by Hayley Davies | May 10, 2014
Image ©Cycling Shorts. / www.chrismaher.co.uk
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Elisa Longo Borghini of talks to us about her experience of racing in the UK for the first time at the beginning of Stage 4 of the Women’s Tour 2014
Writer
Riding since Feb 2011 Hayley is a 30 year old female who loves adventures. If she’s not on one of her many bikes or in the water on a bodyboard/surfboard, then Hayley is probably out looking for something new to keep the adrenaline pumping!
Website: www.hjdonline.co.uk
by Hayley Davies | May 10, 2014
Image ©Cycling Shorts. / www.chrismaher.co.uk
[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/148839587″ params=”color=00aabb&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_artwork=true” width=”100%” height=”166″ iframe=”true” /]
Hannah Barnes of UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling Team talks to us about her tour so far – Stage 4 Start – Women’s Tour 2014
Writer
Riding since Feb 2011 Hayley is a 30 year old female who loves adventures. If she’s not on one of her many bikes or in the water on a bodyboard/surfboard, then Hayley is probably out looking for something new to keep the adrenaline pumping!
Website: www.hjdonline.co.uk
by Hayley Davies | May 10, 2014
[youtube http://youtu.be/MPBd2CenikY]
Helen Wyman presents her team to the crowds at the start of Stage 4 of the FreindsLife Women’s Tour
Writer
Riding since Feb 2011 Hayley is a 30 year old female who loves adventures. If she’s not on one of her many bikes or in the water on a bodyboard/surfboard, then Hayley is probably out looking for something new to keep the adrenaline pumping!
Website: www.hjdonline.co.uk
by Anna Magrath | May 9, 2014
Stage win and Friends Life Yellow Jersey for Vos in Clacton
Marianne Vos took her long threatened stage victory in the Friends Life Women’s Tour, sprinting to the win in Clacton to move into the race leader’s yellow jersey after three days of action.
Vos headed home Emma Johansson and Giorgia Bronzini on the gently rising finish straight on Clacton’s seafront at the end of an action packed stage, run off in a little over two-hours in blustery conditions on the Suffolk and Essex coasts.
Despite a flat tyre Britain’s Lizzie Armitstead took fourth in the sprint to stay in the hunt for overall victory.
As a result of victory, Vos trades the YodelDirect Points jersey for the Friends Life Yellow Jersey of race leader, taking a eight second lead over Stage One winner Johansson, with overnight leader Rossella Ratto a further second back in third.
Vos continues to also lead the YodelDirect Points classification after her consistent run of second-third-first finishes, with Armitstead retaining the Leukaemia & Lymphoma Research Best British Rider jersey and staying fifth overall.
Ratto’s consolation for losing the race lead is retaining the Matrix Fitness Best Young Rider jersey, while Sharon Laws retains the Strava Queen of the Mountains jersey, with a three point lead over Switzerland’s Jolanda Neff.
Numerous attacks throughout the stage, including one by Armitstead and Boels Dolmans straight from 0-kilometre and one that featured Armitstead, Johansson and Vos, were kept on a tight leash, resulting in frantic action.
Combined with strong winds this left several groups distanced from the rear of the race, but plenty of action at the front. Specialized Lululemon’s Trixi Worrack earned the day’s combativity award for her persistent attacking, with teammate Tiffany Cromwell’s last ditch attempt caught at the flame rouge as the peloton prepared for the bunch gallop.
Saturday sees Hertfordshire host the Friends Life Women’s Tour for Stage Four from Cheshunt to Welwyn Garden City.
Highlights of Stage Three are on ITV4 in the UK at 9pm this evening, with a repeat on Saturday morning at 8.25am.
Stage 3 Results:
Overall Standings:
| Jerseys : |
| Leader Jersey : |
1 – |
VOS Marianne |
 |
RBW |
| Points Jersey : |
111 – |
JOHANSSON Emma |
 |
GEW |
| Mountain Jersey : |
144 – |
LAWS Sharon |
 |
UHC |
| Young Riders Jersey : |
34 – |
RATTO Rossella |
 |
EMF |
| Best British Jersey : |
– |
|
|
by Anna Magrath | May 9, 2014
Friends Life Women’s Tour 2014 | Stage Two ©Cycling Shorts / www.chrismaher.co.uk
Italian Rossella Ratto out sprinted compatriot Susanna Zorzi on Bedford’s Embankment to win the second stage of the Friends Life Women’s Tour, jumping into the lead of the race following her victory.
The Italian duo out foxed the sprinters into Bedford, holding off the Marianne Vos led bunch by six seconds to remain clear after Ratto had broken clear after 65-kilometres of racing.
Having instigated the move heading towards the second Strava Queen of the Mountains at Brixworth, Ratto was later joined by Zorzi, building a gap of two minutes approaching 20-kilometres to go.
With Lizzie Armitstead’s Boels Dolmans taking up the chase the deficit was halved, but Ratto and Zorzi remained clear, although only just with the peloton in sight behind the duo on the 400-metre long finishing straight.
Having outsprinted Zorzi, Estado de Mexico Faren rider Ratto said afterwards;
“I originally attacked to get the points for the Queen of the Mountains but I continued because I felt good – I am training for the time-trial at present – so I thought why not? I was on the point of giving up when Susanna came across to me from the peloton. Two is always better than one so we started to ride hard again. The gap started going up and we thought maybe we could do it.
“I was still afraid the peloton would get back to us in the final 4km but Suzanna, who is a good friend, helped me a lot and we were able to ride all the way to the finish it was a dream.”
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Behind the Italians Vos led home compatriot Amy Pieters and Lucy Garner, followed by Giorgia Bronzini and Lizzie Armitstead.
“We almost caught Rossella but not quite,” said Armitstead afterwards. “From our point of view it was really our team’s responsibility to lead the chase, we didn’t have the yellow jersey to defend and possibly GreenEdge made a slight mistake.
“In terms of the GC we are still in the hunt if the stages are challenging enough but realistically we need some wins to make it more interesting. I’ve been going for all the intermediate sprints so far, I have been in stage races before when it comes down to second so if it does get close on Sunday I don’t want to look back on any lost opportunity.”
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Armitstead moves up to fifth overall and pulls on the Leukaemia & Lymphoma Research Best British Rider jersey, while Ratto added the Matrix Fitness Best Young Rider jersey to her Bedfordshire haul.
In the Friends Life Overall Classification Ratto now leads Zorzi by five seconds, with Vos, who leads the YodelDirect Points Classification a further second in arrears. Day One winner Emma Johansson drops to fourth overall, having come home eleventh, with Hannah Barnes and Lucy Garner joining Armitstead as Brits in the top ten.
UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling’s Sharon Laws retains the Strava Queen of the Mountains jersey after enjoying a competitive battle with Switzerland’s mountain bike champion Jolanda Neff, that saw the two competing for the points available at each of the day’s two Strava climbs.
Friday sees the Friends Life Women’s Tour head to Suffolk and Tendring, for Stage Three from Felixstowe to Clacton. Highlights of Stage Two are on ITV4 in the UK at 9pm this evening, with a repeat on Friday morning at 8am.
Stage Results:
Overall:
| Jerseys : |
| Leader Jersey : |
34 – |
RATTO Rossella |
|
EMF |
| Points Jersey : |
1 – |
VOS Marianne |
|
RBW |
| Mountain Jersey : |
144 – |
LAWS Sharon |
|
UHC |
| Young Riders Jersey : |
14 – |
ZORZI Susanna |
|
BPK |
| Best British Jersey : |
21 – |
ARMITSTEAD Lizzie |
|
DLT |
