Women's Cycling News 20.05.12

GP Comune di Cornadero (click to enlarge)

GP Comune di Cornaredo
The 4th GP Comune di Cornaredo (UCI 1.2) is due to take place this afternoon in the Province of Milan, early fears that the magnitude 6.0 earthquake that struck Northern Italy this morning might affect the race proving unfounded. (Itinerary)

World Champion Giorgia Bronzini did not start deciding that the risk of a season-endangering accident on a parcours with so many tight, high speed corners was simply too great. Those corners also meant that predicting the outcome of this one was difficult even despite the presence of Marianne Vos (almost invariably the safest bet in professional cycling), because anything could happen in a race like this. All the same, it was no surprise just an hour and fifteen minutes into the competition when Bronzini's trade team, Diadora-Pasta Zara, Tweeted the information that Vos was already pulling the rest of the field along behind her.

Diadora Zara ‏@TeamDiadoraZara
Cornaredo, la Vos sta gia' staccando tutte.

Iris Slappendel

Once Iris Slappendel joined up with Vos (usually team mates at Rabobank, both were riding for their National team today)  and the two started working together, it wasn't long before they'd gained a two-minute lead over the rest of the field and it began to look as though one of them was likely to be the winner. When they upped it to three-and-a-half the top two steps on the podium were as good as theirs, and it was no surprise when they crossed the line with a comfortable lead.

That's where it got complicated - for some time after the race, there was confusion as to who had actually won. Anton Vos (Marianne's brother) and Cicloweb both said Slappendel, whereas Wilerland and other sources said it was Vos. Marianne herself Tweeted that Slappendel had beaten her at 20:05BST, which is more than authoritative enough for this blog. Annemiek van Vleuten was third and Loes Guunewijk fourth - an excellent day for Dutch cycling!

Top ten results when available

Breendonck
Jessie Druyts (Topsport Vlaanderen-Ridley 2012) was taken to hospital for x-rays following a crash at Breendonck(19.05) - her team has yet to reveal further news. 19-year-old Miriam Bjørnsrud, Norwegian Under-19 Road Race Champion in 2010, won after taking the lead from Ann-Sophie Duyck (Lotto-Belisol) in the 96th kilometre.

Top Ten

Miriam Bjørnsrud

  1.  Miriam Bjørnsrud
  2.  Ann-sophie Duyck Lotto Belisol
  3.  Jolien Hoore Topsport Vlaanderen-Ridley 2012
  4.  Fiona Dutriaux Vienne Futuroscope
  5.  Emma Johansson Hitec Products-Mistral Home
  6.  Kim De Baat
  7.  Cecilie Sateroy Johansen Hitec Products-Mistral Home
  8.  Nathalie Nijns Lotto Belisol
  9.  Annelies Dom Wielerclub Steeds Vooraan-Kontich
  10.  Valerie Robert
(Full result)

Ronde van Zuid Oost Friesland

Monique van de Ree

The Ronde van Zuid Oost Friesland (19.05) also ended in a bunch sprint with Skil-Argos taking an impressive three places in the top five. Monique van de Ree (Skil-Argos) git the better of Roxane Knetemann (Rabobank) for first place while Skil team mates Janneke Kanis and Kelly Markus were third and fifth respectively, Nina Kessler of Dolmans-Boels planting herself in between them for fourth.

Top Ten
  1.  Monique van de Ree Skil-Argos
  2.  Roxane Knetemann Rabobank
  3.  Janneke Kanis Skil-Argos
  4.  Nina Kessler Dolmans-Boels
  5.  Kelly Markus Skil-Argos
  6.  Laura van der Kamp Dolmans-Boels
  7.  Sanne van Paassen
  8.  Hannah Welter GWC De Adelaar
  9.  Jermaine Post LRTV Swift
  10.  Rixt Meijer WV De Noord-Westhoek
(Full result)

Ronde van Rijssen

Sharon Laws

Saturday also brought the Ronde van Rijssen, an event that fits into the Paris-Roubaix category of races that apparently exist for no reason other than their own half-mad beauty. Taking place on a square parcours of 60km, the organisers selected a route that takes in about as varied a selection of pavement, tarmac and street furniture as they could find before throwing some narrow residential streets and a climb with a maximum gradient of around 6.5% into the mix for good measure, then sending the riders around it at high speed 43 times. All in all, it was a parcours very much to the liking of AA Drink-Leontien.nl - the team managed to take no less than 50% of the top ten places, including first.

Top Ten
 1. Sharon Laws AA Drink-Leontien.nl  
 2. Jessie Daams AA Drink-Leontien.nl  
 3. Chantal Blaak AA Drink-Leontien.nl  
 4. Nathalie van Gogh Ibis  
 5. Emma Pooley AA Drink-Leontien.nl  
 6. Linda Ringlever NWV Groningen  
 7. Linda van Rijen Skil-Argos  
 8. Janneke Ensing Dolmans-Boels  
 9. Marieke van Wanroij AA Drink-Leontien.nl  
 10. Esther Olthuis Ibis

Other News and Views
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Emma Johansson enjoys a kermesse - emmajohansson.com


Weeping Legs - Marijn de Vries


The Aussies are coming! - Sarah Kent on the Johnson HealthTech GP