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Grande Boucle Féminine Internationale - 2.9.1
France, August 3-17, 2003
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Stage 7 - August 9: Royat - Commentry, 118 km
Arndt takes tough stage
By Kristy Scrymgeour
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Judith Arndt (Nurnberger) won today's tough stage of Le Grande Boucle when she took out the sprint of what was left of an eight person break away that had been away from the very first kilometers of the race. Arndt's ride today moved her up one place into 5th in the General Classification, due to the fact that Olga Zabelinskaia (Velodames Colnago) missed the break.
On another 40 degree day in accordance with the heat wave that Western Europe is experiencing this week, the race was aggressive from the gun. What riders were led to believe was a short category 4 climb at the 2.8km mark, was actually a climb that continued for 5 km. A select group of climbers that included the top riders on GC made the cut stayed away for the entire 118km of racing.
In the break were Arndt, Susanne Ljungskog (Bik-Powerplate), Edita Pucinskaite (S.C. Michela Fanini Record Rox), Jolanta Polikeviciute (Team 2002 Aurora RSM), Nicole Brändli (Prato Marathon Bike), Joane Somarriba Arrola (Bizkaia Panda Spiuk Sabeco), Fabiana Luperini (Team 2002 Aurora RSM), Eneritz Iturriaga (Team 2002 Aurora RSM). Zabelinskaia was the only top-eight rider missing from the break, her place being taken by Iturriaga.
The break worked well together through the unrelenting hilly terrain until the 25km to go point. Here Ljunskog attacked and found herself away for 6km before she was caught by Arndt with Pucinskaite and Polikeviciute. The four managed to stay away from the rest of the original break for the last 14km and it was Arndt who took the sprint for her first stage win of the tour. In second place was Lungskog ahead of Pucinskaite.
Race leader Somarriba Arrola and Nicole Brandli who is sitting in second place in GC came in 36" behind the leading four, hence Somarriba holds onto the yellow jersey going into stage 8.
Tomorrow's 84.5km stage starts in Aubusson and travels to Saint-Léonard-de-Noblat. It will be another tough hilly stage. Only 50 riders remain in this race from 72 starters. Among the withdrawals are Australian Sara Carrigan (Powerplate Bik), Sonia Huguet (French National Team) and Valentina Karpenko (Velodames-Colnago).
Photography
Images by AFP Photo
- Judith Arndt (Nurnberger) leads world champion Susanne Ljungskog (Powerplate-Bik), Jolanta Polikieviciute and Eneritz Iturriaga (Team 2002) and Joane Sommariba (Bizkaia) during stage 7
- Judith Arndt (Nurnberger) triumphs in the seventh stage of La Grande Boucle
Results
1 Judith Arndt (Ger) Equipe Nürnberger Versicherung 3.05.18 2 Susanne Ljungskog (Swe) Bik-Powerplate 3 Edita Pucinskaite (Ltu) S.C. Michela Fanini Record Rox 4 Jolanta Polikeviciute (Ltu) Team 2002 Aurora RSM 0.05 5 Nicole Brändli (Swi) Prato Marathon Bike 0.36 6 Joane Somarriba Arrola (Spa) Bizkaia Panda Spiuk Sabeco 7 Fabiana Luperini (Ita) Team 2002 Aurora RSM 0.39 8 Eneritz Iturriaga (Spa) Team 2002 Aurora RSM 1.02 9 Sigrid Corneo (Ita) Road Runner - Guerciotti Cycling Team 9.18 10 Katrina Grove (USA) Team S.A.T.S 11 Luisa Tamanini (Ita) Team 