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Tour de Berne - CDM
Switzerland, May 4, 2008
Main Page Results Live report World Cup standings
Ljungskog Bernes in solo style
Swede takes race, Arndt leads World Cup
By Ben Atkins in Lyss
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Susanne Ljungskog (Menikini-Selle Italia) has spoiled the Swiss party by winning the Tour de Berne with a solo attack in the closing stages. The former two-time World champion attacked from a group of 18 favourites with less than 15 kilometres to go and built a lead of up to 25 seconds with two kilometres remaining. Judith Arndt (High Road) led in the remainder of the chasers eight seconds back, and Mirjam Melchers-Van Poppel (Flexpoint) took third.
The race – over four laps of a 33.95-kilometre circuit around the town of Lyss – began fast, with pressure from the local teams of Bigla and Cervelo Lifeforce on the first lap splitting the field and ending the chances of more than one favourite. The field came back together soon afterwards and the race saw numerous solo attacks, most notably from Karin Thürig (Cervelo Lifeforce), but this only had the effect of whittling down the front group to those eighteen riders. Ultimately, Ljungskog's attack in the final lap was the one that proved decisive.
"Yeah, it was a really small group," she laughed, referring to a conversation with Cyclingnews before the race, when she said she'd like to arrive at the finish in a group. "I'm happy with that. It's much easier to be alone, you know!"
"I think it was 15 kilometres to the finish," she continued. "I had to attack the course; I didn't think I will win the sprint. I though 'I have to attack', and I attacked and nobody followed me."
Ljungskog had tried to escape the rest of the favourites a few kilometres earlier, but was not allowed to get more than a few metres. "I had [attacked on the climb] but they caught me; I thought I had good legs so I had to try."
Second placed Judith Arndt paid her usual tribute to her High Road team-mates after she found herself caught out by the early high pace, set by the home teams. "I was not in a good position the first time it went up the climb," she told Cyclingnews, "so the others had to chase to bring the breakaway back for the whole first lap, which was not good."
Like many others, Arndt was taken by surprise by the ferocity of Ljungskog's final-lap attack, but believed that other factors also came to the Swede's aid. "I think she was strong but also lucky," she said, "because you need a lot of luck to sit in the right breakaway, to go away solo and nobody feels responsible to chase and then you have 30 seconds and then you make it. Cervelo tried to chase her down and we came closer but then again nobody felt responsible to make the last ten seconds. So she was gone."
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With more than one rider from some other teams present, Arndt – as the sole High Road representative – felt no pressure to be the one trying to chase down the lone escapee. "Well, I was alone in this breakaway at that time," she continued, "and other teams had two riders, and you have to have luck also to get away. I thought about [getting] across – one time when it was pretty close – but then I hesitated because I thought that maybe Soeder was going to chase. But I think she was also tired – hopefully, because I was very tired."
Mirjam Melchers-Van Poppel finished a close third behind Arndt, but was upbeat about her personal result after such a fast race. "It was very hard from the start I think," she told Cyclingnews. "I didn't expect that it would explode on the first time up the hill, but it did. Bigla did a great effort together with [Cervelo Lifeforce], they blew up the whole peloton in the first hill. There were a few favourites also, who were too far in the back. You can move up during the race, but now everybody had to race from the start. It makes it really uncertain, and you saw in the last lap that everybody was really tired; nobody had something extra.
"So I was thinking: I have to survive the hill the last time and go for the sprint, and that's what I did."
"Not right away," she said, when asked if she'd though about chasing down the lone Swede, "but I was keeping an eye on Judith and she did go, but Susanne had a hard pace and the group closed it in and you have to be smart and not waste your energy – you have to be cool – but Susanne did a fantastic race. But I'm pretty happy with this result."
