by Anna Magrath | Jun 17, 2015
All Image ©www.chrismaher.co.uk / CyclingShorts.cc
The start of the Aviva Womens Tour 2015 got off to a ‘smashing’ start for Lizzie Armitstead and members of the media, not quite the finish everyone was anticipating.
With the profile of the 110km stage it looked like it would end in a bunch sprint but with QoM’s points to contest just before the finish there could be an upset.
Some of the big name riders in the hunt for a win were Bronzini and Armitstead, with their teams Wiggle Honda and Boels Dolman respectively keeping the pace high.
Katie Archibald, Pearl Izumi, “I think this race has been designed with the TV in mind with possible bunch sprint finishes. Stage 4 has a really technical finish but we hope to have everyone fighting it out to the end. My role in the team will be to sprint with the other Katie [Curtis], we will be looking for that kick at the end, Sarah Storey and Ciara Horne will be our main climbers.”
Archibald hit the deck approaching the first QoM (Queen of the Mountains) but Joanna Rowsell hung back to help her Pearl Izumi sprinter back into the pack, once she’d been seen by the race doctor. Armitstead looked to control the pace heading towards the QoM with Sharon Laws (last years QoM winner). Susanna Zorzi of Lotto Soudal unfortunately got a flat at the bottom of the climb.
6 pojnts went to Melissa Hoskins of Orica with Anouska Koster hot on her heels for the 5 points.
Lizzie Armitstead, “My form is good, I had a mini season break in May came back with two wins, I won the Tour of Qatar, I’ll take that confidence into the sprints but a much more lumpy race would really suit me.”
Orica AIS rider Emma Johansson, “ I’ve just come out of a tour in Spain that was really successful for me, I came away with 3 wins, I don’t feel like there is any pressure on me, I’m just gonna enjoy every day.”
The first sprint points were contested by a group of four riders but Coryn Rivera (UHC) won the sprint gaining the first 3 points of the tour followed by Marta Tagliaferro (2 points) and Elinor Barker (1 point).
Hannah Barnes UHC, “ I’m mostly looking at stage wins this Tour, last year was good with two top fours, Coryn and I are on form so the team is hoping to have a really good week.”
USA’s Heather Fischer took a nasty fall in the race for the second sprint, Tagliaferro took maximum points followed by Barker and Rivera.
Laura Trott, Matrix Fitness, “It went well at the Tour Series and the Milk Race for me, these stages are a bit longer than an hour race, two of the stages are 140km which isn’t what we train for, as long as I can get to the finish I think I can do ok.”
A five rider breakaway was established as the second QoM loomed ahead, the group consisted of the previous sprint contest riders, they were joined by Katie Archibald, and Coryn Rivera’s UHC team mate Katie Hall who was sitting on the back wheel waiting to pounce. The peloton chase was being led by Wiggle Honda with a 3 minute gap to the leaders at one point. Another gap developed as Katie Archibald struggled with the climb and was distanced from her breakaway companions. The UHC riders took the top two points available as the QoM summit (Katie Hall 6pts and Coryn Rivera 5pts). Archibald was last over the line for the breakaway taking 2 points as she started to slip slowly backwards, eventually when the peloton arrived at the QoM’s Sharon Laws mopped up the remaining point uncontested.
Giorgia Bronzini, Wiggle Honda, “For me and my team this race is a big goal, we are here with good riders and we are prepared for every solution that can be in the race.”
The leading group was down to four riders with 10km’s to go. Orica snd Wiggle had raised the pace on the front of the peloton and the lead groups advantage of 2 minutes 45 was eroded to 55 seconds.
Lisa Brennauer of Velcro SRAM, “I think there are more possibilities for a sprinter than just the bunch sprint this tour, I hope it’s going to be exciting and not predictable as to who’s going to win.”
With 5km’s to go the lead group were dangling like a carrot in front of the hungry peloton.
With 2km to go the race became exposed to the crosswinds of the coast with those hiding in the peloton at an advantage.
Under the Flame rouge and the breakaway was hanging in by a thread. They were quickly absorbed into the peloton. The sprinters came to the front and immediately Armitstead, Frapporti, Brennauer and Johansson showed their form. Crossing the line first was Lizzie Armitstead with Lisa Brennauer 2nd, and Emma Johansson 3rd.
The days spills didn’t end there, moments after the win Lizzie appeared to swerve to her left and in doing so hit a number of the press photographers, CyclingShorts.cc Chris Maher was one of them, they fell like a pack of cards. The photographers were in their correct position along with race organisers. Currently nothing is known about why Lizzie lost control of her bike but she went down very hard. She was rushed to hospital with a suspected broken femur, she was released later luckily with nothing more serious than bruises. Lizzie thanked everyone for their concern and also thanked the NHS staff who treated her.
