Schlagwort-Archive: Ceratizit Challenge

CERATIZIT CHALLENGE BY LA VUELTA 22: TEAMS SELECTION

Etappenrennen, Frauenradsport, Vorschau, , ,

The organizers of the CERATIZIT Challenge by La Vuelta 22 have chosen the teams that will take part in the 8th edition of the women’s race which will be held from the 7nd to the 11th of September. The most important Spanish race in the women’s World Tour calendar continues to grow and will feature five stages in total, from Marina de Cudeyo, Cantabria, to Madrid.

The following 14 UCI WorldTeams are automatically invited to the race:

Canyon//SRAM Racing (GER)
EF Education-TIBCO-SVB (USA)
FDJ Nouvelle-Aquitaine Futuroscope (FRA)
Human Powered Health (USA)
Liv Racing Xstra (NED)
Movistar Team Women (ESP)
Roland Cogeas Edelweiss Squad (SUI)
Team BikeExchange – Jayco (AUS)
Team DSM (NED)
Team Jumbo-Visma (NED)
Team SD Worx (NED)
Trek – Segafredo (USA)
UAE Team ADQ (UAE)
Uno-X Pro Cycling Team (NOR)

In addition to these 14 teams, the organizers have awarded the following wildcards:

Ceratizit-WNT Pro Cycling (GER)
Valcar – Travel & Service (ITA)
Team Coop – Hitec Products (NOR)
Cofidis Women Team (FRA)
Rio Miera – Cantabria Deporte (ESP)
Massi – Tactic Women Team (ESP)
Bizkaia Durango (ESP)
Soltec Team (ESP)

More information about CERATIZIT Challenge by La Vuelta: www.challengebylavuelta.com/en

Ceratizit Challenge – Etappe 4

Ergebnisse, Etappenrennen, Frauenradsport, , , ,

As Pontes – Santiago de Compostela – 108 Km

1 KOPECKY Lotte BEL LIV RACING 02:29:37
2 LONGO BORGHINI Elisa ITA TREK – SEGAFREDO 00:00
3 HENDERSON Anna GBR JUMBO-VISMA WOMEN TEAM 00:04
4 VAS Kata Blanka HUN TEAM SD WORX 00:06
5 ZANARDI Silvia ITA BEPINK 00:06
6 BALSAMO Elisa ITA VALCAR – TRAVEL & SERVICE 00:06
7 NIEWIADOMA Katarzyna POL CANYON//SRAM RACING 00:06
8 LIPPERT Liane GER TEAM DSM 00:08
9 MACKAIJ Floortje NED TEAM DSM 00:08
10 MARKUS Riejanne NED JUMBO-VISMA WOMEN TEAM 00:08

Gesamt:

1 VAN VLEUTEN Annemiek NED MOVISTAR TEAM WOMEN 08:40:18
2 REUSSER Marlen SUI ALE‘ BTC LJUBLJANA 01:34
3 CHABBEY Elise SUI CANYON//SRAM RACING 03:12
4 CAVALLI Marta ITA FDJ NOUVELLE-AQUITAINE FUTUROSCOPE 03:30
5 LIPPERT Liane GER TEAM DSM 03:59
6 NIEWIADOMA Katarzyna POL CANYON//SRAM RACING 04:04
7 LONGO BORGHINI Elisa ITA TREK – SEGAFREDO 04:13
8 MACKAIJ Floortje NED TEAM DSM 04:38
9 VAS Kata Blanka HUN TEAM SD WORX 04:57
10 ROOIJAKKERS Pauliena NED LIV RACING 07:58

Annemiek van Vleuten rises to the challenge

Annemiek van Vleuten delivered an attacking masterclass from the mountain resort of Manzaneda to Pereiro de Aguiar on Saturday. The Dutch star made the most of her unique abilities on a hilly terrain to claim victory after a 50km solo ride that also saw her take the overall lead from Marlen Reusser, who still leads the points standings.

“I’m surprised after a good block of altitude training. I thought I wasn’t well rested but maybe the first two days helped me a bit and today I felt great. We had a very good plan with the team. There was a tricky downhill and I thought it was the moment to go right after that. I had a chance if we were able to isolate Marlen Reusser and that was the case. My team is confident that we can defend the leader’s jersey tomorrow in the last stage.”
Annemiek van Vleuten (Movistar) went on the move with Kasia Niewadoma (Canyon//SRAM), Kata Blanka Vas (SD Worx) and Elisa Longo Borghini (Trek-Segafredo) after the first hour of racing. The four attackers had a lead of 20’’ at km 45. Only Longo Borghini was able to keep going with Van Vleuten ahead of a group of seven chasers with the race leader Marlen Reusser (Alé BTC Ljubljana), Marta Cavalli (FDJ-Nouvelle Aquitaine-Futuroscope), Elise Chabbey (Canyon//SRAM), Liane Lippert and Floortje Mackaij (Team DSM) joining Niewadoma and Vas.