Karin Thürig was one of the few riders to escape the fast leading group, and at one point, in the middle of the race, held a lead of more than thirty seconds, but it was to no avail and she was reeled in as the race approached the climb for the fourth and last time. "We wanted to race very aggressively," the Swiss time trial champion said afterwards, "and it was just a good moment to attack because I came from behind and I had more speed.
"Sometimes, at the end," she continued, "after the race you would do things different. We tried our best today."
In the absence of World Cup leader Marianne Vos (DSB Bank), Arndt took the lead in the season-long competition. Surprisingly, an honour that the former World champion has previously not had. "I never had this jersey before and my career has been pretty long already," she said, "it's nice to wear, but it's not the main goal for the season of the team. Because this year is the Olympics and everybody tries to be in the best shape for Olympics."
When asked if she would look to defend her lead in the next round in Montreal – a race she has professed a liking to in the past – Arndt was once again keen to stress the importance of a High Road, rather than personal, success. "We always try to win the race," she replied, "but it can be with another rider of the team. So we don't go for the overall, we always try to win the race."
How it unfolded
161 riders from 28 teams took the start under cloudless skies and in high temperatures in the town of Lyss, to the north east of Bern in Switzerland. The pace was immediately high, set by local teams Bigla – whose team headquarters is literally on the course, 200 metres after the start/finish line – and Cervelo Lifeforce.
The high pace on the first lap, particularly on the first ascent of the main climb, caused the peloton to split into pieces. A group of eighteen riders crossed the finish line two minutes ahead of a large group of around fifty riders and a further three ahead of the rest – whose race was effectively over.
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On the second lap, Karin Thürig escaped in a solo attack. The Swiss time trial champion managed to build a lead of up to 25 seconds before being reeled in as they approached the climb for the second time.
There was further pressure applied by Bigla, especially from Andrea Thürig and Jennifer Hohl, allowing team captains Nicole Brändli and Noemi Cantele to briefly escape with Judith Arndt (High Road). By the lap's halfway point however, the race was once again back together.
The second peloton was, by this time, two minutes behind and contained last year's third place Oenone Wood (High Road) and current World Cup second place Suzanne De Goede. This effectively ended the Dutchwoman's chances of retaking the jersey this weekend.
The front group stayed together for the remainder of the lap and the first part of the third, but after the penultimate ascent of the main climb Kristin Armstrong (Cervelo Lifeforce) managed to get away briefly, but was recaptured on the fast roads on the approach to the finish – mainly due to pressure from Kazakh champion Zoufila Zabirova (Bigla).
Before the bunch reached the finish however, Karin Thürig put in another attack, managing to open up 30 seconds once again, but as the climb started for the final time the speeding group caught and dropped her.
As the main group of favourites started the climb the pace continued to rise and riders were rapidly shelled out of the back. First to go were Andrea Thürig and Hohl, who'd done so much work early on, but many others followed as the relentless pace of the race began to tell.
An attack came quickly from Susanne Ljungskog who managed to gain a 50-metre lead. This was countered by World champion Marta Bastianelli, but the speeding group was not allowing anyone to escape and the pair was reeled in just after the top.
The pace of the climb had whittled the group down to just nineteen riders: last year's winner Edita Pucinskaite and Claudia Hausler (Both Equipe Nürnberger Versicherung), Judith Arndt (High Road), Susanne Ljungskog (Menikini-Selle Italia), Nicole Brändli (Bigla), Kristin Armstrong, Priska Doppmann and Christiane Soeder (all Cervelo Lifeforce), Mirjam Melchers-Van Poppel and Amber Neben (both Flexpoint), Emma Johansson (AA-Drink), Lorien Graham (Vrienden van et Platteland), Jolanta Polikeviciute (USC Chirio Forno d'Asolo), Alexandra Wrubleski (Webcor Builders), Sofie Goor (Lotto-Belisol), Daiva Tuslaite (SC Michela Fanini Record Box), Marta Bastianelli (Italian National Team), and Carla Ryan and Vicki Whitelaw (both Australian National Team).