Armitstead has a 4 second lead after stage one with a time of 2h39’43”. We wish Lizzie well and hope she’s able to defend her jersey tomorrow.
Stage One | Bury St Edmonds to Alderburgh
U23 – Coryn Rivera
Best British – Lizzie Armitstead
Points – Lizzie Armitstead
Queen of the Mountains – Katie Hall
Team – UnitedHealthcare Professional Cycling
Useful Links…
Twitter www.twitter.com/thewomenstour Event Hashtag #AvivaWT2015
Facebook www.facebook.com/thewomenstour
Instagram www.instagram.com/thetourcycling
YouTube www.youtube.com/thetourcycling
Aviva Women’s Tour Women’s Tour
Thursday 18th June 2015 | Stage Two | Braintree to Clacton
Words by Anna, Images by Chris Maher
by Chris Maher | Jun 15, 2015
Cycling Shorts will be following this years Aviva Women’s Tour, from beginning to end. You can follow the race daily for information. Today you can find a Provisional Start-Sheet to download, Jerseys to look-out for, and Route Maps. Further Updates will be issued as the Race Day approaches with Daily Reports and exclusive images. Firstly, we will be attending the Team Presentation, where a final Start List will be issued, and we will meet the girls taking part.
The second edition of the Women’s Tour brings on a new title sponsor in Aviva.
The race covers five individual stages, with a total distance of 596.2 kilometres.
There are no less than eleven “National Road Race Champions” due to ride in the Aviva Women’s Tour.
Lisa Brennauer, Germany, Velocio SRAM
Jolien D’hoore, Belgium, Wiggle Honda
Pauline Ferrand-Prevot, France, Rabo Liv
Megan Guarnier, USA, Boels Dolmans
Emma Johansson, Sweden, Orica AIS
Leah Kirchmann, Canada, Optum p/b Kelly Benefit Strategies
Lotta Lepistö, Finland, Bigla Pro Cycling
Christine Majerus, Luxembourg, Boels Dolmans
Iris Slappendel, Netherlands, Bigla Pro Cycling
Laura Trott, Great Britain, Matrix Fitness
Linda Villumsen, New Zealand, UnitedHeathcare Pro Cycling
There are sixteen Teams comprising of six Team Members, competing in this years Tour. They will be presented to the Public on Tuesday 16th June in Bury St Edmonds one at a time from 5.30pm until 7pm.
Aviva Women’s Tour Rider List 2015 – Provisional
1730, Lotto Soudal
51 Susanna Zorzi ITA
52 Lieselot Decroix BEL
53 Chantal Hoffmann LUX
54 Anouk Rijff NED
55 Carlee Taylor AUS
56 Sarah Rijkes AUT
1735, Ale Cipollini
11 Beatrice Bartelloni ITA
12 Elena Berlato ITA
13 Maria Giulia Confalonieri ITA
14 Annalisa Cucinotta ITA
15 Arianna Fidanza ITA
16 Simona Frapporti ITA
1740, Team Liv Plantur
111 Lucy Garner GBR
112 Claudia Lichtenberg GER
113 Sara Mustonen-Lichan SWE
114 Molly Weaver GBR
115 Julia Soek NED
116 Sabrina Stultiens NED
1745, USA
131 Lauren Hall USA
132 Allie Dragoo USA
133 Heather Fischer USA
134 Hannah Ross USA
135 Lauren Komanski USA
136 Lauren Stephens USA
1750, Pearl Izumi Sports Tours International
91 Dame Sarah Storey GBR
92 Katie Archibald GBR
93 Katie Curtis GBR
94 Ciara Horne GBR
95 Joanna Rowsell GBR
96 Gabriella Shaw GBR
1755, Matrix Fitness
61 Laura Trott GBR
62 Elinor Barker GBR
63 Lucy Martin GBR
64 Mel Lowther GBR
65 Kimberley Le Court MAU
66 Helen Wyman GBR
1800, Velocio SRAM
141 Lisa Brennauer GER
142 Tiffany Cromwell AUS
143 Elise Delzenne FRA
144 Barbara Guarischi ITA
145 Loren Rowney AUS
146 Trixi Worrack GER
1805, Rabo Liv
1 Pauline Ferrand-Prevot FRA
2 Thalita De Jong NED
3 Anna Knauer GER
4 Roxanne Knetemann NED
5 Anouska Koster NED
6 Moniek Tenniglo NED
1810, Intermission
1820, Optum p/b Kelly Benefit Strategies
71 Leah Kirchmann CAN
72 Annie Ewart CAN
73 Ariane Horbach GER
74 Maura Kinsella USA
75 Alexxa Albrecht CAN
76 Brianna Walle USA
1825, Wiggle Honda
151 Giorgia Bronzini ITA
152 Audrey Cordon FRA
153 Jolien D’hoore BEL
154 Dani King GBR
155 Elisa Longo Borghini ITA
156 Annette Edmonson AUS
