5th Tour de Snowy - 2.9.1Australia, March 4-6, 2002 |
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Stage 3 - March 5: Tumut - Talbingo, 50.7 km. Start 1:00pm, finish 2:31pm
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Dam fine finish for Emma James
Melchers improves lead on the wall
By Jeff Jones in Talbingo
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25 year old Sydneysider Emma James (NSWIS-Trek) claimed a gutsy victory in the third stage of the Tour de Snowy, which finished in a short but very steep climb of the Talbingo dam wall. James saw her 1'45 advantage over the peloton shrink to just 17 seconds by the finish, as Susanne Ljungskog (Vlaanderen) and Mirjam Melchers (Netherlands) crossed the wall for second and third respectively.
Melchers actually increased her overall lead to 25 seconds, with Ljungskog moving into second ahead of Priska Doppmann. All things going smoothly, she should easily hold onto this when the race finishes tomorrow in Cooma.
The ride of the day certainly came from James, who set off in pursuit of early breakaway Sara Carrigan (AIS) as the race left Tumut. James caught Carrigan after the first mountain sprint at 14.7 kilometres, and the pair immediately began to work together and put time into the bunch.
An important factor in the success of the break was Carrigan's willingness to work for her semi-teammate (Emma normally rides with James Victor's national team), and try and move her up the general classification. At one stage, they were two minutes in front of the peloton, giving James the virtual leader's jersey.
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The lead was still 1'45 at the base of the three kilometre climb when Carrigan pulled off to finish the stage at her own pace. Behind them the bunch was gearing up (or down) for an Alpe d'Huez style sprint to the top, with all of the good riders jostling for position.
The expected challenge from Saturn did not eventuate, with Kim Bruckner and Judith Arndt not able to put any time into Melchers and Ljungskog, who were climbing more strongly today. They were the next riders to reach the top, but James was already home and hosed, riding the last kilometre along the dam wall to the finish.
"They were telling me that I had it easy and didn't have to worry, but I wasn't game to look around." said James, who used her 39x25 for the ascent. "I had a few fears that it might not come off but I'm really glad that it did. If it had been 10 seconds less, then it wouldn't have come off."
"I wouldn't have been able to hold it with the best of them up the climb. To get in an early break was really great. It wouldn't have been possible without Sara and the rest of the team."
For Melchers it was a good result, as she put time into all her main rivals. "It was difficult to control because Elsbeth [Vink] did a lot of work this morning," she said. "I knew she was not able to do that two times in one day. I only had Grimberg who did a good job but she was alone, and it is always dangerous."
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"We had luck, there were a few attacks and the speed kept going. When we came near the climb, the speed got up and everyone wanted to be in the front at the start of the climb. On the climb we caught up a lot of time because we went 100% from the bottom to the top. It was not very nice."
"I'm a little bit stiff from the fall this morning so I'm glad we made it."
"The ones who are very close to me are not the sprinters. In that case I'm pretty calm, but tomorrow morning could be dangerous...I expect a lot of attacks, especially from Saturn. They are extremely strong but up till now they've got zero, except of course for the World Cup."
Tomorrow's final day of the Tour de Snowy features a fairly easy morning stage from Adaminaby to Cooma (87.2 km) followed by an evening criterium in Cooma to finish the tour.
