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Geelong Women's Tour - 2.2
Australia, February 22-24, 2005
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Stage 4 - Thursday, February 24: Road Stage Lara, 112.9km
Wood takes stage and Tour in clean sweep
By Mikkeli Godfree
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In testing conditions, 24-year old Oenone Wood has taken her second successive Geelong Tour victory in fine style by taking the stage, the sprint jersey and the overall - confirming her as the rider to watch at this weekend's World Cup. It was an absolutely flawless performance by the Nürnberger team who ended up with three riders in the front group of six who fought it out for victory in the 11.2.9km stage.
It was a successful day at the office also for the Buitenpoort-Flexpoint team. Susanne Ljungskog showed her Swedish National Champion jersey at the front of the race for the first time to take second on the stage and second on GC whilst Mirjam Melchers-Van Poppel took third on the stage to move up to fourth on GC.
However, the rider too lose out overall was Kate Bates. Bates climbed Mt Wallace fantastically to be just off the back of the Nürnberger riders driving the race but couldn't make it onto the front group of six who skipped up the road to decide the stage and the overall.
How it unfolded
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Under a beautiful blue sky the race headed into its final stage - a battleground boasting Mt Wallace and a couple of intermediate sprints. The dreaded Mt Wallace is always the talking point of this race. With a recent resurfacing job leaving some sticky tar and loose stones there were as many low-gear set-ups as there were nervous faces. A forecast of 35 degrees certainly wouldn't help the women around the 112.9km course. Kate Bates commented on Mt Wallace before the stage, "Every year I think 'it can't be that bad'...but it always is!"
As the intermediate sprints fell either side of the climb, a seemingly pre-written script saw New Zealanders Susie Wood (Team NZ) and Vickie Burr (BikeNZ) team up with Silvia Valseccah (Nobili) and head off into the hazy distance. The trio quickly established a handy gap of 2:45 after 13 km.
With neither Nürnberger or Ton van Bemmelen (GC leaders Wood and Bates' teams) prepared to tire themselves before Mt Wallace the gap to the leaders quickly blew out to 6:40 at 37km mark. Sensing weakness, Susie Wood left her partners and headed down the valley solo. As she approached the 66 km mark, the lone kiwi had gained a minute over Burr and Valseccah with another 5:10 back to the bunch. With Susie Wood starting the day only 54sec down on GC, Nürnberger moved to the front to force the pace to ensure the race lead was secure.
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The first to crest Mt Wallace was lone battler Susanne Wood who maintained her 1:14 lead to Valseccah whilst Burr had dropped off the pace. Before you could take 3min 19sec to say 'Jack Rabbit's Slims Twist Contest,' Mirjam Melchers-Van Poppel drove over the top of the climb with race leader Wood in tow. Wood was far from isolated though with teammates Arndt and Worrack punching over the top only 13sec back in a group with Ljungskog and U23 race leader Michelle Hyland (NZL).
With all her troops by her side, Wood looked to have the race sewn up as Kate Bates crested Mt Wallace 20sec behind the race leader. However, with Olympic Champion Sarah Carrigan and Natalie Bates only metres behind, the stage was set for a tête-a-tête battle between the teams of Wood and Bates.
After the climb, a front group of six assembled with Nürnberger teammates Wood, Arndt and Worrack joining up with Buitenpoort-Flexpoint teammates Melchers-Van Poppel and Ljungskog whilst the intrepid Susie Wood tacked on the back to make it six. The two teams joined forces to quickly take a lead of 2:45 over the shattered peloton as Bates' Ton van Bemmelen team hit the gas to save Kate Bates' second place on GC.
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At the second sprint at 86 km, Nürnberger made it a clean sweep with Oenone Wood taking the sprint over Judith Arndt and Trixi Worrack. With Arndt doing the lion's share of the work, motoring along at 55kph, the leading six looked good. But with Susie Wood sitting on the back of the front group and the Bates sisters and their Tom van Bemmelen teammates driving behind it was anyone's guess which way the race was going.
At 96km, the gap had been brought in to 1:35 as both groups tired. However, with 4km to go, the lead was still big enough for the front group to start playing games. Ljungskog played her card and took off. The tour leader, Wood, went right with her for an armchair ride to the finish. After four km in the wind, Wood had little trouble getting around the '03 World and current Swedish Champion, Ljungskog, to sew up the tour.
