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GP Plouay - CDM / GP Ouest France-Plouay 1.HC
France, August 28, 2004
August 28: Women's World Cup race, 104km
Pucinskaite too good on the climb, Wood increases her lead
By Kristy Scrymgeour
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Coming off a win at the recent Trophée d'Or Féminin in France, Edita Pucinskaite (Michela Fanini Record Rox) continued her form today to take her first World Cup win for the season, attacking a small breakaway group of eight riders to eventually finish solo. Current World Cup series leader Oenone Wood (Australian National Team), was able to take yet another podium position, finishing third behind Mirjam Melchers of Farm Frites Hartol and retaining her lead.
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Racing eight laps of the 14-kilometre circuit, the women's race was aggressive from the gun. It was Frenchwoman Cathy Marsal who set the ball rolling with her attack on the first lap of the course. "I waited until after the first climb at about 5km and then I attacked," she told Cyclingnews after the race. "I knew I had to try something early as it was my best chance of a result."
Marsal attacked through the valley after the first climb and quickly gained 30 seconds on the bunch. By the top of the major climb of the day her lead had extended to 45" after which the Australian team began the chase. She was caught at the top of the first climb in lap two and the counters began. The aggression continued with many counter attacks by the French National team, Ghita Beltman (Bizkaia - Panda Software) and others, but the Australian team was controlling the race for series leader Wood.
With about two laps to go the decisive break of the day formed consisting of Wood and her teammate Olivia Gollan, Pucinskaite, Melchers, Elisabeth Chevanne Brunel (Interrégionale Pruneaux D'agen), Fabiana Luperini (Let's Go Finland), Barbara Heeb ((Lietzsport Cycling) and Edwige Pitel (Intérrégionale Ouest). The break gained time on the peloton with the Australian team happy to have two riders in the group and it was in the final lap that Pucinskaite made her move taking Melchers with her. But the strength of Pucinskaite was too much for Melchers on the final climb and Pucinskaite rode away to finish solo with Melchers finally having to settle for second place for the second time in the six-year history of this race. Wood won the sprint from the rest of the break to take third place ahead of Chevanne Brunel with another Australian Alison Wright (Nobili Rubinetterie - Guerciotti) winning the bunch sprint for Ninth place ahead of renowned sprinter Regina Schleicher (German National Team).
In the overall World Cup standings. Wood increased her lead to second place by 24 points today, as former second placed rider Zoulfia Zabriova (Let's Go Finland), finished 43rd today failing to gain points. Melchers edged her way a little closer to Wood today and now sits in second place, 72 points behind Wood, with Zabirova in third another 11 points back.
Photography
Images by Régis Garnier/www.velofotopro.fr.st
- Newly-crowned Olympic road champion, Sara Carrigan.
- Fabiana Luperini (Team Let's Go Finland) congratulates Sara Carrigan at the start.
- World Cup leader Oenone Wood (Australia).
- The peloton on the Côte de Lezot.
- Plouay is a hard race!
- After pulling out of the race, Sara Carrigan supplies her team-mates with supplies before heading back to Athens for the Olympic Games' closing ceremony.
- The winning escape lead by eventual winner Edita Pucinskaite (S.C. Michela Fanini Record Rox).
- Edita Pucinskaite (S.C. Michela Fanini Record Rox) wins the GP Plouay.
- Oenone Wood (Australia) comes in for third place, doing enough to hold on to her World Cup leader's jersey.
- Mirjam Melchers (Farm Frites-Hartol) was delighted to have finished second.
- The podium - (L to R) Oenone Wood (Australia, 3rd), Edita Pucinskaite (S.C. Michela Fanini Record Rox, 1st), and Mirjam Melchers (Farm Frites-Hartol, 2nd).
- Oenone Wood (Australia) retains her World Cup leader's jersey.
