If you want to know more about the races, my preview of Boels and l'Ardèche has info about them and links to proper previews - so we'll just focus on watching what happened here!
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Boels Rental Ladies Tour
The Boels Rental Ladies Tour, aka the Profile Ladies Tour, aka the Brainwash Ladies Tour, aka the Holland Ladies Tour, can always be counted on for some superb racing. Four flat sprint stages, a Team Time Trial and then the final climbing stage, where they added even more climbs as a special final-day treat! There was so much to see, so pull up a chair and start watching....
UPDATE! 5 minute summary - either start here, or skip through and watch the stage videos and come back to this!
Stage 1
Up in the north, and this stage was notable for the stretch of unpaved, dusty road - very dramatic in both the videos and photos - here's how that section looked from the team car
That was crazy!!! pic.twitter.com/dbAJI2s2it
— Manel Lacambra (@lacambramanel) September 3, 2013
and here it is from the roadside:
and here's the highlights of the stage:
The queen of Dutch sprinting, Kirsten Wild, showed what happens in Dutch races! Here's her post-race interview (Dutch)
1. Kirsten Wild (Ned) Argos Shimano, 2:42:51
2. Lizzie Armitstead (GBr) Boels Dolmans, s.t.
3. Trixi Worrack (Ger) Specialized-lululemon, s.t.
4. Nettie Edmondson (Aus) ORICA-AIS, s.t.
5. Ellen van Dijk (Ned) Specialized-lululemon, s.t.
6. Melissa Hoskins (Aus) ORICA-AIS, s.t.
7. Shelley Olds (USA) Tibco, s.t.
8. Chloe Hosking (Aus) Hitec Products UCK, s.t.
9. Marta Tagliaferro (Ita) MCipollini-Giordana, s.t.
10. Amy Pieters (Ned) Argos Shimano, s.t.
But with Lizzie Armitstead having attacked and won the intermediate sprint bonifications, she lead the General Classification after Stage 1. Here's her post-race interview
Video interviews in Dutch after the stage with Esra Tromp (great dirt-marks on her forehead!) and Mascha Pijnenborg
Stage report and photos on the race website - Report and photos on womenscycling.net - photos on CJFoto and on this facebook and by Anton Vos on CorVos
Argos Shimano report, with Wild quotes - ORICA-AIS report (the first of a week of... slightly odd... comments from DS Dave McPartland. There are different takes on his quotes this week, see what you think)
Stage 2 - the TTT
What happens when the women's peloton races a Team Time Trial?
Nice little video of "backstage" atmosphere
1. Specialized-lululemon, 0:38:53
2. ORICA-AIS, + 01:15
3. Rabobank-Liv/Giant, + 01:37
4. Boels Dolmans, + 01:57
5. Tibco, + 02:18
6. Sengers, + 02:21
7. MCipollini-Giordana, + 02:22
8. Argos-Shimano, + 02:26
9. Hitec Products UCK, + 03:06
10. RC Jan van Arkel, + 03:49
With their win, the Specialized-lululemon riders took over the GC - with Trixi Worrack's bonifications giving her the orange leader's jersey. Here's her team-mate, Ellen van Dijk, talking in Dutch about it
and here's ORICA's Nettie Edmondson talking about being Best Young Rider (Aussie) and Loes Gunnewijk's video interview in Dutch.
Photos on the race website - Report and photos on womenscycling.net - photos on CJFoto and on this facebook and by Anton Vos on CorVos and photos on Sportfoto.nl
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Stage 3
Flat, technical, sprinty, and.....
1. Kirsten Wild (Ned) Argos Shimano, 3:01:38
2. Shelley Olds (USA) Tibco, s.t.
3. Lizzie Armitstead (GBr) Boels Dolmans, s.t.
4. Monique van de Ree (Ned) Ronald McDonaldhuis Groningen. s.t.
5. Ellen van Dijk (Ned) Specialized-lululemon, s.t.
6. Maria Giulia Confalonieri (Ita) Italy, s.t.
7. Liesbet de Vocht (Bel) Rabobank-Liv/Giant, s.t.
8. Emilie Moberg (Nor) Hitec Products UCK, s.t.
9. Marta Tagliaferro (Ita) MCipollini-Giordana, s.t.
10. Chloe Hosking (Aus) Hitec Products UCK, s.t.
Trixi Worrack remained in the orange leader's jersey - she talks about it in English here:
Video interviews with Annemiek van Vleuten and Willeke Knol
Photos on the race website - Report and photos on womenscycling.net - photos on CJFoto
Argos Shimano report , with Wild quotes - ORICA-AIS report with details about poor Nettie Edmondson's crash
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Stage 4
This one was flat again, but it was one for the breakaway - Argos' Elke Gebhardt and Sengers' Vera Koedooder. They never got a LOT of time, but that's not always necessary, if you can take it to the end... Gebhardt describes waht happens, with race footage in the background, and then Vera's take
Lots of fun in this stage - Gebhart's solo win looking delighted, and Emilie Moberg of Hitec winning the bunch sprint for third, and looking as happy as if she'd won the stage.
