Tour Feminin 1996

August 13 - 26

Stage 9 to Finish

Bill's Editorial Comment:

I have received a lot of emails from women complaining about the lack of coverage of women's racing on my pages. While I am sympathetic to the sentiments expressed I think the criticism is unfair. I would imagine without having done any in depth investigation that my site provides more coverage of women's racing and news than any other WWW location. Prove me wrong if you like. I put up everything that I get concerning women's cycling and you will see stories here that no international agency would pick up on.

I should add that France's premier sporting newspaper L'equipe has only given spotty coverage to France's premier women's cycling event this week. Nothing like comprehensive finish results. You are getting from my site the best there is. In general, the bias towards men's racing and news on my site is merely a reflection of the bias that the capitalist press and news agencies give it.

Index

Preview to Stage 4
Reports from the Italian Press
Stage 5 to 8
Stage 9a and 9b
Stage 10
Stage 11
Stage 12 and Final GC - Note this is the Final Stage.

Stage 9a, Puget-Theniers - Valberg, 45,8 km:

 1. Fabiana Luperini (Ita)             1.38.00 (28,040 km/h)
 2. Zulfia Zabirova (Rus)               + 1.29
 3. Rasa Polikiavichute (Lit)           + 2.43
 4. Jolanta Polikiavichute (Lit)        + 2.59
 5. Heeb (Sch)                            s.t.
 6. Bailey (Nzl)                        + 3.01
 7. Boubnenkova (Rus)                   + 3.28
 8. Van de Vijver (Bel)                 + 3.40
 9. V. Cappellotto (Ita)                + 4.08
10. A. Cappellotto (Ita)                + 4.22
------
16. Longo (Fra)                         + 5.44.

Overall after stage 9a:

 1. Fabiana Luperini (Ita)            26.52.39
 2. Jeannie Longo-Ciprelli (Fra)        + 4.17
 3. Rasa Polikiavichute (Lit)           + 5.11
 4. Jolanta Polikiavichute (Lit)        + 5.43
 5. A. Cappellotto (Ita)                + 7.25
 6. Heeb (Sch)                          + 8.40
 7. Van de Vivjer (Bel)                 +10.40
 8. Corneo (Ita)                        +11.34
 9. Messori (Fra)                       +13.00
10. Zabirova (Rus)                      +13.22.

Stage 9b, Jausiers - Vars, 27,2 km:

 1. Zulfia Zabirova (Rus)              1.01.48 (26,400 km/h)
 2. Fabiana Luperini (Ita)              + 0.30
 3. Alessandra Cappellotto (Ita)        + 0.33
 4. Rasa Polikiavichute (Lit)           + 0.41
 5. Bailey (Nzl)                        + 0.50
 6. Boubnenkova (Rus)                   + 2.04
 7. Van de Vijver (Bel)                 + 2.05
 8. Jolanta Polikiavichute (Lit)        + 2.10
 9. Kupfernagel (Ger)                   + 2.36
10. Heeb (Sch)                          + 2.46
11. Bonanomi (Ita)                      + 2.49
12. V. Cappellotto (Ita)                + 2.58
----
16. Longo (Fra)                         + 3.39

Stage 9a and 9b Reports

The stiff climb to the 1674m Valberg in the morning half stage went off as planned, but in an odd parallel with the Iseran and Galibier stage of the Tour de France, the afternoon half-stage was curtailed, losing the 2513m col de Raspaillon, 2802m col de la Bonette and the 2872m cold de Restefond. This because of a violent storm which brought hailstones, below zero temperatures and in places an icy road surface. The riders were driven to Jauziers 27.2km from the finish, with the climb to Vars-les-Claux (1913m) left as the difficulty of the day. Italian climber Fabiana Luperini was irritated by the decision and for a moment it looked as if the Italian team would withdraw. In a superb piece of gamesmanship -- aware of Longo-Ciprelli's dominance of time trialling -- the Italian directeur sportif called for Saturday's (today's) time trial to be reduced by 10km to balance the shortening of the main mountain stage. But Luperini looked to have a useful lead overall by the end of the day.

The loss to the race of the very hard col de la Bonette brings to mind the fact that it has only figured three times in the Tour de France, in 1962 and 1964, on both of which occasions Eagle of Toledo Federico Bahamontes crossed it first, and in 1993 when Scotland's Robert Millar took it on a stage that finished at Isola 2000.