For a while it looked as though these nineteen would ride to the finish and contest the sprint together, but with 15 kilometres to go Ljungskog accelerated and quickly pulled out a gap on her tiring companions.
At first there was no reaction, but Doppmann countered and made some impression on the flying Swede's advantage. She was reeled in by the others, but there was no catching Ljungskog and the former two-time World champion soloed away to finish eight seconds clear.
Judith Arndt took the sprint for second ahead of Melchers-Van Poppel and with it 50 World Cup points and the lead in the season-long competition.
Photography
For a thumbnail gallery of these images, click here
Images by WomensCycling.net/WomensCycling.net
- The Vienne Futuroscope team lines up - with several former national champions - check out their collars.
- Menikini Selle Italia are introduced before the race. Eventual winner, Susanne Ljungskog is second from left.
- A pensive High Road team are presented, Judith Arndt (second right) will take over the World Cup with her performance today.
- Priska Doppmann (Cervelo Lifeforce) on the climb.
- Judith Arndt (High Road) in the bunch on the first lap.
- The bunch climbs away from the roofs of Baggwil through the trees.
- The plaque on the front says "Sécurité". Would you argue with these guys?
- Sigrid Corneo (Menikini) grits her teeth in the warm sunshine on the climb.
- Kristin Armstrong (Cervelo Lifeforce) gains a gap during the descent.
- High Road's Kate Bates and Kim Anderson chase to close gaps at the front of the bunch.
- Catherine Carroll (USA) won the sprints prize in the Tour of Berne.
- Menikini's Miho Oki and Sigrid Corneo in the bunch.
- The bunch are on the main descent, at pace.
- Differing descending styles in the main bunch.
- Amber Neben (Flexpoint) and Nicole Brandli (Bigla) lead the breakway group on the climb.
- Kristin Armstrong (Cervelo Lifeforce) was a pre-race potential favourite.
- Carla Ryan (AUS) climbs steadiliy.
- Trixi Worrack (Equipe Nurnberger) on her own on the descent.
- Judith Arndt (High Road) descends at speed.
- Susanne Ljungskog (Menikini) on her initial breakaway on the final lap.
- Brandli, Arndt and Marta Bastianelli (ITA) look for help chasing Ljungskog.
- Susanne Ljungskog (Menikini) celebrates he first World Cup win since (Sweden) 2006.
- The bunch sprint for second - taken by Judith Arndt (High Road) ahead of Mirjam Melchers van Poppel.
- The race podium - Arndt, Ljungskog and Melchers van Poppel.
- Judith Arndt - the new World Cup leader.
- Catherine Carroll (USA) is presented as winner of the sprint prize.
- Nicole Brandli (Bigla) was the most aggressive rider.