1830, Poitou Charentes – Futuroscope-86
101 Aude Biannic FRA
102 Charlotte Bravard FRA
103 Eugenie Duval FRA
104 Roxane Fournier FRA
105 Pascale Jeuland FRA
106 Amelie Rivat FRA
1835, Germany
41 Stephanie Pohl GER
42 Lisa Küllmer GER
43 Kathrin Hammes GER
44 Corinna Lechner GER
45 Madeleine Ortmüller GER
46 Gudrun Stock GER
1840, Bigla Pro Cycling
21 Sharon Laws GBR
22 Emilie Aubry SUI
23 Vera Koedooder NED
24 Caroline Baur SUI
25 Lotta Lepestö FIN
26 Iris Slappendel NED
1845, UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling
121 Hannah Barnes GBR
122 Rushlee Buchanan NZL
123 Katie Hall USA
124 Coryn Rivera USA
125 Alexis Ryan USA
126 Linda Villumsen NZL
1850, Orica AIS
81 Emma Johansson SWE
82 Gracie Elvin AUS
83 Alexandra Manly AUS
84 Melissa Hoskins AUS
85 Chloe McConville AUS
86 Sarah Roy AUS
1855, Boels Dolmans
31 Lizzie Armitstead GBR
32 Megan Guarnier USA
33 Romy Kasper GER
34 Christine Majerus LUX
35 Kasia Pawlowska POL
36 Amalie Dideriksen DEN
You can catch daily TV highlights every evening on ITV4 at 20.00pm on the day of each stage. Repeated the following morning.
Wednesday 17th June 2015
The race starts in Bury St Edmonds at 11:00am June 17th on Angel Hill, after a neutralised start, the race officially gets underway on Airfield Road.
Stage One | Bury St Edmonds to Alderburgh
Useful Links…
Twitter www.twitter.com/thewomenstour Event Hashtag #AvivaWT2015
Facebook www.facebook.com/thewomenstour
Instagram www.instagram.com/thetourcycling
YouTube www.youtube.com/thetourcycling
Aviva Women’s Tour Women’s Tour
by Anna Magrath | May 11, 2014
Marianne Vos takes Friends Life Women’s Tour overall victory
Marianne Vos cemented victory in the inaugural Friends Life Women’s Tour by taking her third consecutive stage victory in Bury St Edmunds, out sprinting Giorgia Bronzini and Amy Pieters on Angel Hill.
The ensuing time bonuses ensured Vos finished 30 seconds clear of stage winners Emma Johansson and Rossella Ratto in second and third places, with the latter also claiming the Matrix Fitness Best Young Rider jersey for the highest placed Under-23 rider.
Italian duo Bronzini and Susanna Zorzi, who claimed the week’s overall combativity award, were fourth and fifth overall, with Pieters just edging Lucy Garner and Hannah Barnes in sixth, seventh and eighth places.
Garner also took the Leukaemia & Lymphoma Research Best British Rider jersey, inheriting it on Sunday morning in Harwich after Lizzie Armitstead withdrew through illness and then defending it from Barnes in the final sprint, despite clipping the barriers in the final corners.
For the second day running Lotto Belisol Ladies’ Emma Pooley was in the thick of the action, winning the Combativity Award for her constant attacking on the 108.3 kilometre stage through Tendring and Suffolk.
Loes Gunnewijk, Lauren Hall and Lisa Brennauer joined Pooley, but with no Rabo Liv rider in the font group they were brought back, setting up the final sprint finish of the week into Bury St Edmunds’ Angel Hill, where packed crowds awaited.
For the third day running it was Vos who powered clear, our sprinting Bronzini, with Pieters and Barnes in close attendance behind.
Vos’ consistent run of top three finishes and bonus points saw her claim the YodelDirect Points jersey, while Sharon Laws and Jolanda Neff’s week long battle for the Strava Queen of the Mountains jersey ended in favour of the British rider, three points ahead of her Swiss counterpart.
Optum p/b Kelly Benefit Strategies claimed the overall Team Classification, with American rider Hall their highest finisher in ninth overall.
Highlights of Stage Five are on ITV4 at 9pm on Sunday evening, with a repeat at 8.10am on Monday morning.
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