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World Championships - CM
Verona, Italy, September 27-October 3, 2004
Preview Map Course description Start List
Race 4 - Tuesday September 28: Time Trial - Elite Women, 24.05km
Commentary by Hedwig Kröner and Jeff Jones
Complete live report
Live coverage starts: 15:15 CEST
Estimated finish time: 16:30 CEST
15:09 CEST
Welcome back to Bardolino for the second race on today's program, the Elite
Women's Time Trial which will also be run over the same 24.05 km that the Junior
Men just rode on. There are 35 starters in the field, going off at 90 second
intervals with Veronica Leal Balderas (Mexico) the first rider to leave.
A look at the start list shows that Trixi Worrack (Germany) is one of the early
riders, and she should set a quick time. There's also Australian Oenone Wood
off at 15:31, Jeannie Longo (France) at 15:37, Christine Thorburn (USA) at 15:49
and then the other top favourites in the final 10, including Doppmann, Arndt,
Zabirova, Gollan, Demet-Barry, Thürig and defending champion Joane Somarriba
(Spain), who will start last.
15:16 CEST
The Mexican Veronica Leal Balderas sets off from the start ramp. She'll be followed
by Blaza Klemencic (Slovenia) and Bogumila Matusiak (Poland), who is pretty
handy against the watch.
15:20 CEST
Klemencic sets off, followed by Matusiak and Belgian Natacha Maes.
Edita Pucinskaite is looking pretty serious as she warms up. She won't be off
for another 35 minutes. Oenone Wood (Australia) has just finished her warmup,
and sorts herself out as she chats to teammate Olivia Gollan.
15:21 CEST
Maria Mercedes Cagigas Amedo (Spain) is the fifth rider away.
15:23 CEST
German Trixi Worrack, winner of the Giro della Toscana Internazionale Femminile,
is now on her way. She's not a top rider against the clock, but she can certainly
go.
15:25 CEST
USA's Demet-Barry and Thorburn are looking relaxed as they warm up. Demet-Barry
took second at the Olympics in this discipline, but the woman who beat her,
Leontien Van Moorsel, has retired.
Amy Moore (Can) is next off.
15:27 CEST
Loes Gunnewijk (Netherlands), who finished second in the Dutch time trial championship,
is next off.
Zoulfia Zabirova is warming up, looking rather serious.
Tatiana Shishkova (Moldavia) sets off next, with a little wobble just before
the start.
15:29 CEST
Zabirova's teammate Svetlana Bubnenkova is next to go, powering away from the
start.
Worrack has got her machine rolling along nicely, using a very forward position
and pedalling a 53x16/15 it looks like.
15:30 CEST
Jolanta Polikeviciute (Lithuania) drives out of the start house. Next up is
Oenone Wood.
15:32 CEST
Wood gets the countdown and sets off, straight away into the aero position.
15:33 CEST
The first of the Italians, Tatiana Guderzo, sets off to a big cheer from the
small crowd at the start.
15:35 CEST
Blaza Klemencic, who started second, has caught Balderas and passes the first
time check in 18.12.
15:36 CEST
Ana Paola Madrinan Villegas (Colombia) is now on her way, looking rather nervous.
Bogumila Matusiak (Poland) is seven seconds better than Klemencic at the first
time check.
15:40 CEST
Jeannie Longo-Ciprelli is next off, a winner of many World and Olympic titles,
against the clock and in the road race.
Mercedes Cagigas (Spain) is in fourth place at km 11.8 in 18'55.
15:42 CEST
Evy Van Damme (Belgium) is getting ready by stuffing cotton wool up her nose.
Probably with something to help her breathe. We hope it's not chloroform - that
would be bad.
15:43 CEST
Van Damme is now on the start ramp. She's off!
Amy Moore is up to the first time check in 19'19, at 1'28 from Matusiak.
15:45 CEST
Trixi Worrack (Germany) has set the best time at km 11.8 in around 17.52.
15:46 CEST
17'50 for Worrack. But now Bubnenkova coming up - she almost does it but is
four seconds slower.
Norwegian Anita Valen is next off.
15:48 CEST
Longo has got the big gear going (or a slow cadence anyway) as she cruises towards
the first time check.
The second Italian, Anna Zugno, is now on her way, again getting a cheer from
the crowd.
15:49 CEST
Here comes Oenone Wood - the Australian is working hard as she reaches the first
check in a time of 17'54, for third best.
15:52 CEST
Tatiana Guderzo (Italy) is even better at km 11.8 in 17'45
Blaza Klemencic (Slovenia) finishes her ride in 34'10. But Matusiak comes in
and knocks half a minute off it to finish in 33'38.
15:54 CEST
Veronica Leal Balderas (Mexico) finishes in 38'14, which will not get her anywhere
near the podium. She is closely followed by Maes, who ends in 34'28, for third
best.
15:55 CEST
Edita Pucinskaite (Lithuania) is now setting off.
Trixi Worrack (Germany) finishes with the new best time of 33'10, 27 seconds
better than Matusiak.
15:57 CEST
Dori Ruano Sanchon (Spain) comes up to the first time check, in 18'08 for the
7th best time.
Longo has the third best at km 11.8.
16:00 CEST
Judith Arndt (Germany) is now away, another one of the medal favourites for
today.
Kachalka (Ukr) is at the first check in 18'44 for the 13th fastest.
