Elite women's Road Race

Saturday, October 14, 2000, 13:45

The local time in Plouay is

Plouay: Circuit Jean Yves-Perron, 127.4 km (9 laps)

Preview    Start List    Route Description    Profile    Results

Preview

The big question in this year's elite women's road race is whether anyone can beat the powerful Lithuanian team again. Last year, Edita Pucinskaite and Diana Ziliute sandwiched Australian Anna Wilson for the Gold and Bronze medals. This time around, they have a team of seven with Ziliute and Pucinskaite reinforced by the Polikeviciute twins Rasa and Jolanta, with Zita Urbonaite as excellent back up.

The Australians in contrast will be without their lynchpin Wilson, who is instead focussing her energies on an attempt on the women's hour record next week. Led by Tracey Gaudry and former World's silver medallist, Elisabeth Tadich, they will have their work cut out keeping the Lithuanians in check. However, the World Championships always brings surprises at the end of the season, with many riders not being able to hold their form.

Tatiana Stiajkina and Valentyna Karpenko head a solid Ukrainian team, with enough power to match any of the top teams. Italy will only have one of the Cappellotto sisters - Valeria - after Alessandra pulled out with injury. With Gabriella Pregnolato and Roberta Bonanomi they have a chance, but only if the field stays together enough for a sprint.

Russian hopes will be Svetlana Boubnenkova and Olga Khortova, but the French are expected to do well with Jeannie Longo-Ciprelli, Séverine Desbouys, Géraldine Loewenguth, Elisabeth Chevanne-Brunel and Cathy Marsal.

Lyne Bessette leads a reasonably strong Canadian outfit, while the Dutch team will be relying on Mirjam Melchers who should be at home on this type of circuit. In the absence of Leontien Zijlaard-Van Moorsel, Melchers will have to rely on her own strengths and her team of Chantal and Ghita Beltman, Mirella Van Melis, Yvonne Brunen, and Arenda Grimberg.

The Swedes will be trying to do something with Susanne Ljungskog and Madeleine Lindberg, while USA will bring their Olympic team (Nicole Freedman, Mari Holden and Karen Kurreck) with some extra support to try and snare a medal in the road race.

Great Britain have been strong all season, with Ceris Gilfillan, Sarah Symington and Yvonne McGregor all dangerous riders. Finally, Germany's firepower has been dented by the withdrawal of Hanka Kupfernagel after the TT, but Judith Arndt and perhaps Trixi Worrack may be able to do something.

