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2002 Road World Championships - CM
Hasselt-Zolder, Belgium, October 8-13, 2002
Main Page Results Start list Live report
Day 5 - October 12: Elite Women Road Race, 128km
Almost home girl makes good
By Tim Maloney in Zolder
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There aren't many women's cycling teams in Sweden, so the talented Susanne Ljungskog had to find a spot on an international team in Belgium, the Vlaanderen 2002 squad. 26 year old Ljungskog has made Belgium her home away from home for years and is used to the cold, rainy conditions that emerged on the last lap of today's Championship. The blond, blue-eyed Swedish woman from Oskarstrom in southern Sweden showed a simply brilliant stroke of opportunistic riding to bridge across to the breakaway in the last 2 km and win the sprint for the World Championship, the second ever by a Swedish woman since Marianne Berglund bagged her rainbow jersey Altenrhein, Switzerland in 1983.
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"It's so amazing, I can't believe it!" declared Ljungskog, who is coming off a win in the Giro di Toscana Femminile last month. "Today's race was so fast with a lot of attacking - I knew if I could get across (to the break) I had a good chance to win."
Already 2nd in the '02 Tour de France Feminin, Ljungskog is known as a complete rider with a fast finish. With an average speed of 42.845 km/h, this was one of the fastest women's World's ever, but with rain coming on the final two laps, crashes compromised the chase after a break of three riders had flown the coop with 1.5 laps to go.
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This trio, with Joanne Sommariba (Spa), Nicole Brändli (Swi) and Sara Carrigan (Aus) had a 20" advantage on the chasing peloton until Ljungskog got across. Brändli, already second in the Women's TT, had made an agreement with Somarriba to try and attack, and when the Spanish rider made her move, Brändli covered it along with Australian Sara Carrigan.
"I'm really happy and surprised to the silver medal today," Brändli explained to Cyclingnews. "I was already surprised to have the silver from the TT, so I had no pressure. I am surprised the break even stayed away."
Brändli's silver medal, her fourth career silver has motivated her further to want to finally win a world title next year.
Sara Carrigan, the dimpled 22 year old student from Nerang, Queensland told Cyclingnews after her race that "Of course I'm disappointed, but I'm over the moon that I was with the winning break. It all just came down to the last 300 meters. Looking back now, I know Susanne was the strongest sprinter. If I had kept her wheel to the line, I would have at worst run second, which is what Brändli did. She had her wheel and followed it to the line and got second."
Carrigan went on to explain that "I started to wind it up in the sprint, and then just went for it. Susanne came around me, then Brändli, and I'm tired, I just went as hard as I could, but Somarriba came around me and I ended up with 4th. It's the best World's I've ever had - fifth in the time trial, fourth in the road race. It's disappointing I couldn't end up with a medal, but it's a start of good things to come.
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American Amber Neben didn't finish after a crash 2.5 laps to go where her pink Cannondale T-Mobile team bike got caught in the barriers: "I'm a little sore, a little heartbroken," Neben told Cyclingnews after the race. "I hate to finish a race any time something like that happens and you get taken out of it. People crashed in front of us... Mari stopped, I stopped, and three people slammed into me, and they just took me straight into the concrete and the barriers. By the time everybody was off of me (the race) was gone, and I had to get my bike fixed and make sure I could pedal. There's not a lot I could do about it, it was pretty much over. It happens. It's part of road racing."
The vaunted German machine stalled today at Zolder, with their first rider, Regina Schleicher finishing out of the money in 17th. Pre race favourite Petra Rossner retired after a crash on lap 2 and when Ina Teutenberg crashed with a little over 3 laps to go, the peloton upped the pace for the fastest lap of the race and the German couldn't get back on and abandoned.
