Stage 1, Zeulenroda to Schleiz, 120 kms:
1. Hanka Hupfernagel (Ger) Greenery Hawk
2. Z. Zabairova (Rus)
3. S. Ljungskog (Swe) 2.00
..
5. Anna Wilson (Aus) AIS s.t.
Main bunch at 8 minutes
Liz Tadich (Aus) AIS 8.00
Tracey Gaudry (Aus) AIS
Juanita Feldhahn (Aus) AIS
Geraldine Denham (Aus) VIS 14.00
Kristy Scrymgeour (Aus) NSW
GC after Stage 1
1. Hank Hupfernagel (Ger) Greenery Hawk
2. Z. Zabairova (Rus)
3. Anna Wilson (Aus) AIS 2.17
Anna Wilson Reports
Well here we are in East Germany for the Thuringen Tour. Email facilities
are very limited so don't be surprised if you don't hear from me again
until we make it back to Hahn!
There are 16 teams of 6 riders here to contest the tour and so far the area
has lived up to its reputation of being grey and drizzly. The prologue was
last night and although it rained a lot in the afternoon it actually dried
out by the time we were racing. Just as well because the prologue was very
technical - 6 kms with 14 corners and 2 stretches of cobblestones. A
great course for a good crit rider!
Hanka Kupfernagel won the prologue in a time of 7:57. She beat me by 7
seconds with Karen Kurreck third in a time of 8:08, Barbara Heeb 4th in
8:12. Tracey Gaudry was the second Australian in, in 8:28 and 18 year old
Geraldine Denham put in a great performance to finish 27th in 8:40. She
was only 4 seconds off being the first under 20 rider in.
So on to stage 1:
Stage 1 was 118 kms long with 4 mountain sprints and 2 sprints to liven
things up. The first sprint was at 3 km and the first mountain sprint at
12.8 km so it was pretty much out of the blocks and into it. Some sadistic
person had confused the signs for the first mountain sprint. We got 100
metres to go, then 500 metres to go and then 1000 metres to go. I think
the 100 and 1000 should have been switched!! So anyway - I reached the 100
metres to go sign and the pace still wasn't right on and I was up the front
so I thought I may as well have a go at the sprint. So I set off and
thought that it was a very long 100 metres when I reached the 500 metres to
go sign. Well not long after that Hanka Kupfernagel took off for the
sprint and left the lot of us in her wake. I managed to grovel on to a
group of 9 who were in pursuit of Hanka. After nearly 5 km we caught up
with her and so there were 10 of us in the lead group. We heard that Petra
Rosner and Rasa Polikevicuite were in between us and the bunch and we had
about 50 seconds on the bunch.
Well Hanka wasn't content with a bunch of 10 - she kept attacking us. I
went through a lot of sufferance chasing her again and again. In the end
she cracked two of us - Karen Kurreck and Tanja went back to the bunch.
Petra and Rasa also eventually capitulated and went back to the bunch. So
there were 8 of us left out in front. Hanka had one other team mate,
then there were Zabirova and Edita Pukinskaite - both Dream team
riders but competing for a composite team here, there was also Heidi van de
Veiver, Dede Demet, Barbara Heeb and yours truly.
I seemed to be climbing the worst of the group - there were a couple of
steep pinches that put me out the back and thank God for technical descents
where I could catch up again. On one steep pinch Zabirova drove it on the
front into the cross winds and the only one who could hold her wheel was
Hanka Kupfernagel. So then there were two out in front and 6 chasing.
Well actually 4 chasing because the two with teammates out in front weren't
coming through of course. That was at about the 40 km mark.
For a while we held them at about 30 or 40 seconds and we were within
sight. Then gradually they pulled away. I was still playing on again off
again when the steeper pinches reared up but by about the 60 km mark the
hills became a little less steep and I settled in Dede Demet was doing
most of the driving to chase the two out in front. Heeb chased hard
initially but she faded a fair bit over the stage and wasn't doing much by
the end. Heidi also chased pretty consistently all day. I was doing what
I could and seemed to get stronger through the stage - well relative to
everyone else anyway!
With 5 km to go we were about 1:50 behind the two leaders. We were going
up a fair drag and I thought it was time to try and have a go. So I
attacked and didn't split the bunch at all but then Edita Pukinskaite came
over the top and I had to reach for everything to get on her wheel. The
effort was enough to split everyone. Edita and I got a gap with Heidi and
Susanne chasing us, Heeb behind them and Dede behind her. I didn't help
Edita out much - she had sat on for 80 kms and was feeling somewhat better
than I! Heidi and Susanne got on to us with about 1 km to go and Heeb got
on to us with about 400 metres to go. At that point there was a hairpin on
to cobbles and Heidi, Susanne and I gapped Edita and Heeb out of the
corner. Susanne won the sprint for 3rd, with Heidi 4th and myself 5th.
