Emakumeen Bira 2012

The Race - The Stages - The Start List - Following The Race - News

Ever since the regrettable demise of Tour de France Feminin (last held in 2009, problems securing sponsors appear to have finished the race off for good) and the Tour de l'Aude Cycliste Féminin (last held 2010, brought to an end for the same reason), the most important race and the only Grand Tour on the women's calendar has been the Giro Donne - however, the Emakumeen Euskal Bira goes a very long way to filling the void despite being reduced to four stages this year.

The race begins today in Iurreta for a 97.1km parcours that looks likely to finish with a sprint (Ina-Yoko Teutenberg, anyone?) at Matiena, then tomorrow the riders face 97.8km starting and ending at thefrom the busy fishing port Lekeitio. Stage 3 is a 13.4km individual time trial around Urduña and Queen Stage 4 takes in the hardest climbs this year on the 116km route from Urduña and back to Iurreta.

Emma Pooley, now with AA Drink

The Basques are one of the few peoples to rival the Belgians for their love of all cycling and will turn out in huge numbers to see the riders as they battle one another through 324.5km of tough climbs and beautiful Euskadi countryside. One rider who is guaranteed their support is the British star Emma Pooley (AA Drink-Leontien.nl) who, as one of the most gifted climbers in cycling today, is an obvious favourite for overall victory this year - not least of all because of the spectacular style in which she won the Durango-Durango Emakumeen Saria on Tuesday, a race that has tended in the past to reveal the General Classification contenders for this one. No matter what her form, she won't go unchallenged: Judith Arndt (Orica-GreenEDGE), Annemiek van Vleuten (Rabobank), Emma Johansson (Hitec Products-Mistral Home) and Alena Amialiusik (Be Pink) have all had a superb season thus far and every one of them is capable of winning. In fact, the only serious rival Pooley doesn't have to take into account is 2008/2011 winner Marianne Vos, who is recovering after breaking her collarbone at the Parkhotel Valkenberg Classic.

