16th Tour de l'Aude - 2.9.1

France, May 5-14, 2000

The Stages

• Prologue - May 5: Gruissan ITT, 3 km
• Stage 1 - May 6: Lézignan-Corbières - Lézignan-Corbières, 128 km
• Stage 2a - May 7: Rieux-Minervois - Pic de Nore, 44km
• Stage 2b - May 7: Pradelles-Cabardès - Rieux-Minervois, 66 km
• Stage 3 - May 8: Saint-Laurent-de-la-Cabrerisse - Durban-Corbières, 127 km
• Stage 4 - May 9: Port Lauragais - Port Lauragais, 116 km
• Stage 5 - May 10: Castelnaudary ITT, 26.5 km
• Stage 6 - May 11: Castelnaudary - Castelnaudary, 122 km
• Stage 7 - May 12: Font-Romeu - Font-Romeu, 77 km
• Stage 8 - May 13: Font-Romeu - Limoux, 108 km
• Stage 9 - May 14: Limoux - Limoux, 138 km

Preview

The 10 day category 1 women's stage race, the Tour de L'Aude, commences on Friday with a 3 kilometre prologue in Gruissan in the south of France. A total of 90 riders from 15 teams will take part in the 16th edition of this race, won last year by Canada's Lyne Bessette.

The stages will traverse the Aude region, taking in roads of the Tarn, Ariège, Haute-Garonne as well as the Eastern Pyreneean resort of Font-Romeu, which marks the finish of Stage 7. Stage 2a (May 7, 44 km) will be tough, with a mountain finish at the Pic de Nore - 1211 metres high, with another 66 kilometre stage to follow on the same day.

The Tour has been running since 1985, when it was a four stage event. In 1988 it was increased to 10 days and has seen winners such as Canins, Longo, Marsal, Jackson and Luperini.

Start List

Saturn Cycling Team             Radteam Kupfernagel

1 Lyne Bessette (Can)           7 Hanka Kupfernagel (Ger) 
2 Clara Hughes (Can)            8 Lada Kozlikova (Cze) 
3 Deirdre Demet-Barry (USA)     9 Sandra Missbach (Ger) 
4 Petra Rossner (Ger)           10 Meike De Bruijn (Ned)
5 Anna Wilson (Aus)             11 Daphny Van Den Brand (Ned)
6 Kym Shirley (Aus)             12 Ita Kryjanovskaïa (Rus)

Vlaanderen 2002 Ladies Team     Lithuania

13 Heidi Van De Vijver (Bel)    19 Diana Ziliute (Ltu)
14 Cindy Pieters (Bel)          20 Jolanta Polikeviciute (Ltu)
15 Vanja Vonckx (Bel)           21 Rasa Polikeviciute (Ltu)
16 Cindy Bauwens (Bel)          22 Zita Urbonaite (Ltu)
17 Veronique Belleter (Bel)     23 Erika Vilunaite (Ltu)
18 Vanessa Cheatley (NZl)       24 Rita Narbutyte (Ltu)

Mixte 1 Canada/Australie        France

25 Sandy Espeseth (Can)         31 Géraldine Loewenguth (Fra)
26 Leigh Hobson (Can)           32 Elisabeth Chevanne Brunel (Fra)
27 Annie Gariepy (Can)          33 Laurence Restoin (Fra)
28 Cybil Di Guistini (Can)      34 Maryline Salvetat (Fra)
29 Leah Goldstein (Can)         35 Magali Le Floc'h (Fra)
30 Juanita Feldhahn (Aus)       36 Aline Camboulives (Fra)

Ukraine                         Mixte 2 Farm Frites/Timex

37 Tatiana Stiajkina (Ukr)      43 Susanne Ljungskog (Swe)
38 Tetyana Andrushchenko (Ukr)  44 Madeleine Lindberg (Swe)
39 Nataliya Kachalka (Ukr)      45 Yvonne Brunen (Ned)
40 Valetyna Karpenko (Ukr)      46 Rikka Olsen (Den)
41 Yuliya Murenka (Ukr)         47 Sanna Lehtimaki (Fin)
42 Nataliya Yuganiyk (Ukr)      48 Sharon Van Essen (Ned)

Team Aliverti Immobilione       Germany

49 Marianna Lorenzoni (Ita)     55 Judith Arndt (Ger)
                                56 Jacqueline Brabenetz (Ger)
51 Valentina Poli (Ita)         57 Vera Hohlfeld (Ger)
52 Rasa Mazeikyte (Ltu)         58 Cornélia Dreher (Ger)
                                59 Kerstin Scheitle (Ger)
54 Kristina Obrucova (Cze)      60 Ina Teutenberg (Ger)

Master Team Carpe Diem          Netherlands

61 Marcia Eicher-Vouets (Swi)   67 Chantal Beltman (Ned)
                                68 Ghita Beltman (Ned)
63 Samanta Loschi (Ita)         69 Angela Hillenga (Ned)
64 Tania Belvederesi (Ita)      70 Arenda Grimberg (Ned)
65 Claudia Marietta (Ita)       71 Mirella Van Melis (Ned)
66 Paola Bresolin (Ita)         72 Mirjam Melchers (Ned)

Russia                          Cuba

73 Zoulfia Zabirova (Rus)       79 Yoanka Gonzales (Cub)
74 Goulnara Ivanova (Rus)       80 Diana Perez (Cub)
75 Svetlana Samokhvalova (Rus)  81 Yulier Rodriguez (Cub)
76 Valentina Polkhanova (Rus)   82 Madelin Jorge (Cub)
77 Olga Slioussareva (Rus)      83 Maybis Fuentes (Cub)
78 Svetlana Boubnenkova (Rus)

Haiti

85 Evelyne Jean Paul (Hai)
86 Claudette Corvil (Hai)
87 Ivincia Pierre (Hai)
88 Vélina Monclair (Hai)
89 Sandra Dufane (Hai)
90 Vilna Isaac Clermite (Hai)

Past winners

1985 Janelle Parks (USA) 
1986 Phyllis Hines (USA)     	V. Lafargue (Fra)    	   A. Iakovleva (USSR)
1987 Maria Canins (Ita)      	Tamara Poliakova (Ukr)     Jeannie Longo (Fra)
1988 Jeannie Longo (Fra) 	Maria Canins (Ita)     	   L. Brambani (GB)
1989 Cecile Odin (Fra)       	Nadejda Kibardina (USSR)   Sara Neil (Can)
1990 Catherine Marsal (Fra)    	Leontien Van Moorsel (Ned) Denise Kelly (Can)
1991 Leontien Van Moorsel (Ned)	Catherine Marsal (Fra) 	   Inga Thompson (USA)
1992 Julie Young (USA)
1993 Jeannie Longo (Fra) 	Leontien Van Moorsel (Ned) Marion Clignet (Fra)
1994 Catherine Marsal (Fra)    	Rasa Polikiavichute (Lit)  Alexsandra Koliaseva (Rus)
1995 Valentina Polkhanova (Rus)	Rasa Polikiavichute (Lit)  Svetlana Bubnenkova (Rus)
1996 Aleksandra Koliaseva (Rus)	Svetlana Bubnenkova (Rus)  Catherine Marsal (Fra)
1997 Linda Jackson (Can)      	Svetlana Bubnenkova (Rus)  Heidi Van De Vijver (Bel)
1998 Fabiana Luperini (Ita)    	Valentina Polkhanova (Rus) Catherine Marsal (Fra)
1999 Lyne Bessette (Can)        Hanka Kupfernagel (Ger)    Heidi Van de Vijver (Bel)