Results
1 Susanne Ljungskog (Swe) Menikini - Selle Italia 3.31.08 (38.591 km/h) 2 Judith Arndt (Ger) Team High Road Women 0.08 3 Mirjam Melchers- Van Poppel (Ned) Team Flexpoint 4 Alex Wrubleski (Can) Webcor 5 Chantal Beltman (Ned) Team High Road Women 6 Jolanta Polikeviciute (Ltu) USC Chirio Forno d'Asolo 7 Sara Mustonen (Swe) Team Cmax Dila 8 Nikki Egyed (Aus) Vrienden Van Het Platteland 9 Marta Bastianelli (Ita) Italian National Team 10 Emma Johansson (Swe) AA-Drink Cycling Team 11 Edita Pucinskaite (Ltu) Equipe Nürnberger Versicherung 12 Zulfiya Zabirova (Kaz) Bigla Cycling Team 13 Claudia Häusler (Ger) Equipe Nürnberger Versicherung 14 Priska Doppmann (Swi) Cervelo Lifeforce Pro Cycling Team 15 Nicole Brändli (Swi) Bigla Cycling Team 16 Maryline Salvetat (Fra) French National Team 17 Carla Ryan (Aus) Australian National Team 18 Monia Baccaille (Ita) Fenixs 19 Edwige Pitel (Fra) Team Pro Feminin Les Carroz 20 Amber Neben (USA) Team Flexpoint 21 Vicki Whitelaw (Aus) Australian National Team 22 Lorian Graham (Aus) Vrienden Van Het Platteland 23 Sofie Goor (Bel) Lotto-Belisol Ladiesteam 24 Erinne Willock (Can) Webcor Builders Cycling Team 25 Christiane Soeder (Aut) Cervelo Lifeforce Pro Cycling Team 0.14 26 Kristin Armstrong (USA) Cervelo Lifeforce Pro Cycling Team 0.22 27 Grete Treier (Est) Gauss RDZ Ormu 1.18 28 Erika Vilunaite (Ltu) Lithuanian National Team 29 Elodie Touffet (Fra) Gauss RDZ Ormu 30 Christine Thorburn (USA) Webcor Builders Cycling Team 31 Kimberly Anderson (USA) Team High Road Women 32 Daiva Tuslaite (Ltu) S.C. Michela Fanini Record Rox 1.33 33 Sophie Creux (Fra) French National Team 4.17 34 Bianca Knöpfle (Ger) Team Flexpoint 35 Noemi Cantele (Ita) Bigla Cycling Team 5.29 36 Giorgia Bronzini (Ita) Italian National Team 37 Trixi Worrack (Ger) Equipe Nürnberger Versicherung 38 Jennifer Hohl (Swi) Bigla Cycling Team 6.49 39 Andrea Thürig (Swi) Bigla Cycling Team 40 Nadia Triquet-Claude (Fra) French National Team 41 Katharine Carroll (USA) USA National Team 42 Karin Thürig (Swi) Cervelo Lifeforce Pro Cycling Team 43 Mirjam Hauser-Senn (Swi) Team Specialized Designs For Women 9.18 44 Emma Pooley (GBr) Team Specialized Designs For Women 45 Kirsten Wild (Ned) AA-Drink Cycling Team 10.22 46 Anita Valen- De Vries (Nor) Team Flexpoint 47 Sarah Düster (Ger) Cervelo Lifeforce Pro Cycling Team 48 Miho Oki (Jpn) Menikini - Selle Italia 49 Martine Bras (Ned) Vrienden Van Het Platteland 50 Grace Verbeke (Bel) Lotto-Belisol Ladiesteam 51 Elke Gebhardt (Ger) German National Team 52 Andrea Bosman (Ned) Team DSB Bank 53 Angela Brodtka-Hennig (Ger) Team DSB Bank 54 Marina Romoli (Ita) Menikini - Selle Italia 55 Regina Bruins (Ned) Dutch National Team 56 Alessandra D'Ettore (Ita) Italian National Team 57 Fanny Riberot (Fra) Team Pro Feminin Les Carroz 58 Suzanne De Goede (Ned) Equipe Nürnberger Versicherung 59 Iosune Murillo Elkano (Spa) Bizkaia - Durango 