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World Road Championships - CM
Salzburg, Austria, September 20-24, 2006
Main Page Results & report Stage Details Next Stage
Race 1 - September 21: Women's individual time trial, 26.12km
Live report
Live Commentary by Jeff Jones, with additional reporting from Hedwig Kröner and Kristy Scrymgeour
Live coverage starts: 12:00 CEST
Estimated finish: 16:00 CEST
12:01 CEST
Welcome to Salzburg for the 2006
World Road Championships. The opening event is the women's time trial, held
over 26.12 km on a testing, slightly technical course starting and finishing
near the centre of town. The weather today is perfect for racing, with temperatures
in the mid-20s and very little wind. That's a relief for the riders, who were
worried about the conditions yesterday when it was raining for most of the day.
The first of 39 riders off today is Magdalena Zamolska (Poland), who will be
followed at a one and a half minute interval by Silvia Valsecchi (Italy). Defending
champion Karin Thürig (Switzerland) will set off at 12:57.
12:04 CEST
As the bells toll for midday, Maribel
Moreno Allue (Spain) leaves the start house at 12:03.
12:05 CEST
Valsecchi gets into a steady rhythm
as she tackles the opening part of the course, which is mostly uphill.
12:08 CEST
An Van Rie (Belgium) is the fifth
rider to leave, and is chasing Lada Kozlikova (Czech Republic). Meanwhile, Maribel
Moreno Allue is cranking it over, trying to keep her tempo without overcooking
it in the first half.
Linda Villumsen (Denmark) is next to go.
12:11 CEST
Villumsen, who is still only 21,
won a stage at the Ster Zeeuwsche Eilanden as well as both the Danish road and
time trial championship and the Route de France feminin.
Loes Gunnewijk,
clad in a very orange outfit 'cos she's Dutch, is next to leave.
12:13 CEST
Gunnewijk was recently second to
Kristin Armstrong (USA) in the TT stage of the Euregio Ladies tour.
Blaza Klemencic (Slovenia) is next to depart. Italian Silvia Valsecchi is pedaling
well on a steady climb out of town.
12:15 CEST
Anne Samplonius (Canada), who retired
for a time, is on her way. She's followed by Baerbel Jungmeier (Austria).
12:18 CEST
Valsecchi reaches the top of the
first climb and now starts to pick up speed on the fast descent before another
steep climb. Zamolska is further ahead, and reaches the 10.1 km point in around
17'55. Valsecchi is quicker in 17'03.
12:22 CEST
But Zamolska's time is smashed by
Valsecchi, then Allue, then Lada Kozlikova (Czech Republic), who reaches the
10.1 km mark in an impressive 15.27. That's a great time, as this first part
is all uphill.
12:25 CEST
An Van Rie (Belgium) reaches the
summit of the climb in 16'52, the third best time. Next up is Villumsen in 16'07,
for the second best time. Still, Kozlikova has the best ride to the 10.1 km
mark in 15'27.
Villumsen starts the descent, which has a few little
lumps in it.
12:26 CEST
Valsecchi is at the turnaround now,
and will look forward to the run home, which is mostly downhill.
Loes Gunnewijk is up to 10.1 km in 16'27, third best so far.
12:28 CEST
Meifang Li (People's Republic of
China) comes up to the top of the climb in a ridiculous gear. She can barely
turn it at the summit. She's fifth best in 16'38.
Australian TT champion
Kathryn Watt starts her ride, looking extremely nervous.
12:29 CEST
Kozlikova is on the downhill run
into town, trying to extract as much speed as possible out of her legs.
Edwige Pitel (France) is next off.
12:31 CEST
Now Local favourite Christiane Soeder
(Austria) is on the start ramp. She's a strong rider, and looks very eager to
get going. She's off, to generous applause.
Samplonius is at 10.1
km in 16'29 for fourth best.
12:33 CEST
Danish rider Trine Hansen has a flat
tyre, and although she gets a quick change, it will cost her on this short course.
Canadian Alex Wrubleski is on her way, followed by Urte Juodvalkyte (Lithuania),
who has her fingernails painted in red, yellow and green.
12:34 CEST
Tereza Hurikova (Czech Republic)
grinds up to the top of the climb in 16'11 for third best today. Her compatriot
Kozlikova holds the best mark in 15'27.
