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Gracia Cez - Ede - 2.9.1
Czech Republic, May 2-5, 2002
Stage 5 - May 5: Orlova - Orlova, 85 km
Rachael Heal wins final stage as Neben claims overall
By Greg Boorer/Equipe Nürnberger
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The fifth and final stage of the 2002 edition of the gruelling 460km Grazia Ede-Cez tour was won by British National team rider Rachael Heal from her all day long break-away partner Jenny Algelid-Bengston of Equipe Nürnberger.
The stage was contested around five laps of a technical, hilly, 16km circuit which encouraged aggressive racing. The stage didn't disappoint! Constant attacks from the start resulted in a furious pace and enabled Heal and Algelid to forge a small gap at the 15km mark. As soon as their gap was established the strong Nürnberger-Versicherungsgruppe squad and the British National team shut the race down from behind, controlling any attacks. The break suited all the GC contenders and the US National team of tour leader, Amber Neben, were content to keep the duo's gap at a non threatening distance. The Swiss National team and local hero, Lada Kozlikova, tried valiantly to bridge across, but nothing was moving without a Nürnberger or British "policeman".
After 70km in the lead, the race came down to a sprint between the two which was evenly contested with Heal winning by the width of a tyre. A disappointed runner up, Algelid, capped off a brilliant return to form by reinforcing her top ten position on the general classification.
The top places on the general classification remained the same with former runner and mountain bike pro, Amber Neben, winning her first ever UCI stage race from a positive Hanka Kupfernagel. Equipe Nürnberger's leader, Kupfernagel, is currently enjoying somewhat of a renaissance after a poor season last year plagued by team problems. She managed to remain positive even after coming second in a race she dearly wanted to win, "Last year I was 40th or something on GC, so 2nd is not bad. I will have a couple of days of rest and then I will focus on my next goal which is Tour de l'Aude".
Rounding out the podium was consistent Swiss rider Priska Doppmann.
Results
1 Rachel Heal (GBr) 2.09.41 2 Je Algelidbengtsson (Swe) Equipe Nurnberger 3 Petra Rossner (Ger) Mixed Team GBR-Saturn 0.44 4 Nicole Freedman (USA) GS Liguria Ita-USA 0.47 5 Priska Doppmann (Swi) 6 Modes Vzesniauskaite (Ltu) 7 Hanka Kupfernagel (Ger) Equipe Nurnberger 8 Isabella Wieser (Aut) Unin Charly Lietzsport 9 Rikkesandhoj Olsen (Den) 10 Iryna Simonova (Ukr) 11 Vibe Jane Kulding (Den) 12 Caroline Alexander (GBr) Mixed Team GBr-Saturn 13 Monika Tyburska (Pol) Bonda Lukowski 14 Yvonne Brunen (Ned) Powerplate-Bik 15 Annette Beutler (Swi) 16 Lisbeth Simper (Den) 17 Areke Hassink (Ned) 18 Margaret Hemsley (Aus) Equipe Nurnberger 19 Indre Janulevciute (Ltu) 20 Bogumila Matusiak (Pol) Bonda Lukowski 21 Julie Pekarkova (Cze) Konica CZ 22 Pavla Havlikova (Cze) 23 Lada Kozlikova(Cze) 24 Amber Neben (USA) Canondale USA 25 Charlotte Becker (Ger) 26 Nataliya Kachalka (Ukr) 27 Ita Kryganovskaya (Rus) 28 Simone Trafelet (Swi) 29 Madeleine Sandig (Ger) Euregio Egrensis Ger 30 Claudia Stumpf (Ger) 0.56 31 Tetya Andrushchenko (Ukr) 1.07 32 Susan Carter (GBr) 