2002 Aurora RSM 12 Rasa Polikeviciute (Ltu) Team 2002 Aurora RSM 13 Olga Zabelinskaia (Rus) Velodames-Colnago 14 Nataliya Kachalka (Ukr) Team 2002 Aurora RSM 15 Marianna Lorenzoni (Ita) Team Catalunya-Aliverti-Kookai 16 Zoulfia Zabirova (Rus) Road Runner - Guerciotti Cycling Team 9.25 17 Francesca Castrucci (Ita) Prato Marathon Bike 24.40 18 Nadia Triquet (Fra) French National Team 19 Corinne Sempe (Fra) French National Team 20 Tatiana Stiajkina (Ukr) Velodames-Colnago 21 Lisbeth Simper (Den) S.C. Michela Fanini Record Rox 22 Elisabeth Chevanne Brunel (Fra) Les Pruneaux d'Agen 23 Emma James (Aus) Les Pruneaux d'Agen 24 Ioulia Martissova (Rus) Bizkaia Panda Spiuk Sabeco 25 Anita Valen (Nor) Bik-Powerplate 26 Tina Liebig (Ger) S.C. Michela Fanini Record Rox 27 Sabrina Emmasi (Ita) Prato Marathon Bike 28 Francis Linthorst (Ned) Bik-Powerplate 29 Birgit Söllner (Ger) Equipe Nürnberger Versicherung 30 Youlia Razenkova (Rus) Velodames-Colnago 31 Volha Hayeva (Rus) Velodames-Colnago 32 Kirsty Robb (NZl) Bik-Powerplate 33 Montserrat Alonso Bernal (Spa) Team Catalunya-Aliverti-Kookai 34 Margaret Hemsley (Aus) Equipe Nürnberger Versicherung 35 Magalie Finot Laivier (Fra) French National Team 36 Alison Wright (Aus) Road Runner - Guerciotti Cycling Team 37 Ghita Beltman (Ned) Bizkaia Panda Spiuk Sabeco 24.56 38 Mette Andreasen Fischer (Den) Team S.A.T.S 36.30 39 Helen Kelly (Aus) Team S.A.T.S 40 Erika Vilunaite (Ltu) Prato Marathon Bike 41 Christina Peick Andersen (Den) Team S.A.T.S 42 Karine Dalmais (Fra) French National Team 43 Stefani Kortekaas (Ned) Bik-Powerplate 44 Trine Hansen (Den) Team S.A.T.S 45 Baukje Doedee (Ned) Team Catalunya-Aliverti-Kookai 46 Giovanna Troldi (Ita) Les Pruneaux d'Agen 47 Letizia Giardinelli (Ita) S.C. Michela Fanini Record Rox 48 Irene Puccioni (Ita) Prato Marathon Bike 49 Azucena Sanchez (Spa) Team Catalunya-Aliverti-Kookai 50 Sylvie Riedle (Fra) Les Pruneaux d'Agen 51 Petra Rossner (Ger) Equipe Nürnberger Versicherung 52 Madeleine Lindberg (Swe) Equipe Nürnberger Versicherung 53 Iosune Murillo Elkano (Spa) Bizkaia Panda Spiuk Sabeco 54 Meredith Miller (USA) Team S.A.T.S 55 Cristina Alcalde Huertanos (Spa) Bizkaia Panda Spiuk Sabeco DNF Sara Carrigan (Aus) Bik-Powerplate DNF Sonia Huguet (Fra) French National Team DNF Valentina Karpenko (Ukr) Velodames-Colnago DNF Emanuela Brigati (Ita) Road Runner - Guerciotti Cycling Team General classification after stage 7 1 Joane Somarriba Arrola (Spa) Bizkaia Panda Spiuk Sabeco 19.57.00 2 Nicole Brändli (Swi) Prato Marathon Bike 2.01 3 Fabiana Luperini (Ita) Team 2002 Aurora RSM 3.36 4 Edita Pucinskaite (Ltu) S.C. Michela Fanini Record Rox 6.20 5 Judith Arndt (Ger) Equipe Nürnberger Versicherung 10.09 6 Jolanta Polikeviciute (Ltu) Team 2002 Aurora RSM 10.42 7 Susanne Ljungskog (Swe) Bik-Powerplate 10.59 8 Olga Zabelinskaia (Rus) Velodames-Colnago 12.50 9 Eneritz Iturriaga (Spa) Team 2002 Aurora RSM 23.27 10 Rasa Polikeviciute (Ltu) Team 2002 Aurora RSM 25.15 11 Marianna Lorenzoni (Ita) Team Catalunya-Aliverti-Kookai 27.44 12 Luisa Tamanini (Ita) Team 2002 Aurora RSM 28.37 13 Katrina Grove (USA) Team S.A.T.S 29.26 14 Nataliya Kachalka (Ukr) Team 2002 Aurora RSM 39.24 15 Tina Liebig (Ger) S.C. Michela Fanini Record Rox 39.36 16 Tatiana Stiajkina (Ukr) Velodames-Colnago 42.01 17 Elisabeth