12:36 CEST
Kozlikova is catching both Maribel
Moreno Allue (1'30 ahead of her) and Magdalena Zamolska (Poland), who started
4'30 ahead. Impressive.
Priska Doppmann (Switzerland) sets off now.
12:39 CEST
Kozlikova is having a great ride
to the finish, and will easily get the quickest time. She'll catch Valsecchi
next.
Christine Thorburn (USA), the first of three American riders,
sets off now. She rode well last year and finished eighth in Madrid. Next to
go is Oenone Wood (Australia).
12:41 CEST
But Valsecchi will make it to the
finish ahead of Kozlikova. The Italian finishes in 38'37, an average of 40.58
km/h. Kozlikova is close behind in a much better 36'010 (43.287 km/h). Then
Moreno in 37'54 and Zamolska in around 39'50.
12:45 CEST
An Van Rie (Belgium) finishes in
38'00, then Linda Villumsen (Denmark) in 36'52 for second best.
12:47 CEST
Soeder is having a good ride, although
she's pedaling a very big gear on the climb. She passes 10.1 km in 15'53 for
second best behind Kozlikova.
Gunnewijk finishes her ride in 37'30.
12:50 CEST
Meifang Li (People's Republic of
China) is in the home straight now, but takes a wrong turn and has to turn around.
Oops. She finishes in 37'49 for fourth, but lost a good 20 seconds.
German Judith Arndt is next to go, followed by Ljungskog.
Paulina
Brzezna (Poland) is riding in the company of another couple of riders.
12:51 CEST
Trixi Worrack (Germany) passes Juodvalkyte
on the climb, then crosses the 10.1 km point in 16'07.
Anne Samplonius
(Canada) finishes her ride in 37'26 for third so far.
12:54 CEST
Christine Thorburn (USA) is at the
10.1 km mark in 15'46, third best time. Meanwhile, Kristin Armstrong (USA),
Nicole Brändli (Swi) and Nicole Cooke (GBr) have started.
12:55 CEST
Austrian Jungmeier finishes in 39'29
for 10th, while Hurikova has had a great second half to finish in 36'40.
Wood is struggling on the climb and won't be among the best today, as she's
well over 16'00.
12:57 CEST
So it's Czech Republic first and
second at the moment at the finish, with Kozlikova and Hurikova in the top positions.
Defending champion Karin Thürig (Switzerland) is ready to go, looking a little
anxious. She will be chasing Zulfiya Zabirova (Kazakhstan). She gets the countdown,
and sets off.
12:58 CEST
Trine Hansen, who punctured, finishes
in 38'26 and is just inside the top 10. Meanwhile, Jeannie Longo-Ciprelli (France)
is at the top of the climb in 16'24 for 10th.
12:59 CEST
Amber Neben, the second of three
American riders, tops the climb in 16'02 for fifth best.
13:02 CEST
Doppmann is on the homeward run,
and will try to preserve her second place to the finish. But she'll have a hard
time beating Kozlikova.
Karin Thürig has settled into her rhythm,
and looks very powerful on the bike.
Boyarskaya completes the course
in 36'39.92, just a little bit quicker than Hurikova for second provisionally.
13:03 CEST
Longo is now navigating the middle
part of the course leading up to the turnaround. She is still pretty quick at
47 years old.
13:06 CEST
Arndt, clad in the slightly odd German
colours of red and black, crosses the summit in 16'10, well out of the top five.
Kathy Watt ends her ride in 38'20 for 10th so far. She is followed by Pitel
in 37'14.
13:09 CEST
Kristin Armstrong is having a great
ride, and crosses the 10.1 km mark in 15'34, just seven seconds slower than
pace setter Kozlikova.
Austrian Christiane Soeder finishes in 37'00
for fifth.
Brändli is at the top of the climb in 16'12, outside the
top 10.
13:10 CEST
Nicole Cooke (GBr) is powering up
the climb, really fighting with her bike, but going quick enough. She is at
the summit in 15'49 for 5th.
13:11 CEST
Worrack is the first German rider
to finish and has done a great second half to finish in 36'23. She was outside
the top five at 10.1 km. She promptly collapses.
13:12 CEST
Priska Doppmann (Switzerland) is
flying too! New best time in 35'59.98!!
