Photos

3rd Primavera Rosa (CDM)

Italy, March 24, 2001

Solo win to Ljungskog

By Gerard Knapp

Swedish rider Susanne Ljungskog (Vlaanderen-T-Interim) has won the third edition of La Primavera Rosa, 118 kilometres from Varrezze to San Remo. "My aim was to win today," she told cyclingnews.com after the finish. "I attacked 200 metres from the top of Poggio and then continued it on the descent."

The Swedish rider built up a lead of nearly 100 metres in her last-minute attack in the 53x16 on the Poggio, and then extended the lead by another 100 metres with an extremely rapid descent. Behind her, the bunch was in disarray. "I am a good downhiller," she said of her descending skills.

The Primavera got off to a nervous start with several crashes and riders coming down on the road and then a succession of attacks which never really established a serious lead. Ljungskog stayed in the bunch and waited for the main field to pull the break in by the foot of the Poggio. "I was sitting in the group and told myself 'just be cool'. I had a plan today to go at the end of the climb of the Poggio, and it worked very well."

"We have a good team and today Heidi Van De Vijver was doing a lot of work for me. I did not really see any of the Italians or Lithuanians making any big breaks."

Ljungskog said she had been training all winter in Sweden with a view to the Primavera and came into the race in excellent form, although she had been feeling alittle sick earlier in the week "and I was not sure how I would go today". The Swede said her winter training regime of riding an MTB and running in the snow had prepared her well for the season, and she's now looking forward to the Fleche Wallonne and the Montreal rounds of the World Cup.

Mirjam Melchers (Acca Due O) won the bunch sprint to finish second for the third time in a row in a World Cup. She now has an equal number of points as World Cup leader, Anna Millward.