33 Corine Hierckkens (Bel) Powerplate-Bik 34 Elizabeth Begosh (USA) GS Liguria Ita-USA 35 Lotte Schidt (Den) 36 Sandra Rombouts (Ned) Equipe Nurnberger 37 Kimberly Anderson (USA) Canondale USA 38 Mari Holden (USA) 39 Carolin Hildebrant (Ger) Team Red Bull Ger 40 Petitpierre Alexandrine (Swi) Team Next 125 41 Sharon Van Essen (Ned) 42 Karin Wieser (Aut) Unin Charly Lietzsport 43 Mette Fische Andreasen (Den) 44 Diana Rast (Swi) Pro VA Lady's Team 1.14 45 Mette Andersen (Den) 46 Lara Ruthven (USA) Canondale USA 47 Karin Thurig (Swi) 48 Andrea Graus (Aut) LRV Steiermark 49 Anna Sipurzynska (Pol) Bonda Lukowski 50 Petitpierre Alexandrine (Swi) Team Next 125 Teams 1 Equipe Nurnberger 2 Danish National Team 3 Switzerland National Team 4 Mixed Team Colnago 5 Great Britain 6 Lithuainian National Team 7 Bonda Lukowski 8 Canondale USA 9 German National Team 10 Mixed Team GBr-Saturn 11 Netherlands National Team 12 Powerplate-Bik 13 Team Next 125 14 Pro VA Lady's Team 15 GS Liguria Ita-USA 16 Euregio Egrensis Ger 17 Czech Republic National Team 18 Unin Charly Lietzsport 19 Team Red Bull Ger 20 Konica CZ Sprints Sprint 1 - 33km 1 J Algelidhengtsson (Swe) Equipe Nurnberger 3 2 Rachel Heal (GBr) 2 3 Hanka Kupfernagel (Ger) Equipe Nurnberger 1 Sprint 2 - 66km 1 J Algelidhengtsson (Swe) Equipe Nurnberger 3 2 Rachel Heal (GBr) 2 3 Hanka Kupfernagel (Ger) Equipe Nurnberger 1 Final general classification 1 Amber Neben (USA) Canondale USA 11.21.29 2 Hanka Kupfernagel (Ger) Equipe Nurnberger 2.09 3 Priska Doppmann (Swi) 2.21 4 Caroline Alexander (GBr) Mixed Team GBr-Saturn 6.34 5 Je Algelidbengtsson (Swe) Equipe Nurnberger 6.59 6 Lada Kozlikova(Cze) 7.00 7 Karin Thurig (Swi) 7.19 8 Margaret Hemsley (Aus) Equipe Nurnberger 7.55 9 Bogumila Matusiak (Pol) Bonda Lukowski 8.45 10 Iryna Simonova (Ukr) 8.57 11 Vibe Jane Kulding (Den) 9.41 12 Modes Vzesniauskaite (Ltu) 9.53 13 Kimberly Anderson (USA) Canondale USA 10.02 14 Tetya Andrushchenko (Ukr) 11.30 15 Lisbeth Simper (Den) 11.56 16 Rachel Heal (GBr) 12.23 17 Mari Holden (USA) 12.24 18 Corine Hierckkens (Bel) Powerplate-Bik 12.41 19 Nataliya Kachalka (Ukr) 12.56 20 Julie Pekarkova (Cze) Konica CZ 12.58 21 Lara Ruthven (USA) Canondale USA 13.35 22 Theresa Senff (Ger) Euregio Egrensis 13.42 23 Dorothy Cowden (USA) Canondale USA 14.54 24 Nicole Freedman (USA) GS Liguria Ita-USA 15.18 25 Areke Hassink (Ned) 15.21 26 Irene Hostettler (Swi) Team Next 125 15.30 27 Isabella Wieser (Aut) Unin Charly Lietzsport 16.41 28 Madeleine Sandig (Ger) Euregio Egrensis Ger 16.42 29 Charlotte Becker (Ger) 16.54 30 Annette Beutler (Swi) 16.58 31 Doris Posch (Aut) Pro VA Lady's Team 17.37 32 Claudia Stumpf (Ger) 18.08 33 Sandra Rombouts (Ned) Equipe Nurnberger 18.42 34 Pavla Havlikova (Cze) 18.51 35 Monika Tyburska (Pol) Bonda Lukowski 19.24 36 Alexandra Bahler (Swi) Pro VA Lady's Team 19.33 37 Minke Van Dongen (Ned) 19.56 38 Elizabeth Begosh (USA) GS Liguria Ita-USA 19.57 39 Indre Janulevciute (Ltu) 19.59 40 Kerstin Scheitle (Ger) Equipe Nurnberger 20.13 41 Krystyna Kras (USA) GS Liguria Ita-USA 21.02 42 Carolin Hildebrant (Ger) Team Red Bull Ger 21.13 43 Marion Brauen (Swi) Team Next 125 21.51 44 Rikkesandhoj Olsen (Den) 22.01 45 Petitpierre Alexandrine (Swi) Team Next 125 22.10 46 Mette Andersen (Den) 22.46 47 Pavla