Zabirova is at the summit
in 15'57.53, not in the top five.
13:15 CEST
Doppmann can't celebrate for long,
as American Christine Thorburn has also had a great second half to finish in
35'34 for the new best time!
Thürig is past 10.1 km in 15'41 for
third best. Let's see what she does over the second half.
13:16 CEST
Brändli reaches the turnaround point
and heads for home. Meanwhile, Thorburn takes off her helmet and finds herself
in the hotseat. She was fifth best at halfway, but there are still some fast
riders to come.
13:17 CEST
Oenone Wood (Australia) is home in
38'06, 14 seconds quicker than Watt, but still outside the top 10.
13:19 CEST
Italian Guderzo rides up the finishing
straight to record a time of 37'40 for 12th so far. Longo will be next in. The
French veteran has had a fairly good ride and ends in 37'23 for 10th.
13:20 CEST
Amber Neben is home in fifth in 36'31.
Not bad, but she will probably finish a few places down on last year, when she
was fifth at the end.
13:22 CEST
Brändli has a nice rhythm as she
tackles the second half of the course. Bubnenkova doesn't, but she's near the
end. She makes a token effort to get on the aero bars, but prefers the elbows
out position on the cowhorns. Her time is 37'10.
13:23 CEST
Karin Thürig (Switzerland) makes
good advantage of her size and power on the downhill, and is flying back into
town. She will definitely challenge Thorburn for the win today. So will Armstrong.
13:24 CEST
Armstrong is coming back towards
the finish too, and is on the flatter section of the course.
Judith
Arndt has ridden better in the second half and clocks 36'09 at the end. She's
followed in by Edita Pucinskaite, who must have lost 1'30 to Arndt.
13:26 CEST
Armstrong is flying! She has had
a strong second half and will knock her teammate out of the top position.
Yes she does. Her final time is 35'04 for 44.638 km/h!!
13:27 CEST
Two US riders occupy the top two
placings, and really only Thürig can threaten for the gold medal.
Ljungskog finishes in around 11th position.
13:28 CEST
Zabirova looks powerful as she navigates
the final part of the course. Brändli is in the final kilometre, but won't be
one of the top times today.
13:30 CEST
Brändli's time is 36'46 for a top
10. But Nicole Cooke will do better. The Brit finishes in 36'00 for fourth.
No medal for her today.
13:31 CEST
Zabirova, the second last rider,
powers around the final few corners and ends in 36'03 for fifth. One more rider
to come...
13:33 CEST
Karin Thürig (Switzerland) can't
beat Armstrong! She finishes in 35'30 to take the silver medal. Armstrong gold,
Thorburn bronze - great result from the American riders today.
13:36 CEST
Interestingly, Lada Kozlikova, who
finished with the best time at 10.1 km, ended up eighth best at the end. Armstrong
had an amazing second half to erase the seven second deficit to Kozlikova and
put another 1'06 into her on the downhill.
The final top three:
1 Kristin Armstrong (USA) in 35.04, 2 Karin Thürig (Switzerland) at 0'25, 3
Christine Thorburn (USA) at 0'30.
That's all from the TT course
in Salzburg. See you back here in 25 minutes for the U23 men's time trial.
Intermediate timing
km 10.1 (all riders through) 1 Lada Kozlikova (Czech Republic) 15.27 2 Kristin Armstrong (USA) 0.07 3 Karin Thürig (Switzerland) 0.14 4 Priska Doppmann (Switzerland) 0.18 5 Christine Thorburn (USA) 0.19 Finish - 26.12 km 1 Kristin Armstrong (USA) 35.04 2 Karin Thürig (Switzerland) 0.26 3 Christine Thorburn (USA) 0.30 4 Priska Doppmann (Switzerland) 0.55 5 Nicole Cooke (Great Britain) 0.56 6 Zulfiya Zabirova (Kazakhstan) 0.59 7 Judith Arndt (Germany) 1.05 8 Lada Kozlikova (Czech Republic) 1.06 9 Trixi Worrack (Germany) 1.19 10 Amber Neben (USA) 1.27 11 Natalia Boyarskaya (Russian Federation) 1.35 12 Tereza Hurikova (Czech Republic) 1.36 13 Nicole Braendli (Switzerland) 1.42
