAN DER BREGGEN AND VAN VLEUTEN SPEARHEAD WOMEN’S LIÈGE
Despite the long tradition of the men’s event, the Women’s Liège-Bastogne-Liège is still a relatively young race with only three editions on its record books. The two marquee names of the female peloton in this decade have so far been dominant in this Classic, with two victories under Anna van der Breggen’s name (2017 and 2018) and one under Annemiek van Vleuten’s (2019). Both Dutch cyclists will take part on this 2020 edition with their respective teams Boels Dolmans Cycling Team and Mitchelton Scott, spearheading a field with contenders such as Great Britain’s Lizzie Deignan (Trek Segafredo), Poland’s Kasia Niewiadoma (Canyon // SRAM Racing), Netherlands’ Marianne Vos (CCC Team) or Flèche Wallonne’s runner-ups to Van der Breggen, Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig (FDJ Nouvelle-Aquitaine Futuroscope) and Demi Völlering (Parkhotel Valkenburg). The 134-kilometre long route from Bastogne to Liège features five climbs, with the Côte de la Haute-Levée as main addition for this year, and the Côte de la Redoute and the Côte de la Roche-aux-Faucons as final challenges before the rolling run-in to Liège. As happened at last Wednesday’s Flèche Wallonne, the Women’s Liège Bastogne-Liège will be broadcasted live across 190 countries via 20 TV channels thanks to a 90-minute coverage provided by host broadcaster RTBF.
@ASO

PARIS–ROUBAIX FEMMES: A RITE OF PASSAGE ON THE COBBLESTONES

Eintagsrennen, Frauenradsport, Frühjahrskassiker, Vorschau, Weltcup und Klassiker, ,

PARIS–ROUBAIX FEMMES:
A RITE OF PASSAGE ON THE COBBLESTONES

Key points:
 The inaugural edition of the Women’s Paris–Roubaix will be held ahead of the men’s race on Sunday 25 October. The peloton will roll out from Denain at 9:10 am and tackle a 116 km course featuring 29,2 kilometres of cobblestones divided in 17 sectors.
 A provisional live broadcast of the Paris Roubaix Femmes on both general interest channels with large audiences and on sports-dedicated channels in almost 130 territories on 5 continents.
 24 teams representing the world cycling elite have been invited to be part of this momentous event.

Their time has come. The world’s top female cyclists have long watched their male counterparts do battle and get rattled on the cobbled sectors of Paris–Roubaix with a mix of jealousy and awe. Now, their first foray into the Hell of the North is approaching fast. The town of Denain, in the Nord department, will host the start of the race. The „fun“ starts after 20-odd kilometres, especially when the riders get to Hornaing, where the courses of the two races converge. At that point, 86 kilometres and two sectors with the maximum difficulty rating will stand between them and glory: Mons-en-Pévèle and the Carrefour de l’Arbre, which have witnessed numerous make-or-break moments for cobble-gobblers over the generations. This year, the ladies will also know how it feels to go head to head on such hellish terrain, which only makes the entrance to Roubaix Velodrome that much sweeter.

Committed Partners
Already a major partner in men’s racing, the Hauts-de-France region is, with its newest collaboration, showing how strongly committed it is to cycling, the cobbles and to the „Reine des Classiques“.
FDJ, who have just renewed their partnership with the „La Course By Le Tour de France avec FDJ“, reinforce their presence in women’s cycling by becoming the official partner of the new race. This partnership has been created as a part of the „Sport pour elles“ program, launched by FDJ in 2016. FDJ-Nouvelle-Aquitaine-Futuroscope cycling team of which it is the major partner will be at the start of this first Paris-Roubaix women.
Amaury Sport Organisation is glad to be able to count on all of the partners of the men’s event for their growing support for the first edition of Paris-Roubaix Women.

Teams selection
In accordance with the Union Cycliste International’s regulations, the eight women’s UCI World Teams automatically entered are:

ALE‘ BTC LJUBLJANA (ITA)
CANYON / /SRAM RACING (GER)
CCC – LIV (POL)
FDJ NOUVELLE – AQUITAINE FUTUROSCOPE (FRA)
MITCHELTON SCOTT (AUS)
MOVISTAR TEAM WOMEN (ESP)
TEAM SUNWEB (GER)
TREK – SEGAFREDO (USA)

As well as the eight teams already selected, the organisers have extended invitations to the following fifteen teams:

AROMITALIA – BASSO BIKES – VAIANO (ITA)
ASTANA WOMEN’S TEAM (KAZ)
BEPINK (ITA)
BOELS DOLMANS CYCLINGTEAM (NED)
CERATIZIT – WNT PRO CYCLING TEAM (GER)
CHARENTE – MARITIME WOMEN CYCLING (FRA)
COGEAS METTLER LOOK PRO CYCLING TEAM (RUS)
HITEC PRODUCTS – BIRK SPORT (NOR)
LOTTO SOUDAL LADIES (BEL)
PARKHOTEL VALKENBURG (NED)
PAULE KA (SUI)
RALLY CYCLING (USA)
TEAM ARKEA (FRA)
TEAM TIBCO – SILICON VALLEY BANK (USA)
VALCAR-TRAVEL & SERVICE (ITA)

Straßen-WM 2020 – Straßenrennen Frauen Elite

Eintagsrennen, Frauenradsport, Strassenrennen, Weltmeisterschaft, , , , , ,

Imola – Imola (143,0 km / 2800 hm)

1 VAN DER BREGGEN Anna NED 4:09:57
2 VAN VLEUTEN Annemiek NED + 1:20
3 LONGO BORGHINI Elisa ITA + 1:20
4 VOS Marianne NED + 2:01
5 LIPPERT Liane GER + 2:01
6 DEIGNAN Elizabeth GBR + 2:01
7 NIEWIADOMA Katarzyna POL + 2:01
8 LUDWIG Cecilie Uttrup DEN + 2:41
9 BRENNAUER Lisa GER + 3:08
10 REUSSER Marlen SUI + 3:08
11 STEPHENS Lauren USA + 3:08
12 VAN DEN BROEK-BLAAK Chantal NED + 3:08
13 CORDON RAGOT Audrey FRA + 3:08
14 BUJAK Eugenia SLO + 3:08
15 FISHER-BLACK Niamh NZL + 3:08


WM 2018 und 2020: Anna van der Breggen


Liane Lippert
Fotos: Gerhard Plomitzer