Novakova (Cze) Konica CZ 22.48 48 Emma Davies (GBr) 22.51 49 Jaccolien JE Wallaard (Ned) 23.09 50 Ita Kryganovskaya (Rus) 23.16 51 Luise Keller (Ger) 23.40 52 Mirjam Senn (Swi) Team Next 125 24.01 53 Alexandra Born (Swi) Pro VA Lady's Team 24.32 54 Andrea Graus (Aut) LRV Steiermark 26.00 55 Veronica Andreasson (Swe) Powerplate-Bik 26.16 56 Simone Trafelet (Swi) 26.53 57 Paulina Brzezna (Pol) Bonda Lukowski 27.56 58 Jane (Knietzsch (Ger) 28.05 59 Franza Rippin (Ger) Euregio Egrensis Ger 28.56 60 Mette Fische Andreasen (Den) 29.08 61 Yvonne Brunen (Ned) Powerplate-Bik 29.50 62 Susan Carter (GBr) 29.51 63 Alexandra Noles (Ned) Powerplate-Bik 30.10 64 Petra Rossner (Ger) Mixed Team GBR-Saturn 30.24 65 Sharon Van Essen (Ned) 30.32 66 Lotte Schidt (Den) 32.32 67 Laura Lange (Ger) Euregio Egrensis Ger 34.33 68 Bettina Schoke (Ger) Team Red Bull Ger 35.31 69 Ester Van Der Helm (Ned) 35.46 70 Patricia Choo (USA) Canondale USA 37.04 71 Katja Polzin (Ger) 38.54 72 Diana Elmentaite (Ltu) 41.57 73 Anna Sipurzynska (Pol) Bonda Lukowski 43.22 74 Diana Rast (Swi) Pro VA Lady's Team 44.47 75 Maria Taubert (Ger) Team Red Bull Ger 48.20 76 Marion Gufler (Ita) Pro VA Lady's Team 51.44 77 Justina Dieninyte (Ltu) 53.21 78 Joanne Cavill (GBr) Mixed Team GBr-Saturn 54.23 79 Kerstin Forstner (Ger) Equipe Nurnberger 56.41 80 Lenka Valova (Cze) 56.45 81 Andrea Knecht (Swi) 56.54 82 Karin Wieser (Aut) Unin Charly Lietzsport 1.01.31 83 Lisa Lackner (Aut) Unin Charly Lietzsport 1.01.34 84 Bernadet Schober (Aut) LRV Stwiwrmark 1.01.44 85 Victoria Wilkinson (GBr) Mixed Team GBr-Satur 1.05.24 86 Elke Gebhardt (Ger) 1.07.33 87 Martina Nothiger (Swi) Team Next 125 1.08.39 88 Christine Schallert (Ger) Euregio Egrensis Ge 1.20.20 89 Petra Pilz (Aut) Unin Charly Lietzsport 1.25.17 90 Sona Rysankova (Cze) 1.37.54 91 Martina Ruzickova (Cze) Konica CZ 1.42.49 92 Nathalic Visser (Ned) Powerplate-Bik 1.48.52 93 Jirina Frantikova (Cze) 1.54.53 Teams Classification 1 Equipe Nurnberger 34.21.55 2 Canondale USA 5.12 3 Switzerland National Team 9.27 4 Mixed Team Colnago 15.38 5 Danish National Team 26.10 6 Bonda Lukowski 38.41 7 GS Liguria Ita-USA 38.49 8 Netherlands National Team 40.58 9 German National Team 41.14 10 Euregio Egrensis Ger 41.52 11 Team Next 125 42.03 12 Pro VA Lady's Team 44.14 13 Great Britain Nation Team 47.51 14 Powerplate - Bik 51.19 15 Lithuainian National Team 54.21 16 Czech Republic National Team 1.05.08 17 Mixed Team GBr-Saturn 1.14.14 18 Team Red Bull Ger 1.27.36 19 Konica CZ 2.01.07 20 Unin Charly Lietzsport 2.02.18 Sprint Classification Priska Doppmann (Swi) 80 Petra Rossner (Ger) Mixed Team GBR-Saturn 66 Hanka Kupfernagel (Ger) Equipe Nurnberger 63 Amber Neben (USA) Canondale USA 46 Je Algelidbengtsson (Swe) Equipe Nurnberger 32 Modes Vzesniauskaite (Ltu) Caroline Alexander (GBr) Mixed Team GBr-Saturn 30 Iryna Simonova (Ukr) 27 Rachel Heal (GBr) 25 Lada Kozlikova(Cze) 22 Mountains Classification Amber Neben (USA) Canondale USA 26 Caroline Alexander (GBr) Mixed Team GBr-Saturn 24 Hanka Kupfernagel (Ger) Equipe Nurnberger 23 Karin Thurig (Swi) 22 Mari Holden (USA) 14 Priska Doppmann (Swi) 12 Petra Rossner (Ger) Mixed Team GBR-Saturn 5 Je Algelidbengtsson (Swe) Equipe Nurnberger 4 Lada Kozlikova(Cze) 3 Corine Hierckkens (Bel) Powerplate-Bik 2