60 Oenone Wood (Aus) Team High Road Women 61 Paulina Brzezna (Pol) AA-Drink Cycling Team 62 Carissa Wilkes (NZl) Team Pro Feminin Les Carroz 63 Carmen McNellis (USA) USA National Team 64 Lauren Franges (USA) USA National Team 65 Sara Carrigan (Aus) Lotto-Belisol Ladiesteam 66 Noortje Tabak (Ned) Team DSB Bank 67 Sarah Grab (Swi) Team Specialized Designs For Women 68 Liesbeth De Vocht (Bel) Vrienden Van Het Platteland 69 Suzanne Van Veen (Ned) Team Flexpoint 70 Eugenie Merillod (Fra) Team Pro Feminin Les Carroz 71 Inge Van Den Broeck (Bel) AA-Drink Cycling Team 72 Monika Schachl (Aut) Austrian National Team 73 Jocelyn Loane (Aus) Australian National Team 74 Daniela Pintarelli (Aut) Austrian National Team 75 Corine Hierckens (Bel) Vienne Futuroscope 76 Amelie Rivat (Fra) French National Team 77 Chantal Blaak (Ned) AA-Drink Cycling Team 78 Romy Kasper (Ger) German National Team 79 Nathalie Bates (Aus) Menikini - Selle Italia 80 An Van Rie (Bel) Vrienden Van Het Platteland 81 Alona Andruk (Ukr) USC Chirio Forno d'Asolo 82 Catherine Delfosse (Bel) Lotto-Belisol Ladiesteam 83 Tatiana Antoshina (Rus) Fenixs 84 Rebecca Much (USA) Webcor Builders Cycling Team 85 Karine Gautard (Fra) Vienne Futuroscope 86 Serena Danesi (Ita) Italian National Team 87 Magalie Finot-Laivier (Fra) French National Team 88 Loes Gunnewijk (Ned) Team Flexpoint 89 Monika Furrer (Swi) Team Specialized Designs For Women 90 Laura Bozzolo (Ita) S.C. Michela Fanini Record Rox 91 Ana Garcia Antequera (Spa) Bizkaia - Durango 92 Tania Belvederesi (Ita) Gauss RDZ Ormu 93 Rasa Polikeviciute (Ltu) USC Chirio Forno d'Asolo 94 Brei Gudsell (NZl) Team Pro Feminin Les Carroz 95 Catrine Josefsson (Swe) Bizkaia - Durango 96 Eva Lutz (Ger) Equipe Nürnberger Versicherung 97 Sigrid Corneo (Ita) Menikini - Selle Italia 98 Marta Vilajosana Andreu (Spa) Team Cmax Dila 99 Vera Carrara (Ita) Team Cmax Dila 100 Alison Powers (USA) USA National Team 101 Silvia Parietti (Ita) Gauss RDZ Ormu 102 Kristen La Sasso (USA) Team Specialized Designs For Women 103 Andrea Grauss (Aut) Bigla Cycling Team 104 Regina Schleicher (Ger) Equipe Nürnberger Versicherung 105 Tatiana Guderzo (Ita) Gauss RDZ Ormu 106 Inge Van Den Broeck (Bel) AA-Drink Cycling Team DNF Siobhan Dervan (Irl) Fenixs HD Gloria Presti (Ita) Menikini - Selle Italia HD Urte Juodvalkyte (Ltu) USC Chirio Forno d'Asolo HD Alice Donadoni (Ita) Team Cmax DilaWorld Cup rankings
1 Judith Arndt (Ger) Team High Road Women 167 pts 2 Marianne Vos (Ned) Team DSB Bank 152 3 Suzanne De Goede (Ned) Equipe Nürnberger Versicherung 133 4 Chantal Beltman (Ned) Team High Road Women 108 5 Marta Bastianelli (Ita) Safi - Pasta Zara Manhattan 101 6 Emma Pooley (GBr) Team Specialized Designs For Women 99 7 Alex Wrubleski (Can) Webcor Builders Cycling Team 84 8 Susanne Ljungskog (Swe) Menikini - Selle Italia 75 9 Katheryn Curi Mattis (USA) Webcor Builders Cycling Team 75 10 Ina