Wood was pleased with her second stage victory in this tour saying, "I just followed Mirjam [Melchers-Van Poppel] up the climb then Trixi [Worrack] and Judith [Arndt] came up and we had three out of the front six. There are no two better people to do a pursuit with." Even though the time-gap was coming down to the front six, Wood remained calm, "I was sitting there watching them work and I didn't think we'd get caught. When Ljungskog went I just got onto her. She was in the wind for 4km so she was pretty tired in the sprint. "
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The win fills the defending World Cup Champion, Wood, with confidence before this weekend's opening that series. "This is the best way to be before the World Cup and we've got such good riders that we haven't even decided who we are riding for."
Petra Rossner commented on the Nürnberger team effort that she had directed for the week by saying, "They worked together as a team in a brilliant way and that is why they won the tour. [Wood] has a wonderful future ahead of her in the next few years. She is a raw diamond which we have to work on - that sounds stupid because I know she is already so good but it is true."
Kate Bates, the champion of champions at the recent Australian Track National Championships had to console herself with feeling "like I have moments of brilliance, enough power to get over the climb but not enough to be able to hold it on for the 5km after the top of the climb." Although Bates ended up 6th on GC at 3:20, her main goal is the World Track Champs in Los Angeles in a month.
In the U23 competition, Michelle Hyland (NZL) was the victor in that competition, whilst Wood had a warm time on the winners' dais as the final wearer of both the sprint competition and that as tour winner.
The riders now have two days off before contesting the World Cup circuit in the centre of Geelong. One might suspect that a few riders who have had low-key rides this week will come out of the woodwork to fight it out with the in-form Nürnberger, Buitenpoort-Flexpoint and Ton van Bemmelen riders.
Photography
For a thumbnail gallery of these images, click here
Images by Mark Gunter/Cyclingnews.com
- The early breakaway
- The peloton approach Mt. Wallace
- Susie Wood (NZl) was first up the hill
- Mirjam Melchers-Van Poppel leads Oenone Wood
- Oenone Wood ascends Mt. Wallace
- Susanne Ljungskog ascends Mt. Wallace
- Judith Arndt ascends Mt. Wallace
- No time to look at the scenery
- Refreshing
- Who is number 1?
- Oenone Wood is!
- Letting the bubbly go
- Cheers mate
- Oenone Wood the winner of the Geelong Tour 05
Images by Mikkeli Godfree
- The three breakaway riders stretch their lead.
- Miho Oki the human bike-stand has her gears adjusted before the start.
- Susanne Wood crests Mt Wallace first.
- Kate Bates exhausted after the final stage of the tour.
- The Nürnberger team trailer ...nice.
- The tour winner poses with the UCI commissaire
- Mirjam Melchers-Van Poppel ponders her hard day out.
- The new Dura Ace-SRM cranks sported by the Nürnberger team
Images by John Veage
- Riders took it easy on the early part of the final leg of the tour of Geelong
- The peloton makes its way through the Victorian farming countryside
- Kids at the small Anakie primary school show their support
- The second sprint at Anakie primary school saw Wood get the points over Arndt
- Oenone Wood climbs the Mt Wallace Hill
- Judith Arndt powers up Mt Wallace Hill
- If anything went wrong on the Mt Wallace climb, you were walking.