Photography
- A new rider - enters the peloton as the race starts in Tumut
- Sara Carrigan (AIS) - was the first to attack today
- The peloton - cross the first mountain climb, with Petra Rossner (Saturn) leading the way
- Emma James (NSWIS) - puts her head down during her early pursuit of Sara Carrigan
- Emma James - leads Sara Carrigan (AIS) during their escape
- Sara Carrigan and Emma James - ride past Blowering Dam
- Talbingo dam (stage 3 finish) - supplies much of the power for the region
- Emma James - riding across the dam wall to victory
- The view - from the top of Talbingo dam wall (stage 3)
- Emma James (NSWIS) - crosses to win stage 3, with the chasers close behind her coming across the dam wall
- Emma James - on the line
- Susanne Ljungskog (Vlaanderen) - crosses for second place in front of GC leader Mirjam Melchers
- Emma James - interviewed after the stage
- Cathy Marsal (Saturn) - chose the quickest way to cool off after the race - in Talbingo dam
Results
1 Emma James (Aus) NSWIS Trek Team 1.29.20 (34.06 km/h) 2 Susanne Ljungskog (Swe) Vlaanderen 0.17 3 Mirjam Melchers (Ned) The Netherlands 4 Kimberly Bruckner (USA) Saturn 5 Judith Arndt (Ger) Saturn 6 Priska Doppmann (Swi) International 0.21 7 Hanka Kupfernagel (Ger) Vlaanderen 8 Susie Wood (NZl) New Zealand 9 Miho Oki (Jpn) Japan 1 0.44 10 Margaret Hemsley (Aus) Australian National Team 11 Oenone Wood (Aus) Cycle Cooma 1.10 12 Emily Williams (Aus) Cycle Cooma 13 Hayley Rutherford (Aus) AIS 14 Rosalind Reekie-May (NZl) New Zealand 15 Claire Baxter (Aus) Southern Regional Team 16 Liz Tadich (Aus) AIS 17 Catherine Marsal (Fra) Saturn 18 Kym Shirley (Aus) Australian National Team 19 Nicola Bedwell (GBr) International 20 Julie Hooper (GBr) International 21 Kirstie Robb (NZl) New Zealand 22 Kimberly Anderson (USA) Cannondale USA 23 Lorain Graham (Aus) Cycle Cooma 1.23 24 Briget Evans (Aus) Cycle Cooma 25 Olivia Gollan (Aus) AIS 26 Naomi Williams (Aus) AIS 27 Ayumu Otsuka (Jpn) Japan 1 1.44 28 Nicky Solomon (NZl) New Zealand 29 Katrina Berger (USA) Cannondale USA 1.47 30 Dorothy Cowden (USA) Cannondale USA 31 Tamamo Nakamura (Jpn) Japan 1 1.51 32 Hiroko Shimada (Jpn) Japan 2 33 Amy Safe (Aus) Australian National Team 1.55 34 Jennifer Manefield (Aus) NSWIS Trek Team 1.59 35 Johanna Buick (NZl) International 2.13 36 Mari Holden (USA) Cannondale USA 2.18 37 Jessica Phillips (USA) Saturn 38 Alison Wright (Aus) AIS 39 Natalie Bates (Aus) NSWIS Trek Team 2.33 40 Kanako Nishi (Jpn) Japan 2 2.46 41 Emma Rickards (Aus) Australian National Team 2.51 42 Anna Jones-Perrin (Aus) Northern Regional Tea 3.04 43 Helen Kelly (Aus) Australian National Team 44 Heidi Van De Vijver (Bel) Vlaanderen 3.08 45 Debby Mansveld (Ned) Vlaanderen 46 Risa Sakaida (Jpn) Japan 2 47 Toni Bradshaw (NZl) New Zealand 3.40 48 Alison Urquhart (Aus) Northern Regional Team 3.46 49 Arenda Grimberg (Ned) The Netherlands 3.59 50 Vanessa Cheatley (NZl) Vlaanderen 4.24 51 Melissa Holt (NZl) New Zealand 52 Rochelle Gilmore (Aus) NSWIS Trek Team 53 Liz Hickey (Aus) Cycle Cooma 3.43 54 Kristy Scrymgeour (Aus) Saturn 4.52 55 Petra Rossner (Ger) Saturn 56 Elsbeth Vink (Ned) The Netherlands 6.08 57 Harue Kimura (Jpn) Japan 1 6.56 58 Sara Carrigan (Aus) AIS 8.06 59 Mary Lou Webb (Aus) Northern Regional Team 16.05 60 Raeleigh Tennant (Aus) Cycle Cooma 17.11 61 Esther van der Helm (Ned) The Netherlands 19.25 62 Rebecca McConnell (Aus) Southern Regional Team 63 Katie Knight (Aus) Southern Regional Team 21.13 64 Josephine Groenveld (Ned) The Netherlands 30.39 Number of starters: 64 Classified: 64 Outside time limit: 0 Mountains Climb - Cat. 2, 14.7 km 1 Sara Carrigan (Aus) AIS 6 pts 2 Emma James (Aus) NSWIS Trek Team 4 3 Petra Rossner (Ger) Saturn 3 4 Mari Holden (USA) Cannondale USA 2 5 Hanka