Chevanne Brunel (Fra) Les Pruneaux d'Agen 44.52 18 Anita Valen (Nor) Bik-Powerplate 50.15 19 Emma James (Aus) Les Pruneaux d'Agen 54.08 20 Sigrid Corneo (Ita) Road Runner - Guerciotti Cycling Team 55.51 21 Ioulia Martissova (Rus) Bizkaia Panda Spiuk Sabeco 58.52 22 Zoulfia Zabirova (Rus) Road Runner - Guerciotti Cycling Team 1.02.55 23 Lisbeth Simper (Den) S.C. Michela Fanini Record Rox 1.04.03 24 Karine Dalmais (Fra) French National Team 1.08.59 25 Nadia Triquet (Fra) French National Team 1.11.04 26 Margaret Hemsley (Aus) Equipe Nürnberger Versicherung 1.23.54 27 Volha Hayeva (Rus) Velodames-Colnago 1.41.34 28 Ghita Beltman (Ned) Bizkaia Panda Spiuk Sabeco 1.50.37 29 Giovanna Troldi (Ita) Les Pruneaux d'Agen 1.51.22 30 Mette Andreasen Fischer (Den) Team S.A.T.S 1.53.12 31 Youlia Razenkova (Rus) Velodames-Colnago 1.54.04 32 Magalie Finot Laivier (Fra) French National Team 1.58.46 33 Birgit Söllner (Ger) Equipe Nürnberger Versicherung 1.58.59 34 Sabrina Emmasi (Ita) Prato Marathon Bike 2.02.21 35 Corinne Sempe (Fra) French National Team 2.06.53 36 Erika Vilunaite (Ltu) Prato Marathon Bike 2.08.58 37 Trine Hansen (Den) Team S.A.T.S 2.17.44 38 Sylvie Riedle (Fra) Les Pruneaux d'Agen 2.18.23 39 Francis Linthorst (Ned) Bik-Powerplate 2.20.28 40 Meredith Miller (USA) Team S.A.T.S 2.22.19 41 Alison Wright (Aus) Road Runner - Guerciotti Cycling Team 2.22.56 42 Christina Peick Andersen (Den) Team S.A.T.S 2.24.15 43 Irene Puccioni (Ita) Prato Marathon Bike 2.26.35 44 Francesca Castrucci (Ita) Prato Marathon Bike 2.26.47 45 Helen Kelly (Aus) Team S.A.T.S 2.36.05 46 Montserrat Alonso Bernal (Spa) Team Catalunya-Aliverti-Kookai 2.41.04 47 Letizia Giardinelli (Ita) S.C. Michela Fanini Record Rox 2.43.10 48 Kirsty Robb (NZl) Bik-Powerplate 2.43.38 49 Azucena Sanchez (Spa) Team Catalunya-Aliverti-Kookai 2.46.30 50 Stefani Kortekaas (Ned) Bik-Powerplate 2.56.44 51 Baukje Doedee (Ned) Team Catalunya-Aliverti-Kookai 3.04.28 52 Cristina Alcalde Huertanos (Spa) Bizkaia Panda Spiuk Sabeco 3.09.42 53 Madeleine Lindberg (Swe) Equipe Nürnberger Versicherung 3.11.33 54 Iosune Murillo Elkano (Spa) Bizkaia Panda Spiuk Sabeco 3.16.37 55 Petra Rossner (Ger) Equipe Nürnberger Versicherung 3.19.34 Mountains classification 1 Fabiana Luperini (Ita) Team 2002 Aurora RSM 54 pts 2 Joane Somarriba Arrola (Spa) Bizkaia Panda Spiuk Sabeco 49 3 Nicole Brändli (Swi) Prato Marathon Bike 47 4 Tatiana Stiajkina (Ukr) Velodames-Colnago 23 5 Jolanta Polikeviciute (Ltu) Team 2002 Aurora RSM 21 6 Edita Pucinskaite (Ltu) S.C. Michela Fanini Record Rox 18 7 Olga Zabelinskaia (Rus) Velodames-Colnago 18 8 Rasa Polikeviciute (Ltu) Team 2002 Aurora RSM 17 9 Susanne Ljungskog (Swe) Bik-Powerplate 16 10 Judith Arndt (Ger) Equipe Nürnberger Versicherung 13 U23 classification 1 Nicole Brändli (Swi) Prato Marathon Bike 19.59.01 2 Olga Zabelinskaia (Rus) Velodames-Colnago 10.49 3 Eneritz Iturriaga (Spa) Team 2002 Aurora RSM 21.26 4 Luisa Tamanini (Ita) Team 2002 Aurora RSM 26.36 5 Tina Liebig (Ger) S.C. Michela Fanini Record Rox 37.35 6 Volha Hayeva (Rus) Velodames-Colnago 1.39.33 7 Mette Andreasen Fischer (Den) Team S.A.T.S 1.51.11 8 Erika Vilunaite (Ltu) Prato Marathon Bike 2.06.57 9 Alison Wright (Aus) Road Runner - Guerciotti Cycling Team 2.20.55 10 Irene Puccioni (Ita) Prato Marathon Bike 2.24.34