Results
1 Edita Pucinskaite (Ltu) S.C. Michela Fanini Record Rox 2.55.36 2 Mirjam Melchers (Ned) Farm Frites-Hartol 0.15 3 Oenone Wood (Aus) Australia 1.32 4 Elisabeth Chevanne Brunel (Fra) Interregionale Pruneaux D'agen 5 Fabiana Luperini (Ita) Team Let's Go Finland 6 Edwige Pitel (Fra) Interregionale Ouest 7 Barbara Heeb (Swi) Lietzsport Cycling 8 Olivia Gollan (Aus) Australia 1.37 9 Alison Wright (Aus) Nobili Rubinetterie-Guerciotti 2.22 10 Régina Schleicher (Ger) Germany 11 Katia Longhin (Ita) S.C. Michela Fanini Record Rox 12 Karine Dalmais (Fra) France 13 Arenda Grimberg (Ned) Team Composite 14 Damme Van (Bel) Belgium 15 Andréa Bosman (Ned) Team Composite 16 Trine Hansen (Den) Team S.A.T.S. 17 Karin Wieser (Aut) Lietzsport Cycling 18 Corine Hierckens (Bel) Team Bik-Gios 19 Magali Le Floch (Fra) France 20 Hayley Rutherford (Aus) S.C. Michela Fanini Record Rox 21 Ludivine Henrion (Bel) Team Bik-Gios 22 Veerle Ingels (Bel) Belgium 23 Irène Hostettler (Swi) Switzerland 24 Emma James (Aus) Team Bik-Gios 25 Sigrid Corneo (Ita) Nobili Rubinetterie-Guerciotti 26 Zlatica Bazola (Fra) France 27 Margaret Hemsley (Aus) Australia 28 Sharon Vandromme (Bel) Belgium 29 Andréa Knecht (Swi) Switzerland 30 Annette Beutler (Swi) Lietzsport Cycling 31 Séreina Traschsel (Swi) Switzerland 32 Frances Newstead (GBr) Great Britain 33 Ine Wannijn (Bel) Belgium 34 Sarah Duster (Ger) Germany 35 Béatrice Thomas (Fra) Bretagne 36 Marina Jaunatre (Fra) France 37 Magali Mocquery (Fra) Interregionale Ouest 38 Rachel Heal (GBr) Farm Frites-Hartol 39 Sofie Goor (Bel) Belgium 40 Nicole Hofer (Swi) Switzerland 41 Lise Christensen (Den) Team S.A.T.S. 42 Ghita Beltman (Ned) Spain 43 Sarah Grab (Swi) Switzerland 44 Zoulfia Zabirova (Rus) Team Let's Go Finland 45 Delphine Guille (Fra) France 46 Christina Peick-Andersen (Den) Team S.A.T.S. 47 Karine Gautard (Fra) Interregionale Pruneaux D'agen 48 Valentina Polkhanova (Rus) Nobili Rubinetterie-Guerciotti 49 Amy Safe (Aus) Australia 50 Madeleine Sandig (Ger) Germany 51 Agurtzane Elorriaga (Spa) Spain 52 Thérésa Senff (Ger) Germany 53 Kym Shirley (Aus) Nobili Rubinetterie-Guerciotti 54 Eva Potocna (Svk) Interregionale Pruneaux D'agen 2.51 55 Catherine Hare (GBr) Great Britain 56 Luise Keller (Ger) Germany 57 Sandra Rombouts (Ned) Farm Frites-Hartol 58 Caroline Payot Poidevin (Fra) Interregionale Pruneaux D'age 4.13 59 Alessandra Borchi (Ita) S.C. Michela Fanini Record Rox 5.18
World Cup rankings after round 7
1 Oenone Wood (Aus) Australian National Team 237 Pts 2 Mirjam Melchers (Ned) Farm Frites-Hartol 165 3 Zoulfia Zabirova (Rus) Team Let's Go Finland 154 4 Edita Pucinskaite (Ltu) S.C. Michela Fanini Record 115 5 Olivia Gollan (Aus) Australian National Team 93 6 Alison Wright (Aus) Nobili Rubinetterie-Guerciotti 86 7 Angela Brodtka (Ger) German National Team 79 8 Judith Arndt (Ger) Team Nurnberger 77 9 Genevieve Jeanson (Can) RONA 75 10 Sonia Huguet (Fra) French National Team 75