Hanka Kupfernagel must have dropped Zabirova just before the finish because
she finished 8 seconds in front of her.
So Hanka Kupfernagel has extended her lead on GC - she's 34 seconds ahead
of Zabirova. I am holding on to 3rd - just in front of Heeb. Somehow I
don't like my chances of moving further up the GC list in this tour the way
Kupfernagel and Zabirova rode today. I just hope I don't move down!
Well we were all very shattered after today's stage so we are trying not to
think too hard about tomorrow.
Stage 2, Schliez to Gera, 124 kms:
1. M. Hempel (Ger)
2. Rasa Polikeviciute (Lit)
3. N. Brandli (Swi)
4. Anna Wilson (Aus) AIS
5. Edith Pucinskaite (Lit)
Liz Tadich (AIS), Tracey Gaudry (AIS) and Juanita Feldhahn (AIS) all
finished in the main bunch @ 1min 24 sec down, Geraldine Denham (VIS)
finished approx. 3 min behind the winner. Kristy Scrymgeour (NSW) pulled
out with back problems.
GC after Stage 2
1. Hanka Hupfernagel (Ger) Greenery Hawk
2. Anna Wilson (Aus) AIS 0.17
3. Z. Zabairova (Rus) 0.34
4. Edith Pucinskaite (Lit) 0.43
5. Barbara Heeb (Swi) 1.52
Stage 3, Gera - Greiz, 52 kms:
1. Elisabeth Tadich (Aus) 1.30.44
2. Sandra Mißbach (Ger)
3. Emiliy Robbins (USA)
4. Miluse Flaskova (Cze)
5. Cornelia Dreher (Ger) 0.12
6. Viola Müller-Paulitz (Ger) RSG Wiesbaden 2.14
GC after Stage 3
1. Hanka Kupfernagel (Ger) Greenery Hawk 8.05.26
2. Anna Wilson (Aus) 0.17
3. Sulfia Zabirowa (Rus) 0.23
4. Edita Pucinskaite (Lit) 0.43
5. Barbara Heeb (Swi) 1.52
6. Heidi van de Vijver (Bel) Equipe Ebly 1.55
..
10. Liz Tadich (Aus) 5.50
Stage 4, Greiz to Saalfeld, 100 kms:
1. Edita Pucinskaite (Lit) 2.31.06
2. Hanka Kupfernagel (Ger) Greenery Hawk 2.52
3. Susanne Ljungskog (Swe)
4. Jolanta Polikeviciute (Lit)
5. Sulfia Zabirowa (Rus)
6. Dede Demet (USA) Saturn Team 3.41
Main peloton at 10.00
GC after Stage 4
1. Edita Pucinskaite (Lit) 10.37.05
2. Hanka Kupfernagel (Ger) 2.13
3. Z. Zabirowa (Rus) 2.53
4. Anna Wilson (Aus) 3.27
5. Susanne Ljungskog (Swe) 4.15
6. Heidi van de Vijver (Bel) 5.05
Australian Team Report
Obviously as you can see this afternoon's hilly stage blew the race apart,
tomorrow's final 125km stage is another hard day from Saalfield to
Zeulenroda. It has been a great build up to the Tour De Fance Feminin
later this month.
Results from Mario Stiehl, Berlin
Stage 5, Saalfield - Zeulenroda, 121 kms:
1. Anita Ljungskog (Swe) 3.10.47
2. Emily Robbins (USA)
3. Tracey Gaudry (Aus) 1.16
4. Lyne Bessette (USA) 1.23
5. Lamence Bernard (Fra) 1.25
6. Mandy Hampel (Ger) 1.28
7. Viola Müller-Paulitz (Ger)
8. Sandra Rombouts (Ned)
9. Jaqueline Brabanetz (Ger) 1.32
10. Hanka Kupfernagel (Ger) 1.59
Final GC
1. Edita Pucinskaite (Lit) 13.49.51
2. Anita Ljungskog (Swe) 2.06
3. Hanka Kupfernagel (Ger) 2.13
4. Sulfia Zabirowa (Rus) 2.53
5. Anna Wilson (Aus) 3.27
6. Heidi van de Vijver (Bel) 5.05
7. Deidre Mement (USA) 5.38
8. Jolanta Polikeviciute (Lit) 9.26
9. Marika Murer (Sui) 10.42
10. Barbara Heeb (Sui) 12.46
..
12. Liz Tadich (Aus)
19. Tracey Gaudry (Aus)