TQ Paper International Two Day - NE

Ireland, September 10-11, 2005

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Stage 1 - September 10: Road race, 54km

Dutch seize control on stage one

By Shane Stokes

After just one stage of the TQ Paper International Women’s Two-Day, WV Alcmaria Victrix/Plusine ICT – Netherlands duo Maxime Groenewegen and Elizabeth Braam have taken a commanding grip on the race. The Dutch duo rode away from the rest of the field on today’s opening 54 kilometre stage, bridging across to a breakaway by Orla Hendron (Team Ireland) and Linda Ringlever (Weijers Eijkhout Movingladies Groenewoud – Netherlands) on the first of nine laps, dropping Hendron and then Ringlever, then riding strongly all the way to the finish. Junior rider Groenewegen outsprinted Braam for the win with another junior, their team-mate Roxanne Knetemann, netting third 1 minute and 37 seconds later.

German rider Liane Gaffron (RG Charlottenburg Berlin) led home Julie O’Hagan (Ireland) and Ringlever for fourth, 1 second after Kneteman, while Róisin Kennedy (Boot Inn Team) finished a further second in arrears. Colette Swift (Ireland), Jessica Glasbergen (WV Alcmaria Victrix/Plusine ICT) and Jenny Fay (Team Ireland) were 1 minute and 48 seconds down in eighth, ninth and tenth respectively, while last year’s overall winner Louise Moriarty (Team Ireland) brought home the main bunch four seconds later.

“The stage didn’t go well for me,” Moriarty said. “I punctured early on, just as the two Dutch girls were going clear. The bunch was chasing hard to try to reel them in so I had a hard time getting back on. I was a bit tired after that but they were going very well anyway. Linda Ringlever, my team-mate in Holland, has been going very well so when I saw that they had dropped her, I knew it would be very hard to get them back.”

Groenewegen rode well in the recent world junior championships, placing fifth in the track scratch race. “I’ve been in good form so I expected to go well here,” she said. “I felt strong at the worlds, although I crashed in the road race. We didn’t really have a set plan today; once I was clear with Elizabeth the two of us worked very hard together. When it is your own team-mate you have a bit of an advantage in that you can really go flat out, you don’t have to hold anything back.”

“There were a few of us trying to get up to the two leaders but it was hard going,” said Julie O’Hagan, one of the main Irish hopes. “Only three of us were working and one of those was just back from the Tour of Holland, so she was pretty tired. The gap was just 20 seconds at first so that wasn’t too bad, but then it jumped to 1 minute and then a minute 20. We did what we could but the last couple of laps were pretty disorganised.”

Results

1 Maxime Groenewegen (Ned) WV Alcmaria Victrix / Plusine ICT      1.27.05
2 Elisabeth Braam (Ned) WV Alcmaria Victrix / Plusine ICT            0.02
3 Roxanne Knetemann (Ned) WV Alcmaria Victrix / Plusine ICT          1.37
4 Liane Gaffron (Ger) R G Charlottenburg                             1.38
5 Julie O'Hagan (Irl) Team Ireland
6 Linda Ringlever (Ned) Weijers Eijkhout Movingladies Groenewoud
7 Róisín Kennedy (Irl) Boot Inn Team                                 1.39
8 Colette Swift (Irl) Team Ireland                                   1.48
9 Jessica Glasbergen (Ned) WV Alcmaria Victrix / Plusine ICT
10 Jenny Fay (Irl) Team Ireland
11 Louise Moriarty (Irl) Team Ireland                                1.52
12 Daniella Moonen (Ned) Weijers Eijkhout Movingladies Groenewoud
13 Elena Eifler (Ger) R G Charlottenburg
14 Kirsten Peetoom (Ned) WV Alcmaria Victrix / Plusine ICT
15 Gillian McDarby (Irl) The Bagel Bar
16 Louise Harliwich (Irl) Boot Inn Team
17 Orla Hendron (Irl) Team Ireland
18 Yvonne Baltus (Ned) WV Alcmaria Victrix / Plusine ICT
19 Mary Brennan (Irl) Castlebar / T. F. Hotels
20 Aisling Daly (Irl) The Bagel Bar
21 Nadine Krpal (Ger) R G Charlottenburg
22 Kirsten Brooks (GBr) Abergavenny R C Bikebase/Govilon Garage
23 Peggy Kraatz (Ger) R G Charlottenburg
24 Julia Theisen (Ger) R G Charlottenburg
25 Christin Grimm (Ger) R G Charlottenburg
26 Claire Moore (GBr) Manx Viking Wheelers
27 Caitríona Jennings (Irl) Boot Inn Team                            6.30
28 Niamh Fitzgibbon (Irl) Boot Inn Team
29 Mary Mulchrone (Irl) Boot Inn Team                               13.18
30 Jean O'Connor (Irl) Boot Inn Team
31 Anouk Haantjes (Ned) Weijers Eijkhout Movingladies Groenewoud    16.06
32 Leanne McDarby (Irl) The Bagel Bar                               23.12
33 Susan O'Mara (Irl) All Systems Dublin Wheelers
34 Debs Gordon (Irl) All Systems Dublin Wheelers
35 Trix Mulder (Ned) Weijers Eijkhout Movingladies Groenewoud       23.46
36 Ieva Japertaite (Irl) The Bagel Bar                              28.59