Start list

STICHTING-RABO WOMEN

1 VAN VLEUTEN, Annemiek (NED)

2 SLAPPENDEL, Iris (NED)

3 DE JONG, Thalita (NED)

4 KITCHEN, Lauren (AUS)

5 KNENEMANN, Roxane (NED)

6 DE VOCHT, Liesbet (BEL)

SPECIALIZED-LULULEMON

11 TEUTENBERG, Ina Yoko (GER)

12 VAN DIKJ, Eleonora (NED)

13 WORRACK, Trixi (GER)

14 BECKER, Charlotte (GER)

15 BRENNAUER, Lisa (GER)

16 COLCLOUGH, Katie (GER)

HITEC PRODUCTS-MISTRAL HOME

21 JOHANSSON, Emma (SWE)

22 MUSTONEN, Sara (SWE)

23 BORGHINI, Elisa Longo (ITA)

25 FERRIER, Christel (FRA)

26 KAPUSTA, Sylwia (POL)

DIADORA-PASTA ZARA

31 TAGLIAPIETRA, Alice (ITA)

33 BORGATO, Giada (ITA)

34 JANELIUNAITE, Edita (LTU)

35 SILINYTE, Agne (LTU)

36 STEFANI, Francesca (ITA)

LOTTO BELISOL

41 MOOLMAN, Ashleigh (RSA) - withdrawn

42 DUYCK, Ann- Sophie (BEL)

43 HENRION, Ludivine (BEL)

44 VAN DE WINKEL, Joanna (RSA)

45 OLIVIERS, Lise (RSA)

46 KAAT, Hannes (BEL)

DOLMANS-BOELS

51 BRAS, Martine (NED)

52 KOSTER, Anouska (NED)

53 DECROIX, Lieselot (BEL)

54 PIJNENBORG, Mascha (NED)

KLEO

62 VAN DOORSLAER, Annelies (BEL)

63 DIJKMAN, Petra (NED)

64 LINDBERG, Marie (SWE)

65 ARYS, Evelyn (BEL)

66 CORAZZA, Martina (ITA)

LOINTEK

71 LLNYKH, Julia (RUS)

72 ITURRIAGA, Eneritz (ESP)

73 POTOKINA, Anna (RUS)

74 EPELDE, Mireia (ESP)

75 USABIAGA, Ana (ESP)

76 ORTEGA, Margot (FRA)

FASSA BORTOLO-SERVETTO

81 BERLATO, Elena (ITA)

82 FIORI, Jennifer (ITA)

83 GATTO, Viviana (ITA)

84 CAUZ, Francesca (ITA)

85 CECCHEL, Erika (ITA)

86 SCHWEIZER, Doris (SUI)

TEAM ALRIKSSON GO GREEN

91 FREDANG, Linnea (SWE)

92 NILSSON, Hanna (SWE)

93 KIHLBOM, Jessica (SWE)

94 SANDSTROM, Beata (SWE)

95 RYDLUND, Malin (SWE)

96 SJOBLOM, Linnea (SWE)

GREENEDGE-AIS

101 ARNDT, Judith (GER)

102 HAUSLER, Claudia (GER)

103 SPRATT, Amanda (AUS)

104 VILLUMSEN, Linda (NZL)

105 GUNNEWIJK, Loes (NED)

106 CROMWELL, Tiffany (AUS)

SKIL-ARGOS

112 VAN DE REE, Monique (NED)

113 PIETERS, Amy (NED)

114 TROMP, Esra (NED)

115 VAN RIJEN, Linda (NED)

116 JANNEKE, Kanis (NED)

BE PINK

121 ZRIMSEK, Petra (SLO)

122 VALSECCHI, Silvia (ITA)

123 AMIALIUSIK, Alena (BLR)

124 KOZONCHUK, Oxana (RUS)

126 GEBHARDT, Elke (GER)

MICHELA FANINI

131 GRIFI, Sara (ITA)

132 SANCHEZ, Azucena (ESP)

133 RUZICKOVA, Martina (CZE)

134 SCANDOLARA, Valentina (ITA)

135 MICHAL, Ella (ISR)

136 FORESI, Lorena (ITA)

AA DRINK-LEONTIEN

141 POOLEY, Emma (GBR)

142 BRAND, Lucinda (NED)

143 BLAAK, Chantal (NED)

144 ARMITSTEAD, Lizzie (GBR)

145 LAWS, Sharon (GBR)

146 OLDS, Shelley (USA)

GERMANY

151 SANDING, Madeleine (GER)

152 POHL, Stephanie (GER)

153 KASPER, Romy (GER)

154 KROGER, Mieke (GER)

155 HOFMANN, Srah-lena (GER)

156 SCHNITZMEIER, Anna Bianca (GER)

OURIBIKE

161 RAMIREZ, Anna (ESP)

162 GONÇALVES, Sara (POR)

163 AZNAR, Cristina (ESP)

164 COSTA, Rute (POR)

165 PATRICIO, Joana (POR)

166 GONÇALVEZ, Ana (POR)

BIZKAIA-DURANGO

171 SANCHIS, Anna (ESP)

172 ALCALDE, Cristina (ESP)

173 ESKAMENDI, Dorleta (ESP)

174 HOGAN, Joanne (AUS)

175 MARTIODA, Amaia (ESP)

176 SANTESTEBAN, Ane (ESP)

FAREN HONDA

181 COOKE, Nicole (GBR)

182 BLINDYUK, Julia (RUS)

183 UTROBINA, Elena (RUS)

185 HOHL, Jennifer (SUI)

186 TAMANINI, Luisa (ITA)

AUSTRALIA

191 NOONAN, Sinead (AUS)

192 ELVIN, Cracie (AUS)

193 ALLEN, Jessica (AUS)

194 SULZBERGER, Grace (AUS)

195 MCCONVILLE, Chloe (AUS)

196 TAYLOR, Carlee (AUS)

Following the race

As tends to be way with women's cycling, following the race can sometimes be difficult. However, local TV station Canal Bizkaia will - apparently - have some footage on their news reports; it may be possible to find livestreams of the channel. EiTB, available free and legally online, might also have reports. The race doesn't have an official account, but #EmakumeenBira will be the best way to keep up to date on Twitter and Karl Lima (Hitec Products-Mistral Home manager) is always a dafe bet for up-to-the-minute Tweets on all teams, not just his own. Wielerland is usually the best source for women's cycling news and Google's autotranslate copes sufficiently with Dutch to render it into something more-or-less understandable to those who can't speak it. Deia.com should have daily reports and other news.

News

A Bira without a favourite - Deia.com

The most disputed Emakumeen Bira - Que.es

Anna Sanchis in great form for Emakumeen Bira - Esciclismo.com

Ashleigh Moolman ‏@ashleighcycling

Hard decision to make, but I won't be starting Bira tour today! Down with flu virus and don't want to put the rest of my season at risk!