Amy Moore (Canada) finishes in 36'03, foaming heavily at the mouth. That will
give her sixth at the moment.
16:02 CEST
New best time by Svetlana Bubnenkova (Russia)! She beats Worrack by a couple
of tenths of a second with 33'10.
Tatiana Shishkova (Moldavia) comes in just before the Russian, but 1.15 slower,
which will put her in fifth now.
16:04 CEST
Mirjam Melchers is now on the course, riding very smoothly but powerfully.
Wood has caught Polikeviciute for 1'30 and finishes her ride in an excellent
time of 33'01, the best so far!
16:06 CEST
Wood's teammate Olivia Gollan is on her way now.
Here comes Tatiana Guderzo (Italy), who is just slower than wood at the finish
in 33'05. Four seconds. Her teammate Zugno is 30 seconds slower than Guderzo
at the 11.8 km check.
16:07 CEST
Aha, here comes Christine Thorburn. The US rider is charging up the climb to
the 11.8 km check and is past in 17'40, five seconds better than Guderzo.
16:10 CEST
Edwige Pitel (France) is past the 11.8 km check in 18'12, 32 seconds slower
than Thorburn.
Finnish rider Tiina Nieminen finishes in 35'25.
Priska Doppmann, winner of the GP des Nations, is another 5 seconds better than
Thorburn at km 11.8, and has the new benchmark in 17'35.
16:11 CEST
No medal for Longo today, as she finishes in 33'23, 21 seconds slower than Wood.
That puts her in fifth already.
16:13 CEST
Pucinskaite is flying! The Lithuanian is past 11.8 km in 17'09, smashing Doppmann's
time by 26 seconds!
16:14 CEST
Melchers is also riding well. The Dutchwoman comes up to 11.8 km in 17'24 for
the second best time.
16:15 CEST
Judith Arndt comes up to km 11.8 with an even better time, 17'03!!
16:17 CEST
Zabirova is looking good too on the climb. The Russian is pedalling steadily
and is 1 second better than Arndt at km 11.8. This will be a close one.
16:18 CEST
Van Damme finishes in 34'36 for 12th, a little slower than her compatriot Maes.
16:19 CEST
Anita Valen (Nor) finishes will in a time of 33'10 for third, just ahead of
Bubnenkova.
Joane Somarriba is now churning along...
16:21 CEST
Dede Demet-Barry is off the pace today, it looks like. She's already 50 seconds
slower than Zabirova at km 11.8
16:21 CEST
Oohlala! Karin Thürig (Swi) has knocked 22 seconds off Zabirova's time at 11.8
km to pass in 16'40 - incredible!
16:23 CEST
Thorburn finishes in 32'38, 23 seconds better than Wood, and is the new leader!
Somarriba comes up to the 11.8 km check in 16'56, 16 seconds slower than Thürig.
All riders through now.
16:25 CEST
Doppmann comes in 10 seconds slower than Thorburn, having ridden well over the
second half.
16:27 CEST
Zabirova is pedalling fairly slowly, but she has plenty of power. Meanwhile
Thürig is flying along, possibly en route to becoming the World Champion.
16:28 CEST
Edita Pucinskaite (Lithuania) is now at the finish, crossing the line in 32'25,
12 seconds better than Thorburn. She caught and passed Sue Palmer-Komar along
the way.
16:29 CEST
Mirjam Melchers (Netherlands) has done a solid second half and finishes just
slower than Pucinskaite in 32'35 for second at the moment.
16:30 CEST
Here comes Arndt - really flying in the last 500m. The German stops the clock
in 31'45!!
16:31 CEST
Can Zabirova beat Arndt? There was only 1 second in it at km 11.8 but the Russian
looks to have lost a bit of time in the second half. Not much, but enough to
put her in second place on the line. She is 5 seconds slower.
16:33 CEST
Thürig is still looking very smooth as she powers towards the finish. Not long
to go now for the Swiss rider.
16:35 CEST
Gollan is now home, finishing in 33'32 for 13th so far.
16:35 CEST
Here's Thürig - the Swiss rider smashes Arndt's time with 30'53!! Incredible.
16:36 CEST
Dede Demet-Barry was caught and passed by Thürig, and now finishes in 33'11,
just out of the top 10.
16:37 CEST
Joane Somarriba can't beat Thürig's time - no-one can today. The Swiss rider
is the new World Champ!
16:38 CEST
Somarriba drives it home but misses the podium, finishing fourth in 32'09 at
1.15. Arndt takes silver and Zabirova the bronze.
Results
Finish - 24.05 km 1 Karin Thürig (Switzerland) 30.53 2 Judith Arndt (Germany) 0.51 3 Zoulfia Zabirova (Russia) 0.56 4 Joane Somarriba Arrola (Spain) 1.15 5 Edita Pucinskaite (Lithuania) 1.32 6 Mirjam Melchers (Netherlands) 1.41 7 Christine Thorburn (USA) 1.43 11.8 km 1 Karin Thürig (Switzerland) 16'40 2 Joane Somarriba Arrola (Spain) 0.16 3 Zoulfia Zabirova (Russia) 0.22 4 Judith Arndt (Germany) 0.23 5 Edita Pucinskaite (Lithuania) 0.29 6 Mirjam Melchers (Netherlands) 0.44
