Saturday 13 October - 13:00 - Elite Women's Road Race - 121 km (10 laps)
Results & report Profile & start list
Live Report
Welcome to race two on the program today, the Elite Women's Road Race. It's held over an identical number of laps (10) as the Junior Men's race which preceded it, and should last just over three hours. Favourites today include French legend Jeannie Longo, who despite being nearly 43(!) can still win a bike race at the elite level. It won't be easy of course, with competition from rising Swiss star Nicole Brandli, who finished just 0.41 seconds behind Longo in the TT. So far, that seems to be a good predictor of the road race results.
Others to watch include Mirjam Melchers (Ned), Susanne Ljungskog (Swe), Valentyna Karpenko (Ukr - we can't ignore them!), Rasa Polikeviciute and Edita Pucinskaite (Ltu), Fabiana Luperini (Ita), Anna Millward (Aus), Judith Arndt (Ger), and Teodora Ruano (Spa).
13:20 GMT - Lap 1
It's the Russian and Ukrainian teams that lead through the start/finish
at the end of the first lap. Elena Tchalych, Valentyna Karpenko, Olga
Zabelinskaia and Tetyana Andrushchenko are all up there.
Lap 1 time: 18:31 (39.21 km/h)
13:36 GMT - Lap 2
The women have completed two of 10 laps, and so far there have been no
attacks. The pace is fairly moderate at the moment, still being controlled
by the Russians and Ukrainians.
Lap 2 time: 19:13 (37.78 km/h)
Total time: 37:44 (38.48 km/h)
13:57 GMT - Lap 3
Finnish rider Sari Saarelainen leads the still compact peloton through
for the third lap, with 36.3 kilometres covered in the race. The pace
is still fairly steady with that last lap covered in 20:03.
Lap 3 time: 20:03 (36.21 km/h)
Total time: 57:47 (37.69 km/h)
14:17 GMT - Lap 4
The women are still together. Jeannie Longo is setting the pace up the
hill but everyone is marking her closely. It's a very watchful, negative
race so far, despite the difficulty of the circuit. No-one will want to
let Longo get any kind of advantage.
Lap 4 time: 19:05 (38.04 km/h)
Total time: 1:16:52 (37.78 km/h)
14:36 GMT - Lap 5
Still no successful attacks yet, but the peloton is getting edgy. Riders
are being dropped although all the favourites are still there.
Lap 5 time: 19:18 (37.62 km/h)
Total time: 1:36:10 (37.75 km/h)
14:56 GMT - Lap 6
Italian Alessandra Cappellotto has attacked on the climb, and she is chased
by Edita Pucinskaite (Ltu) and Susanne Ljungskog (Swe). They are countered
by Ruano, then Flataas. The race is becoming a lot more active, and the
field has been whittled down to about 30. The twins, Rasa and Jolanta
Polikeviciute have got good legs today too.
Lap 6 time: 19:28 (37.29 km/h)
Total time: 1:55:38 (37.67 km/h)
15:12 GMT - Lap 7
It's still status quo, with 25-30 riders together, and Rasa is on the
front with Vera Hohlfeld and Flataas. Jeannie Longo is riding at the very
back, staying out of trouble. The last two laps will be crucial - if no-one
attacks, then there are several riders left who would love to see a bunch
sprint.
Lap 7 time: 19:39 (36.95 km/h)
Total time: 2:15:17 (37.56 km/h)
15:34 GMT - Lap 8
On the eighth lap, Longo made a big attack, reducing the group in size,
but it came back together on the descent. Still 25 or so women left. Swiss
rider Nicole Brandli was right on Longo's wheel and looks very strong
today as well.
Riders in the peloton include Lorenzoni and Luperini (Ita), Le Floch (Fra), Beltman (Ned), Hohlfeld, Kupfernagel (Ger), Holden (USA), and the entire Lithuanian outfit.
Lap 8 time: 19:16 (37.68 km/h)
Total time: 2:34:33 (37.58 km/h)
15:52 GMT - Lap 9
One lap to go in the women's road race. There was an attack on the ninth
lap by Rasa Polikeviciute. Jeannie Longo, Nicole Brandli, Susanne Ljungskog,
Edita Pucinskaite, Judith Arndt and Mirjam Melchers went with her to form
a group of seven. They have a 45 second lead on the peloton. Longo is
getting ready to attack again.
The chase is being led by Lorenzoni, but it looks as though this is the race. Others in the chase group include Cappellotto, Ziliute, Jolanta Polikeviciute, and Palmer.
Lap 9 time: 18:25 (39.42 km/h)
Total time: 2:52:58 (37.78 km/h)
16:07 GMT - Lap 10
On the last climb on lap 10, the front riders were looking at each other.
Longo attacked, dropping Brandli. Rasa Polikeviciute and Edita Pucinskaite
joined her. Brandli, Melchers, Arndt and Ljungskog are chasing at about
15 seconds.
In two kilometres, the chasers really closed it down to 5 seconds. Pucinskaite goes to the front and makes it hard. Polikeviciute wins it! Pucinskaite gets second, Longo third and Judith Arndt fourth, then Melchers, Brandli and Ljungskog. There'll be joy in Lithuania today.
Lap 10 time: 19:07 (37.98 km/h)
Total time: 3:12:05 (37.80 km/h)
Results
Unofficial 1 Rasa Polikeviciute (Ltu) 3.12.05 (37.80 km/h) 2 Edita Pucinskaite (Ltu) 3 Jeannie Longo-Ciprelli (Fra 4 Judith Arndt (Ger) 0.06 5 Mirjam Melchers (Ned) 6 Nicole Brändli (Swi) 7 Susanne Ljungskog (Swe) 8 Diana Ziliute (Ltu) 1.33 9 Alessandra Cappellotto (Ita) 10 Susan Palmer (Can)