Kupfernagel (Ger) Vlaanderen 1 Climb - Cat. 1, 49.5 km 1 Emma James (Aus) NSWIS Trek Team 10 pts 2 Mirjam Melchers (Ned) The Netherlands 8 3 Susanne Ljungskog (Swe) Vlaanderen 6 4 Kimberly Bruckner (USA) Saturn 4 5 Priska Doppmann (Swi) International 2 General classification after stage 3 1 Mirjam Melchers (Ned) The Netherlands 5.40.59 2 Susanne Ljungskog (Swe) Vlaanderen 0.25 3 Priska Doppmann (Swi) International 0.29 4 Kimberly Bruckner (USA) Saturn 0.38 5 Judith Arndt (Ger) Saturn 0.54 6 Margaret Hemsley (Aus) Australian National Team 1.05 7 Emma James (Aus) NSWIS Trek Team 1.27 8 Catherine Marsal (Fra) Saturn 1.42 9 Rosalind Reekie-May (NZl) New Zealand 1.45 10 Hanka Kupfernagel (Ger) Vlaanderen 2.21 11 Susie Wood (NZl) New Zealand 2.22 12 Miho Oki (Jpn) Japan 1 2.45 13 Hayley Rutherford (Aus) AIS 3.11 14 Kym Shirley (Aus) Australian National Team 15 Kimberly Anderson (USA) Cannondale USA 16 Kirstie Robb (NZl) New Zealand 17 Oenone Wood (Aus) Cycle Cooma 18 Olivia Gollan (Aus) AIS 3.24 19 Naomi Williams (Aus) AIS 20 Briget Evans (Aus) Cycle Cooma 21 Emily Williams (Aus) Cycle Cooma 3.35 22 Nicky Solomon (NZl) New Zealand 3.45 23 Mari Holden (USA) Cannondale USA 4.19 24 Liz Tadich (Aus) AIS 5.58 25 Alison Wright (Aus) AIS 6.39 26 Nicola Bedwell (GBr) International 6.40 27 Jessica Phillips (USA) Saturn 7.14 28 Dorothy Cowden (USA) Cannondale USA 7.17 29 Claire Baxter (Aus) Southern Regional Team 7.20 30 Jennifer Manefield (Aus) NSWIS Trek Team 8.09 31 Johanna Buick (NZl) International 8.23 32 Arenda Grimberg (Ned) The Netherlands 8.30 33 Melissa Holt (NZl) New Zealand 8.50 34 Heidi Van De Vijver (Bel) Vlaanderen 9.18 35 Ayumu Otsuka (Jpn) Japan 1 10.09 36 Katrina Berger (USA) Cannondale USA 10.28 37 Lorain Graham (Aus) Cycle Cooma 11.22 38 Amy Safe (Aus) Australian National Team 11.54 39 Emma Rickards (Aus) Australian National Team 12.50 40 Helen Kelly (Aus) Australian National Team 13.03 41 Toni Bradshaw (NZl) New Zealand 13.39 42 Hiroko Shimada (Jpn) Japan 2 14.22 43 Rochelle Gilmore (Aus) NSWIS Trek Team 14.23 44 Tamamo Nakamura (Jpn) Japan 1 15.25 45 Julie Hooper (GBr) International 16.11 46 Alison Urquhart (Aus) Northern Regional Team 19.25 47 Anna Jones-Perrin (Aus) Northern Regional Team 20.16 48 Natalie Bates (Aus) NSWIS Trek Team 23.52 49 Debby Mansveld (Ned) Vlaanderen 24.27 50 Vanessa Cheatley (NZl) Vlaanderen 25.43 51 Petra Rossner (Ger) Saturn 26.33 52 Kristy Scrymgeour (Aus) Saturn 26.49 53 Elsbeth Vink (Ned) The Netherlands 27.52 54 Sara Carrigan (Aus) AIS 29.19 55 Liz Hickey (Aus) Cycle Cooma 31.55 56 Harue Kimura (Jpn) Japan 1 33.16 57 Raeleigh Tennant (Aus) Cycle Cooma 45.23 58 Risa Sakaida (Jpn) Japan 2 47.40 59 Kanako Nishi (Jpn) Japan 2 51.51 60 Mary Lou Webb (Aus) Northern Regional Team 1.04.53 61 Esther van der Helm (Ned) The Netherlands 1.11.47 62 Katie Knight (Aus) Southern Regional Team 1.19.58 63 Rebecca McConnell (Aus) Southern Regional Team 1.26.16 64 Josephine Groenveld (Ned) The Netherlands 1.31.13 Mountain Championship 1 Mirjam Melchers (Ned) The Netherlands 24 pts 2 Emma James (Aus) NSWIS Trek Team 14 3 Priska Doppmann (Swi) International 14 4 Kimberly Bruckner (USA) Saturn 11 6 Susanne Ljungskog (Swe) Vlaanderen 9 7 Margaret Hemsley (Aus) Australian National Team 6 8 Sara Carrigan (Aus) AIS 6 9 Petra Rossner (Ger) Saturn 3 10 Rosalind Reekie-May (NZl) New Zealand 2 11 Mari Holden (USA) Cannondale USA 2 12 Hanka Kupfernagel (Ger) Vlaanderen 1 Points Champion 1 Mirjam Melchers (Ned) The Netherlands 7 pts 2 Emma James (Aus) NSWIS Trek Team 5 3 Alison Wright (Aus) AIS 5 4 Susanne Ljungskog (Swe) Vlaanderen 4 5 Priska Doppmann (Swi) International 3 6 Melissa Holt (NZl) New Zealand 3 7 Margaret Hemsley (Aus) Australian National Team 2 8 Arenda Grimberg (Ned) The Netherlands 2 9 Ayumu Otsuka (Jpn) Japan 1 1 10 Kimberly Bruckner (USA) Saturn 1