After 60km, Van Vleuten dropped Longo Borghini and pushed on her own to try and bridge as big a gap as possible to Marlen Reusser, who enjoyed a significant gap with her victory in stage 1. The Dutch attacker crossed the line in Pereiro de Aguiar with an advantage of 2’48’’ on Lippert and Niewadoma, and 3’03’’ to Reusser, now trailing by 1’34’’ in the overall standings ahead of the final stage from As Pontes to Santiago de Compostela, with a grand finale in the Galician city ahead of the closing ITT of La Vuelta 21.

CERATIZIT Challenge – Etappe 3

Ergebnisse, Etappenrennen, Frauenradsport, , , , ,

Annemiek van Vleuten rises to the challenge

1 Van VLEUTEN Annemiek NED Movistar 2:44:41
2 LIPPERT Liane GER TEAM DSM 02:48 39,99
3 NIEWIADOMA Katarzyna POL CANYON//SRAM RACING 02:48
4 LONGO BORGHINI Elisa ITA TREK – SEGAFREDO 02:51
5 MACKAIJ Floortje NED TEAM DSM 02:55
6 VAS Kata Blanka HUN TEAM SD WORX 03:01
7 CHABBEY Elise SUI CANYON//SRAM RACING 03:01
8 CAVALLI Marta ITA FDJ NOUVELLE-AQUITAINE FUTUROSCOPE 03:01
9 REUSSER Marlen SUI ALE‘ BTC LJUBLJANA 03:03
10 BALSAMO Elisa ITA VALCAR – TRAVEL & SERVICE 07:13

Gesamt:
1 VAN VLEUTEN Annemiek NED MOVISTAR TEAM WOMEN 06:10:25
2 REUSSER Marlen SUI ALE‘ BTC LJUBLJANA 01:34
3 CHABBEY Elise SUI CANYON//SRAM RACING 03:20
4 CAVALLI Marta ITA FDJ NOUVELLE-AQUITAINE FUTUROSCOPE 03:38
5 LIPPERT Liane GER TEAM DSM 04:07
6 NIEWIADOMA Katarzyna POL CANYON//SRAM RACING 04:14
7 LONGO BORGHINI Elisa ITA TREK – SEGAFREDO 04:35
8 MACKAIJ Floortje NED TEAM DSM 04:46
9 VAS Kata Blanka HUN TEAM SD WORX 05:07
10 ROOIJAKKERS Pauliena NED LIV RACING 07:30

Annemiek van Vleuten delivered an attacking masterclass from the mountain resort of Manzaneda to Pereiro de Aguiar on Saturday. The Dutch star made the most of her unique abilities on a hilly terrain to claim victory after a 50km solo ride that also saw her take the overall lead from Marlen Reusser, who still leads the points standings.
“I’m surprised after a good block of altitude training. I thought I wasn’t well rested but maybe the first two days helped me a bit and today I felt great. We had a very good plan with the team. There was a tricky downhill and I thought it was the moment to go right after that. I had a chance if we were able to isolate Marlen Reusser and that was the case. My team is confident that we can defend the leader’s jersey tomorrow in the last stage.”

Annemiek van Vleuten (Movistar) went on the move with Kasia Niewadoma (Canyon//SRAM), Kata Blanka Vas (SD Worx) and Elisa Longo Borghini (Trek-Segafredo) after the first hour of racing. The four attackers had a lead of 20’’ at km 45. Only Longo Borghini was able to keep going with Van Vleuten ahead of a group of seven chasers with the race leader Marlen Reusser (Alé BTC Ljubljana), Marta Cavalli (FDJ-Nouvelle Aquitaine-Futuroscope), Elise Chabbey (Canyon//SRAM), Liane Lippert and Floortje Mackaij (Team DSM) joining Niewadoma and Vas.
After 60km, Van Vleuten dropped Longo Borghini and pushed on her own to try and bridge as big a gap as possible to Marlen Reusser, who enjoyed a significant gap with her victory in stage 1. The Dutch attacker crossed the line in Pereiro de Aguiar with an advantage of 2’48’’ on Lippert and Niewadoma, and 3’03’’ to Reusser, now trailing by 1’34’’ in the overall standings ahead of the final stage from As Pontes to Santiago de Compostela, with a grand finale in the Galician city ahead of the closing ITT of La Vuelta 21.