Teutenberg (Ger) Team High Road Women 70 11 Kristin Armstrong (USA) Cervelo Lifeforce Pro Cycling Team 61 12 Oenone Wood (Aus) Team High Road Women 61 13 Julia Martisova (Rus) Gauss RDZ Ormu 60 14 Rochelle Gilmore (Aus) Menikini - Selle Italia 57 15 Emma Johansson (Swe) AA-Drink Cycling Team 56 16 Emma Rickards (Aus) Cervelo Lifeforce Pro Cycling Team 53 17 Kirsten Wild (Ned) AA-Drink Cycling Team 53 18 Nicole Brändli (Swi) Bigla Cycling Team 46 19 Miho Oki (Jpn) Menikini - Selle Italia 40 20 Mirjam Melchers-Van Poppel (Ned) Team Flexpoint 35 21 Diana Ziliute (Ltu) Safi - Pasta Zara Manhattan 35 22 Jolanta Polikeviciute (Ltu) USC Chirio Forno d'Asolo 34 23 Amber Neben (USA) Team Flexpoint 28 24 Regina Schleicher (Ger) Equipe Nürnberger Versicherung 27 25 Nicole Cooke (GBr) Team Halfords Bikehut 24 26 Edita Pucinskaite (Ltu) Equipe Nürnberger Versicherung 22 27 Sara Mustonen (Swe) Team Cmax Dila 21 28 Liesbeth De Vocht (Bel) Vrienden Van Het Platteland 21 29 Tiffany Cromwell (Aus) Australian National Team 21 30 Grete Treier (Est) Gauss RDZ Ormu 20 31 Priska Doppmann (Swi) Cervelo Lifeforce Pro Cycling Team 20 32 Nikki Egyed (Aus) Vrienden Van Het Platteland 18 33 Charlotte Becker (Ger) Equipe Nürnberger Versicherung 18 34 Christiane Soeder (Aut) Cervelo Lifeforce Pro Cycling Team 18 35 Sarah Düster (Ger) Cervelo Lifeforce Pro Cycling Team 18 36 Sofie Goor (Bel) Lotto-Belisol Ladiesteam 17 37 Noemi Cantele (Ita) Bigla Cycling Team 17 38 Regina Bruins (Ned) Netherlands 17 39 Lorian Graham (Aus) Vrienden Van Het Platteland 15 40 Gina Grain (Can) Webcor Builders Cycling Team 15 41 Angela Brodtka (Ger) Team DSB Bank 13 42 Trixi Worrack (Ger) Equipe Nürnberger Versicherung 11 43 Lieselot Decroix (Bel) Lotto-Belisol Ladiesteam 11 44 Zulfiya Zabirova (Kaz) Bigla Cycling Team 9 45 Sophie Creux (Fra) ESGL 93 - GSD Gestion 9 46 Joanne Kiesanowski (NZl) Cervelo Lifeforce Pro Cycling Team 9 47 Peta Mullens (Aus) Australian National Team 9 48 Claudia Häusler (Ger) Equipe Nürnberger Versicherung 8 49 Carly Hibberd (Aus) Australian National Team 8 50 Vicki Whitelaw (Aus) Australian National Team 6 51 Anita Valen De Vries (Nor) Team Flexpoint 6 52 Tatiana Stiajkina (Ukr) USC Chirio Forno d'Asolo 6 53 Maryline Salvetat (Fra) France 5 54 Alison Powers (USA) US National Team 5 55 Linda Villumsen Serup (Den) Team High Road Women 5 56 Lang Meng (Chn) Giant Pro Cycling 5 57 Carla Ryan (Aus) Australian National Team 4 58 Carissa Wilkes (NZl) Team Pro Feminin Les Carroz 4 59 Monika Schachl (Aut) Team Uniqa 4 60 Monica Holler (Swe) Bigla Cycling Team 4 61 Monia Baccaille (Ita) Fenixs 3 62 Carlee Taylor (Aus) Australian National Team 3 63 Edwige Pitel (Fra) Team Pro Feminin Les Carroz 2 64 Tina Mayolo Pic (USA) Vrienden Van Het Platteland 2 65 Martine Bras (Ned) Vrienden Van Het Platteland 1 66 Oxana Kozonchuk (Rus) Menikini - Selle Italia 1 67 Yong Li Liu (Chn) Giant Pro Cycling 1
