GP Suisse Féminin - CDMOberembrach, Switzerland, September 3, 20001999 Results Results Preview Past Winners Ziliute sneaks homeFor the third time in a row, the women's World Cup finale was held in Switzerland at Oberembrach, situated 2 kilometres from Embrach and 20 km outside of Zurich. It was just one day after the final stage of the Tour de Suisse Féminin, and on the very same tough circuit of 21.5 kilometres, but one lap longer. The circuit was contains in the first half of a lap two hills, one of 2 kilometres with the steepest parts at 15 %. The race was shortened by one lap, from originally seven to six, as the start was not held at Oberembrach, but as Novum at Zurich Airport nearby Kloten. The start was neutralized and the race went for 8 kilometres across the runways of the airport before entering the course proper. Throughout the first two laps, the bunch of 61 riders stayed mainly together. In the third lap, just as it started to rain, several groups attacked and formed a leading group of 24 riders. However, one lap later on the fourth climb to Sunnenbühl, Pia Sundstedt and Fabiana Luperini, both of the Italian Gas Team, attacked to take the lead. They were followed by a group of seven (Brändli, A. Cappellotto, Pieters, Ljungskog, Melchers, R. Polikeviciute and World Cup leader Ziliute). 20 kilometres later the duo of Sundstedt and Luperini were two minutes clear ahead and there were no doubts when the finishing sprint came. As expected Luperini gave the victory to Sundstedt, as she had the possibility of becoming the final overall winner of the World Cup. However, this would only happen if Ziliute would came in lower than eighth position. Ziliute was well aware of this as she attacked from the chasing group of seven and finished as part of a trio together with Melchers and Ljungskog, nearly 4 minuts behind. With fourth place behind Melchers, the 24 year old Lithuanian Ziliute had no problems winning the women's World Cup for the second time since 1998. Ziliute took control of the World Cup leader's jersey after the 3rd race in Belgium, La Flèche Wallone, after she had won the Varazze-San Remo. Sundstedt won the GP Montreal and today added her second World Cup race win, but missed out on the final victory by just 15 points. Sundstedt also won the last stage of the Giro d'Italia. She and her teammate Luperini chose not to compete at all in the Tour de Suisse Feminine which makes Ziliutes final win all the more impressive. Mirjam Melchers deserves an honourable mention as well, as the Dutch champion came especially to Switzerland to contest the World Cup. Her final postition was third overall, continuing her highly consistent season. Report courtesy of Ernst Bretscher Results - 133.1 km1 Pia Sundstedt (Fin) GAS Sport Team 3.42.12 (35.94 km/h) 2 Fabiana Luperini (Ita) GAS Sport Team 3 Mirjam Melchers (Ned) Dutch National Team 3.46 4 Diana Ziliute (Ltu) Acca Due O-Lorena Camicie 5 Susanne Ljungskog (Swe) Farm Frites-Hartol 6 Alessandra Cappellotto (Ita) GAS Sport Team 4.37 7 Jolanta Polikeviciute (Ltu) Acca Due O-Lorena Camicie 8 Nicole Brändli (Swi) Swiss National Team 9 Cindy Pieters (Bel) Vlaanderen 2002-Ladies Team 4.42 10 Yvonne Brunen (Ned) Farm Frites-Hartol 12.51 11 Catherine Marsal (Fra) Edilsavino 12 Chantal Beltman (Ned) Dutch National Team 13 Priska Doppmann (Swi) Swiss National Team 14 Lenka Ilavska (Svk) Slovakia-Czech-Hong Kong Mixed 15 Arenda Grimberg (Ned) Dutch National Team 16 Ghita Beltman (Ned) Dutch National Team 17 Heidi Van De Vijver (Bel) Vlaanderen 2002-Ladies Team 18 Yvonne Schnorf (Swi) Swiss National Team 19 Rasa Polikeviciute (Ltu) Acca Due O-Lorena Camicie 20 Marika Murer (Swi) Luongo RW Brugg-Assos 13.25 21 Debby Mansveld (Ned) Farm Frites-Hartol 15.08 22 Mirella Van Melis (Ned) Dutch National Team 23 Sandra Wampfler (Swi) Swiss National Team 24 Marion Brauen (Swi) Swiss National Team 25 Sanna Lehtimaki (Fin) Danish-Finnish National Team 26 Francisca Rüssli (Swi) Swiss National Team 27 Mariëlle Van Scheppingen (Ned) Dutch National Team 28 Andrea Bosman (Ned) Farm Frites-Hartol 17.47 