CERATIZIT Challenge – Etappe 2

Ergebnisse, Etappenrennen, Frauenradsport, , , , ,

Estación de Montaña de Manzaneda ICTT – 7,3 Km

1 VAN VLEUTEN Annemiek NED MOVISTAR TEAM WOMEN 00:19:08
2 REUSSER Marlen SUI ALE‘ BTC LJUBLJANA 00:20
3 CAVALLI Marta ITA FDJ NOUVELLE-AQUITAINE FUTUROSCOPE 00:28
4 FAULKNER Kristen USA TEAM TIBCO – SILICON VALLEY BANK 00:48
5 THOMAS Leah USA MOVISTAR TEAM WOMEN 00:59
6 LABOUS Juliette FRA TEAM DSM 01:00
7 LIPPERT Liane GER TEAM DSM 01:15
8 NIEWIADOMA Katarzyna POL CANYON//SRAM RACING 01:20
9 ŽIGART Urška SLO TEAM BIKEEXCHANGE 01:23
10 ROOIJAKKERS Pauliena NED LIV RACING 01:24

Gesamt:

1 REUSSER Marlen SUI ALE‘ BTC LJUBLJANA 03:27:03
2 ROOIJAKKERS Pauliena NED LIV RACING 01:36
3 VAN VLEUTEN Annemiek NED MOVISTAR TEAM WOMEN 01:39
4 RIVERA Coryn USA TEAM DSM 01:45
5 CHABBEY Elise SUI CANYON//SRAM RACING 01:48
6 CAVALLI Marta ITA FDJ NOUVELLE-AQUITAINE FUTUROSCOPE 02:06
7 FAULKNER Kristen USA TEAM TIBCO – SILICON VALLEY BANK 02:26
8 THOMAS Leah USA MOVISTAR TEAM WOMEN 02:37
9 LABOUS Juliette FRA TEAM DSM 02:38
10 LIPPERT Liane GER TEAM DSM 02:54

The Dutch star Annemiek van Vleuten (Movistar Team) dominated on Friday the second stage of the CERATIZIT Challenge by La Vuelta 21. After a first hilly stage, day 2 saw the field take on a 7.3km uphill time-trial leading to the mountain resort of Manzaneda with slopes at an average gradient of 5.8%. Following her Olympic title in Tokyo’s ITT, Van Vleuten set a winning time of 19’08’’. The overall leader Marlen Reusser (Ale’BTC Ljubljana), also a silver medallist in the Olympic ITT, finished 2nd on the day (+19’’) and Marta Cavalli (FDJ Nouvelle-Aquitaine Futuroscope) rounded out the podium with a gap of 27’’.

“I chose the time-trial bike because it was faster for me and I was just happy to ride it”, Van Vleuten said. She announced a big battle to try and overturn Reusser’s lead before the race reaches Santiago de Compostela on Sunday: “Tomorrow, I have nothing to lose and everything to win. I hope other teams feel like that and we can put on a big show.”

With another strong performance, Marlen Reusser has an advantage of 1’36’’ overall on Pauliena Rooijakkers (LIV Racing) and Annemiek van Vleuten is now third (+1’39”). The Swiss champ also leads the points standings. On Saturday, the penultimate stage will see the peloton take on another hilly course from the mountain resort of Manzaneda to Pereiro de Aguiar.