- Oenone Wood and Susanne Ljungskog sprint for the line
- Stage winner and race winner Oenone Wood shows her teammates where she finished
- The podium: Ljungskog (2nd), Wood (1st) and Melchers-van Poppel (3rd)
- Race winner Wood on the dais
- Race winner Oenone Wood (Nürnberger) sprays the champers
- Wood and Highland spray the champers
Results
1 Oenone Wood (Aus) Equipe Nurnberger Versicherung 3.01.50 2 Susanne Ljungskog (Swe) Buitenpoort-Flexpoint 3 Mirjam Melchers-Van Poppel (Ned) Buitenpoort-Flexpoint 0.35 4 Judith Arndt (Ger) Equipe Nurnberger Versicherung 5 Susie Wood (NZl) New Zealand National Team 0.37 6 Trixi Worrack (Ger) Equipe Nurnberger Versicherung 7 Tina Mayola Pic (USA) Lloyd Morgan Recruitment 3.01 8 Jenny Macpherson (Aus) Jayco VIS 9 Joanne Kiesanowski (NZl) SC Nobili Rubinetterie - Menikini Cogeas 10 Amanda Spratt (Aus) Australian National Team 11 Kate Nichols (Aus) NSWIS 12 Emma Rickards (Aus) Jayco VIS 13 Tamara Boyd (NZl) Bike New Zealand 14 Lynn Gaggioli (USA) Lloyd Morgan Recruitment 15 Michelle Hyland (NZl) New Zealand National Team 16 Hannah Banks (Aus) QAS 17 Miho Oki (Jpn) Japanese National Team 18 Tanja Hennes-Smidt (Ger) Buitenpoort-Flexpoint 19 Meredith Miller (USA) Lloyd Morgan Recruitment 20 Linda Melanie Serup (Den) Buitenpoort-Flexpoint 21 Emma James (Aus) NSWIS 22 Madeleine Sandig (Ger) German National Team 23 Melissa Holt (NZl) New Zealand National Team 24 Sigrid Corneo (Ita) SC Nobili Rubinetterie - Menikini Cogeas 25 Amy Gillett (Aus) Australian National Team 26 Natalie Bates (Aus) Ton Van Bemmelen AA Drink 27 Kathryn Watt (Aus) Inexa/Melbourne University Sport 28 Katherine Bates (Aus) Ton Van Bemmelen AA Drink 29 Toni Bradshaw (NZl) New Zealand National Team 30 Sara Carrigan (Aus) Ton Van Bemmelen AA Drink 31 Suzanne De Goede (Ned) Ton Van Bemmelen AA Drink 32 Olivia Gollan (Aus) Equipe Nurnberger Versicherung 33 Helen Kelly (Aus) Jayco VIS 34 Louise Yaxley (Aus) Australian National Team 4.57 35 Nadene Boyle (NZl) Bike New Zealand 36 Robyn Wong (NZl) Bike New Zealand 37 Michelle Kiesanowski (NZl) New Zealand National Team 38 Rachel O'connell (Aus) Peloton Sports / Turramurra Cyclery 11.15 39 Vickie Burr (NZl) Bike New Zealand 40 Claire Baxter (Aus) Inexa/Melbourne University Sport 41 Verena Joos (Ger) German National Team 42 Caroline Jackson (GBr) Western Global 43 Amy Mosen (NZl) Bike New Zealand 44 Akemi Morimoto (Jpn) Japanese National Team 45 Kristy Bortolin (Aus) Lloyd Morgan Recruitment 46 Belinda Goss (Aus) Jayco VIS 47 Katie Brown (Aus) Australian National Team 48 Rochelle Gilmore (Aus) NSWIS 49 Christine Riakos (Aus) NSWIS 50 Sally Cowman (Aus) QAS 51 Kerry Cohen (Aus) Western Global 52 Daniela Fusar Poli (Ita) SC Nobili Rubinetterie - Menikini Cogeas 53 Caitlin Fraser (Aus) Inexa/Melbourne University Sport 54 Carly Hibberd (Aus) QAS 55 Jemma O'brien (Aus) Peloton Sports / Turramurra Cyclery 56 Sarah Duster (Ger) German National Team 57 Kelly Hulser (USA) Western Global 58 Emma Lovelock (Aus) Peloton Sports / Turramurra Cyclery 59 Kate Charge (Aus) Peloton Sports / Turramurra Cyclery 60 Johanna Buick (NZl) New Zealand National Team 61 Emma Colson (Aus) Western Global 62 Jessica Maclean (Aus) QAS 63 Anke Wichmann (Ger) Equipe Nurnberger Versicherung 64 Silvia Valsecchi (Ita) SC Nobili Rubinetterie - Menikini Cogeas 65 Nicole Freedman (Isr) Western Global 66 Madeleine Lindberg (Swe) Equipe Nurnberger Versicherung 67 Claudia Hecht (Ger) German National Team 18.28 68 Germma Goyne (Aus) Lloyd Morgan Recruitment 69 Miyoko Karami (Jpn) Japanese National Team 70 Santia Tri Kusuma (Ina) Indonesian National Team 21.04 71 Joanna Von Berky (Aus) QAS 72 Briget Evans (Aus) Lloyd Morgan Recruitment 25.22 73 Apryl Eppinger (Aus) Jayco VIS 31.21 74 Tanya Moss (Aus) Peloton Sports / Turramurra Cyclery 75 Laura Bortolozzi (Aus) Peloton Sports / Turramurra Cyclery 76 Anna Miyazaki (Jpn) Japanese National Team DNF Bianca Knopfle (Ger) German National Team DNF Melissa Pilla (NZl) Bike New Zealand DNS Kerryn Charman (Aus) Inexa/Melbourne University Sport Final general classification 1 Oenone Wood (Aus) Equipe Nurnberger Versicherung 6.14.25 2 Susanne Ljungskog (Swe) Buitenpoort-Flexpoint 0.46 3 Judith Arndt (Ger) Equipe Nurnberger Versicherung 1.06 4 Mirjam Melchers-Van Poppel (Ned) Buitenpoort-Flexpoint 1.10 5 Susie Wood (NZl) New Zealand National Team 1.41 6 Katherine Bates (Aus) Ton Van Bemmelen AA Drink 3.20 7 Natalie Bates (Aus) Ton Van Bemmelen AA Drink 3.28 8 Amy Gillett (Aus) Australian National Team 3.33 9 Melissa Holt (NZl) New Zealand National Team 3.35 10 Trixi Worrack (Ger) Equipe Nurnberger Versicherung 3.36 11 Sara Carrigan (Aus) Ton Van Bemmelen AA Drink 3.39 12 Tina Mayola Pic (USA) Lloyd Morgan Recruitment 13 Lynn Gaggioli (USA) Lloyd Morgan Recruitment 3.47 14 Michelle Hyland (NZl) New Zealand National Team 3.55 15 Jenny Macpherson (Aus) Jayco VIS 3.56 16 Joanne Kiesanowski (NZl) SC Nobili Rubinetterie - Menikini Cogeas 4.03 17 Miho Oki (Jpn) Japanese National Team 4.04 18 Emma James (Aus) NSWIS 4.08 19 Kate Nichols (Aus) NSWIS 20 Helen Kelly (Aus) Jayco VIS 4.10 21 Amanda Spratt (Aus) Australian National Team 22 Linda Melanie Serup (Den) Buitenpoort-Flexpoint 4.14 23 Emma Rickards (Aus) Jayco VIS 4.17 24 Madeleine Sandig (Ger) German National Team 4.18 25 Suzanne De Goede (Ned) Ton Van Bemmelen AA Drink 4.23 26 Meredith Miller (USA) Lloyd Morgan Recruitment 4.24 27 Toni Bradshaw (NZl) New Zealand National Team 4.30 28 Tanja Hennes-Smidt (Ger) Buitenpoort-Flexpoint 4.38 29 Sigrid Corneo (Ita) SC Nobili Rubinetterie - Menikini Cogeas 4.41 30 Tamara Boyd (NZl) Bike New Zealand 5.38 31 Kathryn Watt (Aus) Inexa/Melbourne University Sport 6.00 32 Hannah Banks (Aus) QAS 6.03 33 Michelle Kiesanowski (NZl) New Zealand National Team 6.24 34 Robyn Wong (NZl) Bike New Zealand 6.30 35 Olivia Gollan (Aus) Equipe Nurnberger Versicherung 7.34 36 Louise Yaxley (Aus) Australian National Team 7.39 37 Nadene Boyle (NZl) Bike New Zealand 7.54 38 Belinda Goss (Aus) Jayco VIS 12.32 39 Katie Brown (Aus) Australian National Team 12.39 40 Christine Riakos (Aus) NSWIS 13.00 41 Emma Colson (Aus) Western Global 13.03 42 Sarah Duster (Ger) German National Team 13.16 43 Kerry Cohen (Aus) Western Global 13.36 44 Claire Baxter (Aus) Inexa/Melbourne University Sport 13.55 45 Kelly Hulser (USA) Western Global 13.59 46 Rochelle Gilmore (Aus) NSWIS 14.07 