Outside time limit: Laure Werner (Bel) Vlaanderen 2002-Ladies Team Rikke Sandjoj Olsen (Den) Farm Frites-Hartol Alexandra Born (Swi) Luongo RW Brugg-Assos Julie Pekarkova (Cze) Slovakia-Czech-Hong Kong Mixed Ka Wah Yeung (Hkg) Slovakia-Czech-Hong Kong Mixed Tomoko Sekiya (Jpn) Slovakia-Czech-Hong Kong Mixed Caroline Orens (Bel) Vlaanderen 2002-Ladies Team Mirjam Senn (Swi) Luongo RW Brugg-Assos Nathalie Griggio (Swi) Luongo RW Brugg-Assos Alena Barillova (Svk) Slovakia-Czech-Hong Kong Mixed Abandons: Zoulfia Zabirova (Rus) Acca Due O-Lorena Camicie Zita Urbonaite (Ltu) Acca Due O-Lorena Camicie Tatiana Stiajkina (Ukr) Acca Due O-Lorena Camicie Valeria Cappellotto (Ita) GAS Sport Team Roberta Bonanomi (Ita) GAS Sport Team Gabriella Pregnolato (Ita) GAS Sport Team Lotte Schmidt (Den) Danish-Finnish National Team Ann Mathiesen (Den) Danish-Finnish National Team Sanne Schmidt (Den) Danish-Finnish National Team Pernile Langelund (Den) Danish-Finnish National Team Nadine Brun (Den) Danish-Finnish National Team Sigrid Corneo (Ita) Master Team-Carpe Diem-Saturn Barbara Cazzaniga (Ita) Master Team-Carpe Diem-Saturn Marcia Eicher-Vouets (Swi) Master Team-Carpe Diem-Saturn Deirdre Demet (Usa) Master Team-Carpe Diem-Saturn Karry Ellen Hellmuth (Usa) Master Team-Carpe Diem-Saturn Tania Belvederesi (Ita) Master Team-Carpe Diem-Saturn Annette Beutler (Swi) Luongo RW Brugg-Assos Alexandra Bähler (Swi) Luongo RW Brugg-Assos Valentina Polkhanova (Rus) Edilsavino Sonia Rocca (Ita) Edilsavino Sara Savino (Ita) Edilsavino Giovanna Troldi (Ita) Edilsavino Did not start: Sharon Van Essen (Ned) Farm Frites-Hartol Janette Bohmova (Svk) Slovakia-Czech-Hong Kong Mixed Final World Cup standings1 Diana Ziliute (Ltu) Acca Due O-Lorena Camicie 230 pts 2 Pia Sundstedt (Fin) Gas Sport Team 215 3 Mirjam Melchers (Ned) Dutch National Team 140 4 Chantal Beltman (Ned) Dutch National Team 122 5 Fabiana Luperini (Ita) Gas Sport Team 100 6 Susanne Ljungskog (Swe) Farm Frites-Hartol 86 7 Petra Rossner (Ger) Saturn Cycling Team 75 8 Geneviève Jeanson (Can) Canadian National Team 75 9 Anna Wilson (Aus) Saturn Cycling Team 75 10 Mirella Van Melis (Ned) Netherlands National Team 68 11 Ina Teutenberg (Ger) German National Team 68 12 Priska Doppmann (Swi) Master Team-Carpe Diem 61 13 Heidi Van De Vijver (Bel) Vlaanderen 2002-Ladies Team 58 14 Cindy Pieters (Bel) Vlaanderen 2002-Ladies Team 56 15 Yvonne Brunen (Ned) Farm Frites-Hartol 55 16 Leontien Zijlaard-Van Moorsel (Ned) Farm Frites-Hartol 50 17 Elisabeth Vink (Ned) Dutch National Team 48 18 Alessandra Cappellotto (Ita) Gas Sport Team 42 19 Arenda Grimberg (Ned) Dutch National Team 42 20 Vera Hohlfeld (Ger) Acca Due O-Lorena Camicie 41 Complete rankings
PreviewWomen's World Cup leader, Diana Ziliute (Acca Due O) will go into today's finale at Embrach, Switzerland as the clear favourite to take the overall. She currently lead's Finnish Pia Sundstedt (Gas Sport) by 60 points, and therefore needs just 16 points to clinch the win, provided that Sundstedt wins in Embrach. Ziliute came close last year but was beaten in spectacular fashion by Australia's Anna Wilson, who is not contesting the series this year. The seventh and last round of the Women's World Cup comes immediately after the women's Tour de Suisse which was won by Zulfia Zabirova for the second time this year. Ziliute was in good form however, and picked up third on the final stage while helping her teammates completely dominate the race. Acca Due O-Lorena Camicie took 1st, 2nd, 4th and 5th positions overall, as well as winning each stage and all the additional classifications save the sprint (won by Edil Savino's Giovanna Troldi). With a team like that behind her, Ziliute will find it tough to lose. The parcours in Embrach (near Zurich) is a hilly 21.5 kilometre circuit to be completed six times. However, it is a power rider's course and not a pure climber's course as Anna Wilson showed last year. With two weeks before the Olympic Games in Sydney, this race will be an important one day test for many on the start list. Past Winners1999 Anna Wilson (Aus) |