See: Profile on Susanne Ljungskog by Gabriella Ekström (August 18, 2002)
Photography
- The elite women's road race got off to a fairly sedate start
- Margaret Hemsley (Aus) was not on her best day, eventually finishing at the back of the field
Images by 
- Susanne Ljungskog (Swe) crosses the line victorious in the women's road race
- Susanne Ljungskog (Swe) celebrates her win
- The sprint for fifth was taken by Alison Wright (Aus)
- Susanne Ljungskog (Swe) on the podium in her rainbow outfit
- Susanne Ljungskog (Swe) kisses her gold medal
- Susanne Ljungskog (Swe) cries on the podium
- Susanne Ljungskog (Swe) smiles with her medal
- The women's podium Nicole Brandli (Swi, 2nd), Susanne Ljungskog (Swe, 1st) and Joane Somarriba (Spa, 3rd)
Images by Roberto Bettini/www.bettiniphoto.com
- Susanne Ljungskog (Swe) can't believe that she's won
- The women's podium Nicole Brandli (Swi, 2nd), Susanne Ljungskog (Swe, 1st) and Joane Somarriba (Spa, 3rd)
- Jeannie Longo (Fra) was often seen at the front of the peloton, but was at the back when it counted at the end
- The peloton ride past the anti doping control at the finish lines
- An emotional Susanne Ljungskog is hugged by her Vlaanderen T Interim team director Christel Herremans
- Nicole Brandli (Swi) salutes from the podium as the silver medalist
- Joane Somarriba (Spa) poses with her bronze medal
- The women's podium Nicole Brandli (Swi, 2nd), Susanne Ljungskog (Swe, 1st) and Joane Somarriba (Spa, 3rd)
Images by Chris Henry/Cyclingnews.com
- An Anglo trio cruises in the peloton (l to r): Emma James (Aus), Tina Mayolo (USA), Susan Palmer (Can)
- A group off the back fights to rejoin through the pit area
- Zinaida Stahurskaia (Blr) looks to see what damage she's causing
- Amber Neben (USA) takes inventory after being involved in a late race crash
- Brandli (Swi), Somarriba (Esp), and Carrigan (Aus) in the winning break
- Madeleine Lindberg fights to rejoin the field
- Susanne Ljungskog crosses the line in the rain, in first
- Zinaida Stahurskaia was in tears at the finish, victim of a last-lap crash
- Joane Somarriba (3rd) heads to the podium
- Nicole Brandli (Sui) was second in the TT, second on the road
- Aussie Sara Carrigan was "over the moon" to have made the break, but disappointed not to have reached the podium
Images by Miwako Sasaki/Japanese Cycle Sports
- Nicole Brandli (Swi) happy with her second place
- Joane Somarriba (Spa) was delighted to finish third in a four up sprint
- Emma James (Aus) cruises to a halt after the finish of the women's race
Images by Lucy Power/lucypower@hotmail.com
- The elite women round a corner early in the race.
- Sommariba, Brandli and Carrigan work in the break before being caught by eventual winner Susanne Ljungskog
- Jeannie Longo attempts to chase down the break.
- The leading riders working hard to catch the break. Only one would be successful.
- Happy to be there...
- Olivia Gollan heads home after a hard day's work.