Results - 118 km

1 Suzanne Ljungskog (Swe) Vlaanderen-T Interim    2.51.34 (41.27 km/h)
2 Mirjam Melchers (Ned) Acca Due O-HP-Lorena         0.05
3 Sara Felloni (Ita) Alfa Lum RSM
4 Zinaida Stahurskaia (Blr) GAS Sport
5 Chantal Beltman (Ned) Dutch National Team
6 Heidi Van De Vijver (Bel) Vlaanderen-T Interim
7 Madeleine Lindberg (Swe) Farm Frites-Hartol
8 Nicole Brandli (Swi) Edil Savino
9 Edita Pucinskaite (Ltu) Alfa Lum RSM
10 Fabiana Luperini (Ita) Edil Savino
11 Giovanna Troldi (Ita) Acca Due O-HP-Lorena
12 Simona Parente (Ita) Edil Savino
13 Jenny Algelid (Swe) Nurnberger
14 Priska Doppmann (Swi) Acca Due O-HP-Lorena
15 Sandra Wampfler (Swi) CA Mantes la Ville-78
16 Margaret Hemsley (Aus) Farm Frites-Hartol
17 Severine Desbouys (Fra) GAS Sport
18 Joane Somarriba Arrola (Spa) Alfa Lum RSM          0.33
19 Fany Lecourtois (Fra) Alfa Lum RSM
20 Marcia Eicher-Vouets (Swi) Carpe Diem-Itera        0.41
21 Marianna Lorenzoni (Ita) Aliverti-Immobiliare Luca 1.11
22 Lara Ruthven (USA) Carpe Diem-Itera                1.32
23 Youlia Martisova (Rus) Russian National Team
24 Daniela Veronesi (Ita) Alfa Lum RSM                1.52
25 Cindy Pieters (Bel) Vlaanderen-T Interim
26 Andrea Purner (Aut) Nurnberger                     2.27
27 Vanja Vonckx (Bel) Vlaanderen-T Interim
28 Vera Hohlfeld (Ger) Acca Due O-HP-Lorena
29 Monica Valen (Nor) SponsorService
30 Lisbeth Simper (Den) Lolland-Falster
31 Sara Symington (GBr) British National Team
32 Katia Longhin (Ita) Acca Due O-HP-Lorena
33 Tanja Hennes (Ned) Ondernemers Van Nature
34 Hanka Kupfernagel (Ger) Farm Frites-Hartol
35 Gitana Gruodyte (Ltu) Rosa Dei Venti
36 Cybil Diguistini (Can) CA Mantes la Ville-78
37 Wenche Stensvold (Nor) SponsorService
38 Melanie Sears (GBr) British National Team
39 Sandrine Marcuz (Fra) CA Mantes la Ville-78
40 Lotte Schmidt (Den) Danish National Team
41 Vera Carrara (Ita) Carpe Diem-Itera
42 Roberta Bonanomi (Ita) GAS Sport
43 Solrun Flatas (Nor) SponsorService
44 Jirina Frantikova (Cze) Czech Republic National Team
45 Alessandra Cappellotto (Ita) GAS Sport
46 Fatima Blazquez Lozano (Spa) Michela Fanini Record Rox
47 Natalia Boyarskaya (Rus) Russian National Team
48 Jorunn Kvalo (Nor) SponsorService
49 Rosalisa Lapomarda (Ita) Rosa Dei Venti
50 Debby Mansveld (Ned) Vlaanderen-T Interim          2.33
51 Yvonne Brunen (Ned) Farm Frites-Hartol
52 Frances Newstead (GBr) British National Team
53 Evy Van Damme (Bel) Vlaanderen-T Interim
54 Olga Slioussareva (Rus) Carpe Diem-Itera           2.52
55 Isabella Wieser (Aut) Austrian National Team
56 Annette Beutler (Swi) Swiss National Team
57 Neringa Raudonyte (Ltu) Rosa Dei Venti
58 Svetlana Boubnenkova (Rus) Edil Savino
59 Marielle Van Scheppingen (Ned) Dutch National Team
60 Marion Brauen (Swi) Swiss National Team
61 Anna Skawinska (Pol) Ukrainian National Team
62 Rosa Maria Bravo Soba (Spa) Bik-Toscany
63 Julie Pekarkova (Cze) Czech Republic National Team
64 Marieke Haverdings (Spa) Bik-Toscany
65 Elena Tchalykh (Rus) Russian National Team
66 Sonia Rocca (Ita) Edil Savino
67 Ghita Beltman (Ned) Dutch National Team
68 Sandra Rombouts (Ned) Ondernemers Van Nature
69 Inge Velthuis (Ned) Dutch National Team
70 Kerstin Scheitle (Ger) Nurnberger
71 Alexandra Nohles (Ger) Nurnberger
72 Mari Holden (USA) Alfa Lum RSM
73 Diana Ziliute (Ltu) Acca Due O-HP-Lorena
74 Regina Schleicher (Ger) Michela Fanini Record Rox
75 Olena Budovitska (Ukr) Ukrainian National Team
76 Silvia Parietti (Ita) GAS Sport                    3.22
77 Areke Hassink (Ned) Ondernemers Van Nature
78 Claudia Marietta (Ita) Michela Fanini Record Rox
79 Elena Malomoura (Rus) Russian National Team        3.27
80 Gabriella Pregnolato (Ita) GAS Sport
81 Sofie Andersson (Swe) Lolland-Falster
82 Birgit Sollner (Ger) Nurnberger                    7.28
83 Francis Lindthorst (Ned) Ondernemers Van Nature
84 Elisabeth Chevanne-Brunel (Fra) CA Mantes la Ville-78
85 Valentina Karpenko (Ukr) Ukrainian National Team
86 Sanne Schmidt (Den) Danish National Team
87 Laura Charameda (Ita) Michela Fanini Record Rox
88 Susan Carter (GBr) British National Team
89 Cecilie Christiansen (Den) Lolland-Falster         7.36
90 Denise Baumann (Swi) Swiss National Team
91 Josephine Groenveld (Spa) Bik-Toscany
92 Florinda Neri (Ita) Rosa Dei Venti
93 Emelle Ohrstig (Swe) Rosa Dei Venti
94 Rikke Sandhoj Olsen (Den) Ondernemers Van Nature
95 Karin Gruber (Aut) Austrian National Team
96 Lenie Dijkstra (Spa) Bik-Toscany
97 Eneritz Iturriaga (Spa) Bik-Toscany
98 Emmanuelle Farcy (Fra) CA Mantes la Ville-78
99 Ruth Moll Marques (Spa) Bik-Toscany