Start List

1 Edita Pucinskaite (Ltu)
2 Gitana Gruodyte (Ltu)
3 Edita Kubelskiene (Ltu)
4 Jolanta Polikeviciute (Ltu)
5 Rasa Polikeviciute (Ltu)
6 Zita Urbonaite (Ltu)
7 Diana Ziliute (Ltu)
8 Sara Carrigan (Aus)
9 Tracey Gaudry (Aus)
10 Margaret Hemsley (Aus)
11 Hayley Rutherford (Aus)
12 Kym Shirley (Aus)
13 Elisabeth Tadich (Aus)
14 Alison Wright (Aus)
15 Iryna Chuzhynova (Ukr)
16 Nataliya Kachalka (Ukr)
17 Valentyna Karpenko (Ukr)
18 Oksana Saprykina (Ukr)
19 Tatiana Stiajkina (Ukr)
20 Roberta Bonanomi (Ita)
21 Valeria Cappellotto (Ita)
22 Alessandra D'Ettore (Ita)
23 Sara Felloni (Ita)
24 Simona Parente (Ita)
25 Gabriella Pregnolato (Ita)
26 Svetlana Boubnenkova (Rus)
27 Olga Khortova (Rus)
28 Ioulia Martissova (Rus)
29 Youlia Razenkova (Rus)
30 Fatima Blazquez Lozano (Spa)
31 Rosa Maria Bravo Soba (Spa)
32 Maria Mercedes Cagigas Amedo (Spa)
33 Ruth Martinez Gomez (Spa)
34 Teodora Ruano Sanchon (Spa)
35 Elisabeth Chevanne-Brunel (Fra)
36 Séverine Desbouys (Fra)
37 Géraldine Loewenguth (Fra)
38 Jeannie Longo-Ciprelli (Fra)
39 Catherine Marsal (Fra)
40 Laurence Restoin (Fra)
41 Nicole Brändli (Swi)
42 Priska Doppmann (Swi)
43 Marcia Eicher-Vouets (Swi)
44 Marika Murer (Swi)
45 Yvonne Schnorf (Swi)
46 Sandra Wampfler (Swi)
47 Lyne Bessette (Can)
48 Erin Carter (Can)
49 Cybil Di Guistini (Can)
50 Sandy Espeseth (Can)
51 Melanie Mcquaid (Can)
52 Susan Palmer (Can)
53 Anne Samplonius (Can)
54 Chantal Beltman (Ned)
55 Ghita Beltman (Ned)
56 Yvonne Brunen (Ned)
57 Arenda Grimberg (Ned)
58 Mirjam Melchers (Ned)
59 Mirella Van Melis (Ned)
60 Lensy Debboudt (Bel)
61 Veerle Ingels (Bel)
62 Cindy Pieters (Bel)
63 Evy Van Damme (Bel)
64 Heidi Van De Vijver (Bel)
65 Ronel Van Wyk (RSA)
66 Jenny Algelid (Swe)
67 Madeleine Lindberg (Swe)
68 Susanne Ljungskog (Swe)
69 Emelie Öhrstig (Swe)
70 Zlatica Gavlakova (Svk)
71 Deirdre Demet-Barry (USA)
72 Nicole Freedman (USA)
73 Mari Holden (USA)
74 Karen Kurreck (USA)
75 Lara Ruthven (USA)
76 Kimberly Smith (USA)
77 Fatma Galiullina (Uzb)
78 Andrea Graus (Aut)
79 Geraldine Gill (Irl)
80 Claudia Saintagne (Bra)
81 Janildes Silva (Bra)
82 Agnes Kay Eppers (Bol)
83 Caroline Alexander (GBr)
84 Susan Carter (GBr)
85 Ceris Gilfillan (GBr)
86 Yvonne Mcgregor (GBr)
87 Melanie Sears (GBr)
88 Sarah Symington (GBr)
89 Ingunn Bollerud (Nor)
90 Solrun Flataas (Nor)
91 Ragnhild Kostöl (Nor)
92 Jorunn Kvalö (Nor)
93 Wenche Stensvold (Nor)
94 Monica Valen (Nor)
95 Paulina Brzezna (Pol)
96 Beata Jasinska (Pol)
97 Bogumila Matusiak (Pol)
98 Anna Skawinska (Pol)
99 Monika Tyburska (Pol)
100 Zinaida Stahurskaia (Blr)
101 Valiantsina Vaulchok (Blr)
102 Alexandra Ka Wah Yeung (HKg)
103 Judith Arndt (Ger)
104 Vera Hohlfeld (Ger)
105 Simone Klewitz (Ger)
106 Tina Liebig (Ger)
107 Bettina Schöke (Ger)
108 Trixi Worrack (Ger)
109 Miho Oki (Jpn)
110 Ayumu Otsuka (Jpn)
111 Sanna Lehtimäki (Fin)

Route Description

What a great, classic road world's circuit; a tough, technical and unpredictable parcours that will crown worthy champions. Named after Jean-Yves Perron, the organizer of the Grand Prix de l'Ouest, it's a 14.150 km tour through the arriere-pays of Morbihan. The parcours heads southeast with a tailwind right away, up the fast first climb, a côte of 1.5km long and 6% average grade, with the last 300m to Le Harras steeper at 8% gradient. Here's where the attacks will start on Circuit Perron after 2.2 km. This is followed by a short descent, then another quick leg-sapping climb of 300m at 10%.

After a tight technical descent through Kerscoulic and Questenen to Poulhibet, the third and perhaps most crucial climb of Circuit Perron heads towards the finish in Plouay. With 3.5km to go, the final cote is a wide-open, windy 1.5km haul with an average gradient of 8%. When counter-moves get away on the second climb and the descent to Poulhibet, the chasers will feel empowered to bring them back up the final climb. Once the last climb is crested, there are 2.15 km to go on a fast, rolling tailwind section to the finish. Beware, the final 1 km is downhill for much of the way, with a tricky uphill finish that may be difficult to judge.

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