CERATIZIT Challenge – Etappe 1

Ergebnisse, Etappenrennen, Frauenradsport, , ,

MARLEN REUSSER ON OLYMPIC FORM

1 MARLEN REUSSER 56 ALE‘ BTC LJUBLJANA 03h 07′ 46“ – B : 10“ –
2 CORYN RIVERA 94 TEAM DSM 03h 08′ 08“ + 00h 00′ 22“ B : 6“ –
3 ELISE CHABBEY 65 CANYON//SRAM RACING 03h 08′ 08“ + 00h 00′ 22“ B : 4“ –
4 PAULIENA ROOIJAKKERS 46 LIV RACING 03h 08′ 08“ + 00h 00′ 22“ – –
5 ELISA BALSAMO 111 VALCAR – TRAVEL & SERVICE 03h 09′ 34“ + 00h 01′ 48“ – –
6 ANNA HENDERSON 75 JUMBO-VISMA WOMEN TEAM 03h 09′ 34“ + 00h 01′ 48“ – –
7 LOTTE KOPECKY 43 LIV RACING 03h 09′ 34“ + 00h 01′ 48“ – –
8 ALISON JACKSON 42 LIV RACING 03h 09′ 34“ + 00h 01′ 48“ – –
9 MARIE LE NET 36 FDJ NOUVELLE-AQUITAINE FUTUROSCOPE 03h 09′ 34“ + 00h 01′ 48“ – –
10 FLOORTJE MACKAIJ 93 TEAM DSM 03h 09′ 34“ + 00h 01′ 48“

Silver medallist in the time-trial of the Olympic Games, the Swiss star Marlen Reusser (Ale ́ BTC Ljubljana) carried the form that also saw her shine in the Ladies Tour of Norway (4th) and the Simac Ladies Tour (2nd) to win on Thursday stage 1 of the CERATIZIT Challenge by La Vuelta 21 as she powered to victory on her own in A Rúa, ahead of her breakaway companions

The peloton rolled from the mountain resort of Manzaneda in the morning and faced 117.8km of racing. The pace was high from the start. After a fast first hour (42.9km/h), a group of attackers broke away from the bunch with Pauliena Rooijakkers (Liv Racing) Marlen Reusser (Ale’ BTC Ljubljana), Elise Chabbey (CANYON//SRAM Racing), Lucy Kennedy (Time BikeExchange) and Eric Magnaldi (CERATIZIT WNT). Coryn Rivera (Team DSM) joined them at km 65 to make the break of the day.

The battle went on up the Alto da Portela (cat. 1), the main uphill challenge of the day with 15.2 kilometres at 5.3%. Kennedy and Magnaldi were dropped from the lead group and caught by the peloton, led by Movistar Team and Team SD Worx, with a maximum gap of 2’15’’ with 29km to go.
The terrain was much easier in the second part of the stage. The four attackers still at the front worked well together to maintain a gap of 2 minutes to the bunch. In the final kilometres towards A Rúa, Marlen Reusser opened a small gap to her breakaway companions and claimed victory.

The rider from Ale’ BTC Ljubljana said she didn’t want a sprint against the American Coryn Rivera. The bunch finished with a gap of 1’48’’. Regarding a potential overall victory, Reusser said she will probably lose time to the likes of Anna van der Breggen, Annemiek van Vleuten and Elisa Longo Borghini on Friday’s uphill time trial but she was satisfied with this opening result.

THE WORLD’S BEST COME TO THE CERATIZIT CHALLENGE BY LA VUELTA 21

Etappenrennen, Frauenradsport, Vorschau, , ,

• The expanded format, over four days (from September 2 to 5), seduced the world stars of the women’s peloton.
• Annemiek van Vleuten, Anna van der Breggen and Elisa Longo Borghini are among the big names at the start of the Cabeza de la Manzaneda mountain resort.
• Mavi Garcia and the best Spaniards are also expected in Galicia.

The 7th edition of the CERATIZIT Challenge by La Vuelta 21 promises to be spectacular, from September 2 to 5, from the Cabeza de la Manzaneda mountain resort to Santiago de Compostela. The most famous stage race on the Spanish calendar, which this year offers a complete program in Galicia, with two medium mountain stages, an uphill time trial and a flat stage, has won over the world stars of the peloton. female, according to the list of entries. 24 teams sent their list of participants, for a total of 143 competitors expected at the start.

Three very big names stand out, those of the top three riders in the UCI world ranking: Annemiek van Vleuten (Movistar Team Women), Anna van der Breggen (Team SD Worx) and Elisa Longo Borghini (Trek-Segafredo). The first one is the European road champion and current leader of the UCI Women’s WorldTour and she has just won, in the wake of her Olympic time trial title, the Donostia San Sebastian Klasikoa Women and the Ladies Tour of Norway. Van der Breggen is the reigning World champion, approaching the end of her career scheduled at the end of the current season, and Longo Borghini is the Italian national champion, bronze medalist in the road race at the Tokyo Olympic Games.