Results
1 Susanne Ljungskog (Swe) 2.59.15 (42.84 km/h) 2 Nicole Brändli (Swi) 3 Joane Somarriba Arrola (Spa) 4 Sara Carrigan (Aus) 5 Alison Wright (Aus) 0.18 6 Olga Slyusareva (Rus) 7 Magali Le Floch (Fra) 8 Arenda Grimberg (Ned) 9 Volha Hayeva (Blr) 10 Sara Felloni (Ita) 11 Evy Van Damme (Bel) 12 Heidi Van De Vijver (Bel) 13 Regina Schleicher (Ger) 14 Zita Urbonaite (Ltu) 15 Modesta Vzesniauskaite (Ltu) 16 Deirdre Demet-Barry (USA) 17 Priska Doppmann (Swi) 18 Ioulia Martissova (Rus) 19 Melissa Holt (NZl) 0.23 20 Iryna Chuzhynova (Ukr) 21 Leontien Zijlaard - Van Moorsel (Ned) 22 Debby Mansveld (Ned) 23 Janildes Fernandes Silva (Bra) 24 Sophie Creux (Fra) 25 Rasa Polikeviciute (Ltu) 26 Edita Pucinskaite (Ltu) 0.27 27 Veronique Belleter (Bel) 28 Annette Beutler (Swi) 29 Zoulfia Zabirova (Rus) 30 Katia Longhin (Ita) 31 Marcia Eicher-Vouets (Swi) 32 Eneritz Iturriaga (Spa) 33 Rochelle Gilmore (Aus) 34 Olivia Gollan (Aus) 35 Nicole Cooke (GBr) 36 Cindy Pieters (Bel) 37 Edita Kubelskiene (Ltu) 38 Alessandra Cappellotto (Ita) 39 Sandrine Marcuz (Fra) 40 Svetlana Boubnenkova (Rus) 0.31 41 Nataliya Kachalka (Ukr) 42 Hayley Rutherford (Aus) 0.33 43 Valentina Polkhanova (Rus) 44 Belem Guerrero Mendez (Mex) 45 Judith Arndt (Ger) 46 Corine Hierckens (Bel) 0.41 47 Alessandra D'ettorre (Ita) 1.04 48 Rosa Maria Bravo Soba (Spa) 49 Valentyna Karpenko (Ukr) 50 Tetyana Andrushchenko (Ukr) 51 Joanne Kiesanowski (NZl) 52 Laura Vangilder (USA) 53 Teodora Ruano Sanchon (Spa) 54 Anna Skawinska (Pol) 55 Isabella Wieser (Aut) 56 Kimberly Bruckner (USA) 57 Giorgia Bronzini (Ita) 58 Wenche Stensvold (Nor) 59 Arantzazu Azpiroz (Spa) 60 Jeannie Longo-Ciprelli (Fra) 61 Denise Baumann (Swi) 1.30 62 Rachel Heal (GBr) 63 Shani Bloch (Isr) 64 Anita Valen (Nor) 1.43 65 Anouska Van Der Zee (Ned) 1.49 66 Emma James (Aus) 1.54 67 Susan Palmer (Can) 68 Frances Newstead (GBr) 2.02 69 Lada Kozlikova (Cze) 70 Sissy Van Alebeek (Ned) 71 Monica Valen (Nor) 2.21 72 Zinaida Stahurskaya (Blr) 2.30 73 Susan Carter (GBr) 3.25 74 Jenny Algelid-Bengtsson (Swe) 3.31 75 Vanja Vonckx (Bel) 4.07 76 Mirjam Melchers (Ned) 77 Virginie Moinard (Fra) 5.16 78 Sarah Grab (Swi) 6.49 79 Anna Sipurzynska (Pol) 8.03 80 Maria Luisa Calle (Col) 81 Mari Holden (USA) 82 Tina Mayolo (USA) 83 Sara Waller (GBr) 84 Vibe Janne Kolding (Den) 85 Evelyn Garcia (ESA) 11.55 86 Kirsty Nicole Robb (NZl) 14.07 87 Margaret Hemsley (Aus) 88 Zlatica Gavlakova (Svk) 89 Katy St Laurent (Can) 15.45 90 Olga Khortova (Rus) 19.05 DNF Diana Elmentaite (Ltu) DNF Jolanta Polikeviciute (Ltu) DNF Catherine Marsal (Fra) DNF Angela Brodtka (Ger) DNF Tina Liebig (Ger) DNF Petra Rossner (Ger) DNF Ina Teutenberg (Ger) DNF Trixi Worrack (Ger) DNF Madeleine Lindberg (Swe) DNF Noemi Cantele (Ita) DNF Lyne Bessette (Can) DNF Solrun Flataas (Nor) DNF Jorunn Kvalö (Nor) DNF Emma Davies (GBr) DNF Bogumila Matusiak (Pol) DNF Lisbeth Simper (Den) DNF Elyzaveta Bochkaryeva (Ukr) DNF Irina Simonova (Ukr) DNF Amber Neben (USA) DNF Miho Oki (Jpn) DNF Valeria Pintos (Arg) DNF Chalime Giourbouz (Gre) DNS Doris Posch (Aut) DNS Pia Sundstedt (Fin)