1. Elke Gebhardt (Ger) Argos Shimano, 2:50:00
2. Vera Koedooder (Ned) Sengers, + 00:03
3. Emilie Moberg (Nor) Hitec Products UCK, + 00:21
4. Shelley Olds (USA) Tibco, s.t.
5. Kirsten Wild (Ned) Argos Shimano, s.t.
6. Maria Giulia Confalonieri, Italy, s.t.
7. Marta Tagliaferro (Ita) Mcipollini-Giordana, s.t.
8. Monique van de Ree (Ned) Ronald McDonaldhuis Groningen, s.t.
9. Sabrina Stultiens (Ned) Rabobank-Liv/Giant, s.t.
10. Ellen van Dijk (Ned) Specialized-lululemon, s.t.
No change in the GC - still Trixi and the lulus!
Stage report and photos on the race website - Report and photos on womenscycling.net - photos on CJFoto and on this facebook
Sadly no photos of the Shetland Pony that invaded the peloton...
Another first today! We rode with a mini-horse who was scared out of his wits in the peloton....I know the feeling little buddy.
— Megan Guarnier (@MeganGuarnier) September 6, 2013
Argos Shimano report, with Gebhardt quotes - ORICA-AIS report
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Stage 5
Another flat stage, made difficult by the lack of wind... difficult because the peltoon love using the wind to make echelons and escape - and it really looked as though it would be another Argos Shimano walkover, and another win for Wild... until Hitec's Chloe Hosking made an AMAZING sprint and won on the line, looking so passionate and jubilant! Here she is talking about her win, with footage of that final sprint:
1. Chloe Hosking (Aus) Hitec Products UCK, 2:52:39
2. Kirsten Wild (Ned) Argos Shimano, s.t.
3. Shelley Olds (USA) Tibco, s.t.
4. Lizzie Armitstead (GBr) Boels Dolmans, s.t.
5. Ellen van Dijk (Ned) Specialized-lululemon, s.t.
6. Melissa Hoskins (Aus) ORICA-AIS, s.t.
7. Marta Tagliaferro (Ita) MCipollini-Giordana, s.t.
8. Evelyn Arys (Bel) Sengers, s.t.
9. Annemiek van Vleuten (Ned) Rabobank-Liv/Giant, s.t.
10. Maria Giulia Confalonieri, Italy, s.t.
Here's Anna van der Breggen talking about the race - and her hopes for the climbs of Stage 6
And ORICA's Gracie Elvin had been blogging throughout the race - read her blogs here, they're great! - and so the race asked her a few questions about where she has the time to do that, and more!
More video interviews, with Ilona Hoeksma in Dutch, and Rabobank stagiaire Katarzyna Niewiadoma, in English.
Stage report and photos on the race website - Report and photos on womenscycling.net - photos on CJFoto and on this facebook and by Anton Vos on CorVos.
Argos Shimano report - ORICA-AIS report - Rabobank-Liv/Giant report - Boels Dolmans report
I really enjoyed all the tweets from the Hitec team about how happy they were for Chloe - and their sweet treat for supper!
@chloe_hosking and the amazing cake she won today! Cherry on top of a great day! #welldeserved pic.twitter.com/nriPcQixqk
— Julie Leth (@JulieLeth8) September 7, 2013
***
Stage 6
Trixi Worrack may have been leading into the final stage, but the GC was always going to be decided on the hills of Limburg. Trixi started the stage with 4" on her team-mate Ellen van Dijk; + 1:22 on Loes Gunnewijk, + 1:32 to Lizzie Armitstead, + 1:44 to Annemiek van Vleuten, + 2:32 to Anna van der Breggen and + 2:44 to Tatiana Guderzo - while in the Best Young Rider competition, ORICA's Melissa Hoskins was leading, + 23" to Niewiadoma and + 1:13 to Amy Pieters. Hoskins, trackie and sprinter that she is, was bound to lose that blue jersey, but what would happen to the GC? The organisers decided maybe the steep, thigh-biting climbs weren't enough, so on the morning of the stage....
Route changed. 14 climbs were not enough so 18. Out of tape too! pic.twitter.com/Ji61Qw3xNe
— Karl Lima (@Karl_Lima_Hitec) September 8, 2013
Final stage video report on NOS (may be geo-restricted) and highlights from Limburg channel L1 - and a fantastic home-made aerial footage video
The climbs caused mayhem in the race, and following it on twitter was super-exciting, with attacks and breaks, and Annemiek van Vleuten having two mechanicals and chasing onto the attack group, and then jumping off the front to solo for around 30km. She even gained enough time to become virtual race leader - but the chasers were going hard. Trixi Worrack missed an early break, but Van Dijk, Armitstead and Van der Breggen all lit up the race, while Tibco's Chantal Blaak worked hard in the break, joined by her team-mate Claudia Häusler - it was all excitement with the race changing form every few minutes, riders attacking, being caught, being dropped - one of those days where you're reading it on twitter wondering how people like Richie Steege managed to type as fast as all the action....