The two-time defending champion Lisa Brennauer (Ceratizit-WNT Pro Cycling Team) will try to make it three in a row even if the route, this year, presents characteristics different from the editions concluded in the streets of Madrid. Three other members of the world top 10 (7/10 in total) are announced: Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig (FDJ-Nouvelle Aquitaine-Futuroscope), Lotte Kopecky (Liv Racing), Katarzyna Niewadoma (Canyon // SRAM). The future will also be written on the roads of Galicia since the best two youngsters of the UCI Women’s WorldTour are lined up: the New Zealander Niamh Fisher-Black (SD Worx), who dominated the best young rider standings of three stage races this year (Vuelta a Burgos Féminas, Giro d’Italia and Ladies Tour of Norway), and the French Elite champion Evita Muzic (FDJ-Nouvelle Aquitaine-Futuroscope).

Competitors from very diverse backgrounds will attend the race with Japan’s Eri Yonamine (Tibco-Silicon Valley Bank), Australia’s Amanda Spratt at the head of a strong Team BikeExchange, Hungary’s Kata Blanka Vas (SD Worx), the USA’s Coryn Rivera (DSM), Mexico’s Katia Martínez (Eneicat-RBH Global-Martin Villa), Colombia’s Paula Patiño (Movistar Team Women), Cyprus’ Antri Christoforou (Women Cycling Sport)…

The CERATIZIT Challenge by La Vuelta 21 is also a source of great motivation for Spanish cyclists, led by the national champion (road and time trial) Mavi Garcia (Alé BTC Ljubljana). Ane Santesteban (Team BikeExchange), Sheyla Gutiérrez and Lourdes Oyarbide (Movistar Team Women) may have to work in the service of their leaders. The event represents a great opportunity to shine for other teams in the country that are invited to participate: Massi-Tactic Women Team, Eneicat-RBH Global-Martin Villa, Women Cycling Sport, Rio Miera-Cantabria Deporte, Laboral Kutxa-Fundacion Ciclista Euskadi and Team Farto-BTC.

More information about the CERATIZIT Challenge by La Vuelta : www.challengebylavuelta.com

An impressive cast of contenders have arrived in Galicia ahead of four days of action (September 2-5) en route to Santiago de Compostela. Among them, the World Champion Anna van der Breggen (3rd in the UCI World ranking) will participate for the first time in the CERATIZIT Challenge by La Vuelta in what may be her last appearance with the rainbow jersey before she defends her titles in Belgium. Other riders from the top positions of the UCI World raking are in Galicia: Annemiek van Vleuten (1st), Elisa Longo Borghini (2nd), Lisa Brennauer (7th, winner of the last two editions in Madrid), Marlen Reusser (10th), Katarzyna Niewiadoma (11th)…

As La Vuelta also heads to Galicia, the stars of the UCI Women’s WorldTour will battle in a much different environment than the usual settings of the CERATIZIT Challenge by La Vuelta, around Madrid and in the streets of the Spanish capital. The first three stages are centred around the mountain resort of Manzaneda, with 2 hilly stages (1 and 3) and an uphill time-trial on day 2 (7.3km with an average gradient of 5.8%). The final stage, on Sunday, heads to Santiago de Compostela on flatter terrain (107.4km). The overall winner will be crowned on the Praza do Obradoiro, in front of the cathedral.
Over 340 km, the race will enjoy the support of ŠKODA, who display once again their support for cycling and for equality in sport. They will provide 15 cars to the organisation, including two electric SUVs ENYAQ iV and the hybrid versions of OCTAVIA and SUPERB.

TIFFANY CROMWELL: “THE AMBITION IS ALWAYS TO WIN”
Fresh from her come-back in the UCI Women’s WorldTour at the GP Plouay in France on Monday, Tiffany Cromwell, a true world’s traveller who recently took part in the Belgian Waffle Ride in North Carolina (USA) after representing Australia at the Olympic Games in Tokyo, heads to Spain for a first taste of the CERATIZIT Challenge by La Vuelta with her team Canyon SRAM Racing led by Poland’s Katarzyna (“Kasia”) Niewadoma who is currently 11th on the UCI world ranking.

How many countries have you visited this year?
I’ve lost the counting but it’s close to 20! It’s been a great year so far with lots of wonderful experiences and sporting satisfactions. My last time to Spain was in mid-May for the Gran Premio Ciudad de Eibar and I’m looking forward to returning for the CERATIZIT Challenge by La Vuelta. It will be my first participation because in previous years, my team didn’t enter due to a busy program until last year but I wasn’t on the line up. I’m excited to discover Galicia. The closest I’ve been to was Ponferrada for the world championships in 2014.

