17th Tour de l'Aude Cycliste Féminin - 2.9.1

France, May 18-27, 2001

2000 results    Stage list    Preview    Start list   Past winners

The Stages

  • Prologue - May 18: Gruissan ITT, 3 km
  • Stage 1 - May 19: Coursan-Coursan, 106 km
  • Stage 2 - May 20: Rieux Minervois - Rieux Minervois, 127 km
  • Stage 3 - May 21: Lézignan-Corbières - Lézignan-Corbières, 128 km
  • Stage 4a - May 22: Lézignan Corbières - Barbaira, 40 km
  • Stage 4b - May 22: Barbaira - Castelnaudary, 69 km
  • Stage 5 - May 23: Castelnaudary - Castelnaudary ITT, 26.5 km
  • Stage 6 - May 24: Castelnaudary - Castelnaudary, 118 km
  • Stage 7a - May 25: Castelnaudary - Bram, 45 km
  • Stage 7b - May 25: Bram - Limoux, 63 km
  • Stage 8 - May 26: Limoux - Espéraza, 122 km
  • Stage 9 - May 27: Limoux - Limoux, 120 km

Preview

Click for larger image
Aussie team
Photo: © James Victor

The Tour de l'Aude women's stage race commences in Gruissan, France with a 3 kilometre individual time trial, running for 10 days, including 12 stages and half stages, finishing in Limoux on May 27.

The race was started by former men's race organiser, Jean Thomas in 1985, who was helped by Charles Anduze and Jean Dousse to put a women's race on the map in a male dominated sport. The first Tour de l'Aude was only 4 days long, held around Carcassonne.

The race has since grown to be one of the premier women's events on the UCI calendar, and it is given a 2.9.1 ranking (along with the Giro d'Italia, Grand Boucle, HP Women's Challenge, Tour de Snowy, Challange Mallorca, Gracia Cez, Giro del Trentino Alto Adige, Int. Thüringen-Rundfahrt der Frauen, and the Tour de Suisse feminin). It is now run by Jean Thomas' daughter Anne-Marie, who took over after he died, and she is supported by a team of 50 volunteers during the race.

Over the years the world's best female cyclists have competed and won the Tour de l'Aude, including Maria Canins, Jeannie Longo, Leontien Van Moorsel, Cathy Marsal, Valentina Polkhanova, Lyne Bessette and Fabiana Luperini.

This year, 12 teams of six riders will take part, including six national teams (Australia, Germany, Canada, Netherlands, Ukraine, and Morrocco(!)), and six trade teams: Vlaanderen-T-Interim, Autotrader.com, CA Mantes La Ville, Carpe Diem Itera, Sponsor Service and Ciegi.

Riders to watch for the overall GC include the world number one Anna Millward (Australia), her Saturn trade teammate Lyne Bessette (Canada), Joanne Somarriba, Fany Lecourtois and Edita Pucinskaite (Alfa Lum), Kim Smith (Autotrader.com) and German sensation Trixi Worrack.

Starting list

Canadian National Team              Australian National Team
 
1 Lyne Bessette (Can)               7 Sara Carrigan (Aus)
2 Sandy Espeseth (Can)              8 Katie Mactier (Aus)
3 Mélanie Nadeau (Can)              9 Anna Millward (Aus)
4 Susan Palmer Komar (Can)          10 Hayley Rutherford (Aus)
5 Anne Samplonius (Can)             11 Kym Shirley (Aus)
6 Erinne Willock (Can)              12 Alison Wright (Aus)
 
German National Team                Dutch National Team
 
13 Petra Rossner (Ger)              19 Chantal Beltman (Ned)
14 Judith Arndt (Ger)               20 Ghita Beltman (Ned)
15 Anna Czilwik (Ger)               21 Areke Hassink (Ned)
16 Chantal Gehrig (Ger)             22 Angela Hillenga (Ned)
17 Bettina Schöke (Ger)             23 Mirella Van Melis (Ned)
18 Trixi Worrack (Ger)              24 Mariëlle Van Scheppingen (Ned)
 
