For the second year in a row Italy’s Gioriga Bronzini took the gold in the UCI Road World Championship Women’s Elite road race in Copenhagen Saturday, beating out Holland’s Marianne Vos.
After nine laps of little action and three laps spent squelching incipient breakaways and chasing a solo rider, the race came down to a bunch sprint and it was Bronzini who has the best timing and the best legs at the end.
“I am a little surprised with this win as early on in the race I did not believe that it would end in a sprint,” Brionzini told copenhagen2011.dk, the event’s official website. “With three laps to go we sent a teammate to make the race hard and in the end, I asked my teammate Monia Baccaille to open a hard and early sprint for me.
“This second World Championship win is certainly the one that feels the best. Last year’s win was such a big surprise: I had started with no pressure and was working for the others early in the race. I was ‘just’ the sprinter if it came down to that. This time around there was much more pressure, the whole team was working for me so I really had to deliver.”
For the first nine of twelve laps, the peloton rode at a relaxed pace, speeding up only to suppress any attempted attacks—not that many tried.
100 km into the race, a few riders decided it was getting late. Namoi Cantele of Italy and Judith Arndt of Germany led a handful of riders off the front; then Cantele went again when that was shut down. Spain’s Eneritz Iturriagaechevarria tried next, then an Australian rider—nothing was allowed away.
USA’s Amanda Neben, Great Britain’s Julia Shaw and France’s Audrey Cordon led a few riders away next; when this group was caught and the rest of the riders relaxed, Canada’s Clara Hughes attacked, and opened a gap.
With two laps to go Hughes had 36 seconds on the field. A few riders tried to bridge, but the peloton wouldn’t let anyone away. No one wanted a group out front; a solo rider wasn’t so much of a threat.
“We were never really worried about Clara Hughes’ break away on the last laps, as I knew that the other teams also were interested in a sprint and that we would bring her back ultimately,” Bronzini explained.
Hughes had 38 seconds’ lead crossing the line for the final lap, but the Dutch team decided to start riding for multiple-silver-medal-winner Marianne Vos. The Dutch closed the gap form 40 seconds, 20 km out to catch Hughes with three km to go.
The big teams immediately started jockeying for position in the peloton, trying to set up for the sprint finish which was now guaranteed. A couple of crashes thinned the field, but the top teams were clear; Italy, Germany and Holland all wanted the win.
Trixi Worrack of Germany led her countrywoman Ina Teutenberg, following the Dutch team leading out Vos, while Italy’s Giorgia Bronzini powering up the outside. At the line it was Bronzini earning her second consecutive gold medal, while Marianne Vos got her fifth consecutive silver (she won in 2006.)
For the first nine of twelve laps, the peloton rode at a relaxed pace, speeding up only to suppress any attempted attacks—not that many tried.
100 km into the race, a few riders decided it was getting late. Namoi Cantele of Italy and Judith Arndt of Germany led a handful of riders off the front; then Cantele went again when that was shut down. Spain’s Eneritz Iturriagaechevarria tried next, then an Australian rider—nothing was allowed away.
USA’s Amanda Neben, Great Britain’s Julia Shaw and France’s Audrey Cordon led a few riders away next; when this group was caught and the rest of the riders relaxed, Canada’s Clara Hughes attacked, and opened a gap.
With two laps to go Hughes had 36 seconds on the field. A few riders tried to bridge, but the peloton wouldn’t let anyone away. No one wanted a group out front; a solo rider wasn’t so much of a threat.
“We were never really worried about Clara Hughes’ break away on the last laps, as I knew that the other teams also were interested in a sprint and that we would bring her back ultimately,” Bronzini explained.
Hughes had 38 seconds’ lead crossing the line for the final lap, but the Dutch team decided to start riding for multiple-silver-medal-winner Marianne Vos. The Dutch closed the gap form 40 seconds, 20 km out to catch Hughes with three km to go.
The big teams immediately started jockeying for position in the peloton, trying to set up for the sprint finish which was now guaranteed. A couple of crashes thinned the field, but the top teams were clear; Italy, Germany and Holland all wanted the win.
Trixi Worrack of Germany led her countrywoman Ina Teutenberg, following the Dutch team leading out Vos, while Italy’s Giorgia Bronzini powering up the outside. At the line it was Bronzini earning her second consecutive gold medal, while Marianne Vos got her fifth consecutive silver (she won in 2006.)
“What a perfect race for us,” Vos told copenhagen2011.dk. “We knew it was going to be fast and hard to get away; we tried to stay in front with the whole team and stay prepared for a sprint. They placed me perfectly with 150 meters to go but I waited a little and that was a big mistake.
“I do not know if I was stronger than Giorgia, but one thing is certain: she was better than me.”
The UCI Road World Championships wrap up Sunday with the Men’s Elite road race. Experts are prerdicitng another bunch sprint, and favoring strong-man sprinters like defending champion Thor Hushovd, because the final run is slightly uphill.
| UCI World Road Cycling Championships | |||
| 1 | Giorgia Bronzini | Italy | 3:21:28 |
| 2 | Marianne Vos | Netherlands | 3:21:28 |
| 3 | Ina Teutenberg | Germany | 3:21:28 |
| 4 | Nicole Cooke | Great Britain | 3:21:28 |
| 5 | Julia Martisova | Russian Federation | 3:21:28 |
| 6 | Chloe Hosking | Australia | 3:21:28 |
| 7 | Elizabeth Armitstead | Great Britain | 3:21:28 |
| 8 | Ludivine Henrion | Belgium | 3:21:28 |
| 9 | Rasa Leleivyte | Lithuania | 3:21:28 |
| 10 | Aude Biannic | France | 3:21:28 |
