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11th GP Costa Etrusca - 1.2 (W)

Italy, March 24-25, 2007

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Stage 2 - March 25: Castellina Marittima, 102km

Cooke takes another victory

Nicole Cooke (Team Raleigh Lifeforce)
Photo ©: De Cola
(Click for larger image)

Nicole Cooke (Team Raleigh Lifeforce) took an impressive victory on debut at the second GP Costa Etrusca in Italy. The Briton outpaced rival Luperini Fabiana (Menikini Gysco) in a sprint to the finish which saw her better the Italian by some seven seconds on the 102 kilometre stage.

A decisive move at the 30 kilometre mark split the field in two, with the formation of an eight rider break. The eight strong break comprised of: Fabiana Luperini (Menikini Gysco), Veronica Leal Balderas (Team Frw Gauss Rdz), Nicole Brandli and Noemi Cantele (Team Bigla), Susanne Ljungskog (Flexpoint Team), Nicole Cooke (Raleigh Lifeforce), Trixi Worrack and Eva Lutz (Equipe Nurnberger).

The breaks advantage grew to just under three minutes by the 72nd kilometre, and just 10 kilometres later the pace proved to hot to handle for Cantele, who was dropped by the bunch. Meanwhile at the front of the break Cooke, with Luperini in pursuit, were pulling away from the remaining women as they pushed hard towards the line.

"The level of the participation has been high and the formula of the two days has been demonstrated effective," noted event patron Renzo Parietti. "We are satisfied, in spite of the inclemency of the weather. Thanks to the communal administrations [as] they have believed in our plan and have accommodated us in the departures and the arrivals."

Photography

For a thumbnail gallery of these images, click here

Images by De Cola

Images by Sebastiano Cipriani/cicloweb.it

Results

1 Nicole Cooke (GBr) Raleigh Lifeforce Pro Cycling Team     2.48.53  (36.2 km/h)
2 Fabiana Luperini (Ita) Menikini - Gysko                      0.07
3 Nicole Brändli (Swi) Bigla Cycling Team                      0.08
4 Trixi Worrack (Ger) Equipe Nürnberger Versicherung           0.12
5 Noemi Cantele (Ita) Bigla Cycling Team                       0.13
6 Susanne Ljungskog (Swe) Team Flexpoint                       0.15
7 Eva Lutz (Ger) Equipe Nürnberger Versicherung                1.25
8 Verónica Leal Balderas (Mex) FRW - Gauss                     1.39
9 Monia Baccaille (Ita) Saccarelli EMU Marsciano               3.55
10 Loes Gunnewijk (Ned) Team Flexpoint