Alfa Lum Rsm                        Vlaanderen T Interim
 
25 Joane Somarriba Arrola (Spa)     31 Heidi Van De Vijver (Bel)
26 Fany Lecourtois (Fra)            32 Veronique Belleter (Bel)
27 Rasa Mazeikyte (Ltu)             33 Laure Werner (Bel)
28 Edita Pucinskaite (Ltu)          34 Susanne Ljungskog (Swe)
29 Tatiana Stiajkina (Ukr)          35 Debby Mansveld (Ned)
30 Daniela Veronesi (Ita)           36 Vanessa Cheatley (NZl)
 
Ciegi Professional Cycling Team     Autotrader.Com Cycling Team
 
37 Tetyana Andrushchenko (Ukr)      43 Julie Young (USA)
38 Valentina Gerasimova (Rus)       44 Katrina Berger (USA)
39 Valentina Karpenko (Ukr)         45 Kimberly Smith (USA)
40 Olga Kushnerevitch (Blr)         46 Susy Pryde (NZl)
42 Veranika Sharameteyeva (Pol)     47 Sarah Ulmer (NZl)
                                    48 Rochelle Gilmore (Aus)
 
C.A Mantes La Ville                 Team Sponsor Service
 
49 Magali Le Floc'h (Fra)           55 Ingunn Bollerud (Nor)
50 Elisabeth Chevanne-Brunel (Fra)  56 Catherine Marsal (Fra)
51 Emmanuelle Farcy (Fra)           57 Laurence Restoin (Fra)
52 Sandrine Marcuz (Fra)            58 Jorunn Kvalo (Nor)
53 Cybil Diguistini (Can)           59 Wenche Stensvold (Nor)
54 Sandra Wampfler (Swi)            60 Monica Valen (Nor)
 
Carpe Diem - Itera
 
61 Svetlana Samokhvalova (Rus)
62 Olga Slioussareva (Rus)
63 Youlia Martissova (Rus)
64 Olga Zabelinskaia (Rus)
65 Barbara Cazzaniga (Ita)

Past Winners

2000 Hanka Kupfernagel (Ger)    Mirjam Melchers (Ned)      Géraldine Loewenguth (Fra)
1999 Lyne Bessette (Can)        Hanka Kupfernagel (Ger)    Heidi Van de Vijver (Bel)
1998 Fabiana Luperini (Ita)     Valentina Polkhanova (Rus) Catherine Marsal (Fra)
1997 Linda Jackson (Can)        Svetlana Bubnenkova (Rus)  Heidi Van De Vijver (Bel)
1996 Aleksandra Koliaseva (Rus) Svetlana Bubnenkova (Rus)  Catherine Marsal (Fra)
1995 Valentina Polkhanova (Rus) Rasa Polikiavichute (Lit)  Svetlana Bubnenkova (Rus)
1994 Catherine Marsal (Fra)     Rasa Polikiavichute (Lit)  Alexsandra Koliaseva (Rus)
1993 Jeannie Longo (Fra)        Leontien Van Moorsel (Ned) Marion Clignet (Fra)
1992 Julie Young (USA)
1991 Leontien Van Moorsel (Ned) Catherine Marsal (Fra)     Inga Thompson (USA)
1990 Catherine Marsal (Fra)     Leontien Van Moorsel (Ned) Denise Kelly (Can)
1989 Cecile Odin (Fra)          Nadejda Kibardina (USSR)   Sara Neil (Can)
1988 Jeannie Longo (Fra)        Maria Canins (Ita)         L. Brambani (GB)
1987 Maria Canins (Ita)         Tamara Poliakova (Ukr)     Jeannie Longo (Fra)
1986 Phyllis Hines (USA)        V. Lafargue (Fra)          A. Iakovleva (USSR)
1985 Jeanette Parks (USA)