Overall after stage 9b:

 1. Fabiana Luperini (Ita)            27.54.53
 2. Rasa Polikiavichute (Lit)           + 5.26
 3. Jolanta Polikiavichute (Lit)        + 7.27
 4. Longo (Fra)                         + 7.30
 5. A. Cappellotto (Ita)                  s.t.
 6. Heeb (Sch)                          +11.00
 7. Van de Vijver (Bel)                 +12.19
 8. Zabirova (Rus)                      +12.50
 9. Bailey (Nzl)                        +14.56
10. Corneo (Ita)                        +14.59

Stage 10, Guillestre - Vaujany, 125 km:

 1. Fabiana Luperini (Ita)             3.42.14 (32.47 km/h)
 2. Jolanta Polikiavichute (Lit)        + 0.20
 3. Rasa Polikiavichute (Lit)           + 0.30
 4. Roberta Bonanomi (Ita)              + 0.40
 5. Jeannie Longo-Ciprelli (Fra)        + 0.58
 6. Barbara Heeb (Sch)                  + 1.09

Overall:

 1. Fabiana Luperini (Ita)            31.36.57
 2. Rasa Polikiavichute (Lit)           + 6.02
 3. Jolanta Polikiavichute (Lit)        + 7.51
 4. Jeannie Longo-Ciprelli (Fra)        + 8.38
 5. Alessandra Cappellotto (Ita)        + 9.12
 6. Barbara Heeb (Sch)                  +12.19
 7. Heidi Van de Vijver (Bel)           +14.33
 8. Zoulfia Zabirova (Rus)              +15.37
 9. Rebecca Bailey (Nzl)                +16.25
10. Roberta Bonanomi (Ita)              +17.23

Other classifications


Teams (green-white-blue jersey):

 1. Italy      95.10.53
 2. Russia      + 35.14
 3. France      + 35.40


Best young rider (pink jersey):

 1. Sandra Rombouts (Ned)     32.18.51
 2. S. Swaervager (Fra)         + 3.58
 3. E. Klep (Ned)               + 5.45


Intermediate sprints:

 1. Debby Mansveld (Ned)                        20 pts
 2. Y. Brunen (Ned)                             15
 3. Z. Urbonaite (Lit-Team Peugeot)             13.


Best climber (blue jersey):

 1. Fabiana Luperini (Ita)                      80 pts
 2. J. Polikiavichute (Lit-Team Peugeot)        67
 3. R. Polikiavichute (Lit-Team Peugeot)        57
 4. J. Longo (Fra)                              28
 5. Zoulfia Zabirova (Rus)                      26


Points (Green jersey):

 1. Yvonne Brunen (Ned)                        130 pts
 2. A. Cappellotto (Ita)                        92
 3. J. Polikiavichute (Lit-Team Peugeot)        82
 4. Fabiana Luperini (Ita)                      68

Stage 11, Individual Time Trial in Saint Amand-Montrond, 27,2 km:

 1. Jeannie Longo-Ciprelli (Fra)         39.46 (41.03 km/h)
 2. Zoulfia Zabirova (Rus)              + 0.03
 3. Hanka Kupfernagel (Ger)             + 0.17
 4. Alessandra Cappellotto              + 0.36
 5. Alison Dunlap (Usa)                 + 0.42
 6. Mari Holden (Usa)                   + 1.16
-----
16. Fabiana Luperini (Ita)              + 3.18

Stage 12, Dammarie-les-Lys - Paris, 114,5 km

 1. Roberta Bonanomi (Ita)              2.47.31 (41,010 km/h)
 2. Natalia Boubenchtchikova (Rus)        s.t.
 3. Svetlana Bubnenkova (Rus)           + 0.24
 4. Yvonne Brunen (Ned)                   s.t.
 5. Debby Mansveld (Ned)                  s.t.
 6. Zita Urbonaite (Lit)                  s.t.

Final overall:

 1. Fabiana Luperini (Ita)            35.09.34 (1207,40 km - 34,333 km/h)
 2. Rasa Polikiavichute (Lit)           + 5.02
 3. Jeannie Longo-Ciprelli (Fra)        + 5.20
 4. Jolanta Polikiavichute (Lit)        + 6.30
 5. Alessandra Cappellotto                s.t.
 6. Zoulfia Zabirova (Rus)              +10.44
 7. Barbara Heeb (Sch)                  +12.37
 8. Heidi van de Vijver (Bel)           +13.55
 9. Roberta Bonanomi (Ita)              +14.20
10. Svetlana Bubnenkova (Rus)           +14.49
11. Hanka Kupfernagel (Ger)             +15.13

Winners Tour Feminin:

 1984: Martin (Usa)
 1985: Canins (Ita)
 1986: Canins (Ita)
 1987: Longo (Fra)
 1988: Longo (Fra)
 1989: Longo (Fra)
 1990: Marsal (Fra)
 1991: Schop (Ned)
 1992: Van Moorsel (Ned)
 1993: Van Moorsel (Ned)
 1994: Polkhanova (Rus)
 1995: Luperini (Ita)
 1996: Luperini (Ita)