47 Silvia Valsecchi (Ita) SC Nobili Rubinetterie - Menikini Cogeas 14.15 48 Johanna Buick (NZl) New Zealand National Team 14.20 49 Sally Cowman (Aus) QAS 14.26 50 Nicole Freedman (Isr) Western Global 14.28 51 Anke Wichmann (Ger) Equipe Nurnberger Versicherung 14.31 52 Verena Joos (Ger) German National Team 14.33 53 Daniela Fusar Poli (Ita) SC Nobili Rubinetterie - Menikini Cogeas 14.35 54 Jessica Maclean (Aus) QAS 14.36 55 Caitlin Fraser (Aus) Inexa/Melbourne University Sport 14.44 56 Caroline Jackson (GBr) Western Global 14.46 57 Kate Charge (Aus) Peloton Sports / Turramurra Cyclery 14.57 58 Rachel O'connell (Aus) Peloton Sports / Turramurra Cyclery 14.59 59 Kristy Bortolin (Aus) Lloyd Morgan Recruitment 15.00 60 Carly Hibberd (Aus) QAS 61 Amy Mosen (NZl) Bike New Zealand 15.08 62 Vickie Burr (NZl) Bike New Zealand 15.10 63 Jemma O'brien (Aus) Peloton Sports / Turramurra Cyclery 15.24 64 Emma Lovelock (Aus) Peloton Sports / Turramurra Cyclery 15.25 65 Akemi Morimoto (Jpn) Japanese National Team 16.04 66 Madeleine Lindberg (Swe) Equipe Nurnberger Versicherung 16.59 67 Miyoko Karami (Jpn) Japanese National Team 21.36 68 Claudia Hecht (Ger) German National Team 24.05 69 Santia Tri Kusuma (Ina) Indonesian National Team 25.11 70 Joanna Von Berky (Aus) QAS 26.37 71 Germma Goyne (Aus) Lloyd Morgan Recruitment 26.54 72 Briget Evans (Aus) Lloyd Morgan Recruitment 27.21 73 Apryl Eppinger (Aus) Jayco VIS 36.46 74 Laura Bortolozzi (Aus) Peloton Sports / Turramurra Cyclery 38.45 75 Tanya Moss (Aus) Peloton Sports / Turramurra Cyclery 41.18 76 Anna Miyazaki (Jpn) Japanese National Team 43.15 Sprint Classification 1 Oenone Wood (Aus) Equipe Nurnberger Versicherung 16 pts 2 Katherine Bates (Aus) Ton Van Bemmelen AA Drink 10 3 Santia Tri Kusuma (Ina) Indonesian National Team 4 4 Susie Wood (NZl) New Zealand National Team 3 5 Melissa Holt (NZl) New Zealand National Team 3 6 Judith Arndt (Ger) Equipe Nurnberger Versicherung 2 7 Kate Nichols (Aus) NSWIS 2 8 Natalie Bates (Aus) Ton Van Bemmelen AA Drink 2 9 Silvia Valsecchi (Ita) SC Nobili Rubinetterie - Menikini Cogeas 2 10 Trixi Worrack (Ger) Equipe Nurnberger Versicherung 1 11 Tina Mayola Pic (USA) Lloyd Morgan Recruitment 1 12 Michelle Hyland (NZl) New Zealand National Team 1 13 Vickie Burr (NZl) Bike New Zealand 1 Under 23 Classification 1 Michelle Hyland (NZl) New Zealand National Team 6.18.21 2 Kate Nichols (Aus) NSWIS 0.12 3 Amanda Spratt (Aus) Australian National Team 0.15 4 Linda Melanie Serup (Den) Buitenpoort-Flexpoint 0.19 5 Madeleine Sandig (Ger) German National Team 0.22 6 Suzanne De Goede (Ned) Ton Van Bemmelen AA Drink 0.28 7 Hannah Banks (Aus) QAS 2.08 8 Belinda Goss (Aus) Jayco VIS 8.37 9 Katie Brown (Aus) Australian National Team 8.44 10 Sally Cowman (Aus) QAS 10.30 11 Daniela Fusar Poli (Ita) SC Nobili Rubinetterie - Menikini Cogeas 10.39 12 Jessica Maclean (Aus) QAS 10.40 13 Carly Hibberd (Aus) QAS 11.05 14 Amy Mosen (NZl) Bike New Zealand 11.12 15 Emma Lovelock (Aus) Peloton Sports / Turramurra Cyclery 11.30 16 Claudia Hecht (Ger) German National Team 20.10 17 Joanna Von Berky (Aus) QAS 22.42 18 Apryl Eppinger (Aus) Jayco VIS 32.51 19 Anna Miyazaki (Jpn) Japanese National Team 39.20