What do you expect from the CERATIZIT Challenge by La Vuelta?
It should be great! It’s a different parcours from what it was like in the region of Madrid. It’s mountainous, maybe not the perfect terrain for me but it’s a nice program and an excellent build-up for the world championships.

What are your team’s ambitions?
The ambition is always to win. We have a good team. The competition will be of a very high level but we want to do well, whether it’s the final podium or a stage win. Kasia is a great rider. She loves to race hard and aggressive. As a team-mate, she’s awesome. She’s full of energy and very talented. She was second at the Flèche wallonne féminine this year. The terrain of the CERATIZIT Challenge by La Vuelta should suit her well.

What about yourself?
For this race, I’ll have a support role as I probably don’t have enough strength for these climbs. I’m having my best season in many years, I was stronger when I was younger and I’ve had some ups and downs in the last few years but I’ve had some good racing in the classics and going to the Olympics this year has been great. However, I always want more. I might try and get a result in the last stage of the CERATIZIT Challenge by La Vuelta since we don’t really have a sprinter in the team. In any case, I’ll be there for the team and I hope for a great four days of racing in Galicia.

GP de Plouay Women 150km

Eintagsrennen, Frauenradsport, , ,

1 LONGO BORGHINI Elisa ITA TREK – SEGAFREDO 04:06:02
2 VERHULST Gladys FRA ARKEA PRO CYCLING TEAM 00:12
3 FAULKNER Kristen USA TEAM TIBCO – SILICON VALLEY BANK 00:12
4 BERTIZZOLO Sofia ITA LIV RACING 00:12
5 MUZIC Evita FRA FDJ NOUVELLE-AQUITAINE FUTUROSCOPE 00:12
6 BUJAK Eugenia SLO ALE‘ BTC LJUBLJANA 00:12
7 DEIGNAN Elizabeth GBR TREK – SEGAFREDO 00:12
8 RIVERA Coryn USA TEAM DSM 00:12
9 MOOLMAN-PASIO Ashleigh RSA TEAM SD WORX 00:12
10 HENDERSON Anna GBR JUMBO-VISMA WOMEN TEAM 00:12

ELISA LONGO BORGHINI
« I RETURN WITH AMBITION »

Elisa Longo Borghini, third of the UCI world ranking, third in the road race of the Tokyo Olympic Games, will be one of the big favourites of the 7th edition of the CERATIZIT Challenge by La Vuelta (September 2-5). She expressed her enthusiasm ahead of her trip to Galicia.

Elisa, what are your memories from your participation in the CERATIZIT Challenge by La Vuelta last year ?
I loved it! It was a really beautiful experience. It was the last race of the season and it truly went well. The last stage was proper fun because Giorgia (Bronzini), our DS, basically told us we had to ride it as if it were a points race on the track, but a bit longer. And when I asked her: „Excuse-me, but I’m not fast in the sprint, what should I do?“, she said: „Just like a point race, you lap them!“ So I spent three quarters of the race in the breakaway. It was an interesting experience from a technical point, and mostly, it was a very beautiful week-end because it was my first race with the tricolore jersey [as the Italian national champion]. It was very emotional.

When you won Strade Bianche Donne in 2017, you spoke about the historical and cultural background of a race set in the city of Sienna. Did you feel something similar in Madrid?
Yes, absolutely. We were in the centre of Madrid, with a great historical and cultural setting, you can feel it in the air. Actually, I enjoyed this trip to visit some museums and palaces. It was extraordinary because we usually don’t have time for this kind of things. But since it was the end of the season…

How did you perceive the exposition offered by this event?
I believe it’s really important to have an event like the CERATIZIT Challenge at the same time as La Vuelta. This year, there’s a step forward as the race expands over four days, with as many stages, offering a varied course. It’s even more valuable. The new format has a good distribution with mountain stages, on the flat, and the ‚cronoscalata‘ [uphill time-trial]. It’s exciting. I would like to have even more stages in the coming years to make it an even bigger event that will attract even more contenders. But it’s already a success.
What do you want to do with the end of the season after your bronze medal in Tokyo?

I prepared well for the end of the season. I’m ambitious, and it begins with the CERATIZIT Challenge by La Vuelta where I hope to do well again. After the Olympic Games, it was an easier month in August, but I trained very well, especially with an altitude camp. I feel ready for the European and World championships that will come right after the Challenge.

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.”