World Cup standings after round 3

                                                      #1   #2   #3   Total
1 Anna Millward (Aus) Saturn-Timex                    75   75    -    150
2 Mirjam Melchers (Ned) Acca Due O-HP-Lorena Camicie  50   50   50    150
3 Sara Felloni (Ita) Alfa Lum R.S.M.                  30   11   35     76
4 Susanne Ljungskog (Swe) Vlaanderen-T-Interim         -    -   75     75
5 Zinaida Stahurskaia (Blr) Gas Sport Team             8   35   30     73
6 Sarah Ulmer (NZl) Autotrader.com                    18   27    -     45
7 Rochelle Gilmore (Aus) AIS                          35    -    -     35
8 Alison Wright (Aus) AIS                             27    7    -     34
9 Mari Holden (USA) Alfa Lum R.S.M.                    9   24    -     33
10 Priska Doppmann (Swi) Acca Due O-HP-Lorena Camicie 15   10    7     32
11 Sara Carrigan (Aus) AIS                             -   30    -     30
12 Chantal Beltman (Ned) Gas Sport Team                -    -   27     27
13 Giovanna Troldi (Ita) Acca Due O-HP-Lorena Camicie  -   15   10     25

14 Heidi Van De Vijver (Bel) Vlaanderen-T-Interim      -    -   24     24
15 Miho Oki (Jpn) Japan                               24    -    -     24
16 Madeleine Lindberg (Swe) Farm Frites-Hartol         -    -   21     21
17 Vera Hohlfeld (Ger) Acca Due O-HP-Lorena Camicie    -   21    -     21
18 Bridget Evans (Aus)                                21    -    -     21
19 Rosalind Reekie-May (NZl) New Zealand              10    9    -     19
20 Nicole Brandli (Swi) Edilsavino                     -    -   18     18
21 Elisabeth Tadich (Aus)                              -   18    -     18
22 Edita Pucinskaite (Ltu) Alfa Lum R.S.M.             -    -   15     15
23 Melissa Holt (NZl) New Zealand                      5    8    -     13
24 Fabiana Luperini (Ita) Edilsavino                   -    -   11     11
25 Lara Ruthven (USA) Carpe Diem-Itera                 6    5    -     11
26 Susy Pryde (NZl) Autotrader.com                    11    -    -     11
27 Simona Parente (Ita) Edilsavino                     -    -    9     9
28 Jenny Algelid (Swe) Equipe Nürnberger               -    -    8     8
29 Hayley Rutherford (Aus) AIS                         7    -    -     7
30 Sandra Wampfer (Swi) C.A. Mantes La Ville 78        -    -    6     6
31 Kim Shirley (Aus) AIS                               -    6    -     6
32 Anke Erlank (RSA) Saturn-Timex                      3    3    -     6
33 Margaret Hemsley (Aus) Farm Frites-Hartol           -    -    5     5
34 Severine Desbouys (Fra) Gas Sport Team              -    -    4     4
35 Luisiana Pegoraro (Ita) Carpe Diem-Itera            -    4    -     4
36 Emma James (Aus)                                    4    -    -     4
37 Joane Somarriba Arrola (Spa) Alfa Lum R.S.M.        -    -    3     3
38 Fanny Lecourtois (Fra) Alfa Lum R.S.M.              -    -    2     2
39 Katie Mactier (Aus)                                 -    2    -     2
40 Vera Carrara (Ita) Carpe Diem-Itera                 2    -    -     2
41 Marcia Eicher-Vouets (Swi) Carpe Diem-Itera         -    -    1     1
42 Tatiana Stiajkina (Ukr) Alfa Lum R.S.M.             -    1    -     1
43 Pamela Schuster (USA) Autotrader.com                1    -    -     1

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