Tatiana Guderzo joined Van Vleuten, and the pair were racing to the finish, while behind them, Van Dijk, Armitstead, Häusler and Van der Breggen were chasing like women possessed, pulling back the lead so that Van Dijk had wrapped up the GC win - and then motoring so that the stage win was definitely in sight, too. The time and the kilometers left were ticking down - 10km and just 50 seconds, 3km and 30", then 25", then 18" - 1km and 15" - and all the while, endless action, as Van Vleuten and Guderzo duelled all the way, and the chasers attacked each other... but AvV and Guderzo made it up the final climb, to a photo-finish!
1. Tatiana Guderzo (Ita) MCipollini-Giordana, 2:53:59
2. Annemiek van Vleuten (Ned) Rabobank-Liv/Giant, s.t.
3. Lizzie Armitstead (GBr) Boels Dolmans, + 00:14
4. Anna van der Breggen (Ned) Sengers, + 00:19
5. Claudia Häusler (Ger) Tibco, s.t.
6. Ellen van Dijk (Ned) Specialized-lululemon, + 00:26
7. Chantal Blaak (Ned) Tibco, + 01:27
8. Jessie Daams (Bel) Boels Dolmans, + 02:42
9. Megan Guarnier (USA) Rabobank-Liv/Giant, s.t.
10. Marta Tagliaferro (Ita) MCipollini-Giordana, + 02:44
Ellen van Dijk had worked so hard to win the General Classification - here she is talking about the race afterwards, beaming, with footage of her finish and the podium.
Video interviews after the stage with Megan Guarnier, Chantal Blaak and Amy Pieters.
1. Ellen van Dijk (Ned) Specialized-lululemon, 15:00:47
2. Annemiek van Vleuten (Ned) Rabobank-Liv/Giant, + 01:05
3. Lizzie Armitstead (GBr) Boels Dolmans, + 01:11
4. Tatiana Guderzo (Ita) MCipollini-Giordana, + 01:50
5. Claudia Häusler (Ger) Tibco, + 02:17
6. Trixi Worrack (Ger) Specialized-lululemon, + 02:22
7. Anna van der Breggan (Ned) Sengers, + 02:28
8. Chantal Blaak (Ned) Tibco, + 03:21
9. Megan Guarnier (USA) Rabobank-Liv/Giant, + 03:59
10. Katarzyna Niewiadoma (Pol) Rabobank-Liv/Giant, + 04:01
Niewiadoma won the Best Young Rider competition, and damn, what a great race for a stagiaire!
Stage report on the race website - Report and photos on womenscycling.net - photos on CJFoto.
Argos Shimano report - Rabobank-Liv/Giant report - ORICA-AIS report, with the final Dave McPartland words....
I could sugarcoat things for you, but we tend to be a bit more honest than that around here. I don’t want to sound too harsh about our day or our week, but this wasn’t our best showing and I won’t pretend that it’s something it was not.
I expected us to have a better day today. Unfortunately, it seemed as if everyone picked the same day to have bad legs. Shara [Gillow] was probably the best of the lot, but she punctured at a bad time – just as she was going across the front group. She was the only rider we had in any striking distance of the business point of the race, and the mechanical took her out of contention. The rest of the girls couldn’t do much today.
***
The race organisers ran a really fantastic race, with an excellent twitter, loads of updates on their website, and all those great videos. One of the big news of the race was the retirement of race director, Marten de Lange - here's the race's tribute to him, and the video interview with him
Huge thanks to the whole Ladies Tour team, and, as always to Richard Steege, the Boels Dolmans mechanic, who was live-tweeting the race for us - he does such a great job keeping us updated, it's very much appreciated. And of course, huge thanks to Boels Rental, who sponsored the Tour, and pay Richie's wages. Superb sponsor, if you ever can use their products, personally or via work, please do!
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Tour de l'Ardèche
From a race that was a pleasure to follow to.... the opposite. We'll have to hope riders were blogging while there, and will publish once they get out of the mobile phone deadzone they were in...
UPDATE! Some video highlights, added to Youtube in October:
Prologue
1. Linda Villumsen (NZl) Wiggle Honda, 0:03:04.9
2. Alexandra Burchenkova (Rus) RusVelo, 0:03:06.7
3. Lauren Kitchen (Aus) Wiggle Honda, 0:03:09.6
4. Jade Wilcoxson (USA) Optum p/b Kelly Benefit Strategies, 0:03:09.9
5. Janel Holcomb (USA) Optum p/b Kelly Benefit Strategies, 0:03:10.2
6. Alena Amialiusik (Blr) BePink, 0:03:10.3
7. Marijn de Vries (Ned) Mix Lotto Belisol-Biskaia Durango, 0:03:11.8
8. Oxana Kozonchuk (Rus) RusVelo, 0:03:12.1
9. Tiffany Cromwell (Aus) Australia, 0:03:12.2
10. Lauren Hall (USA) Optum p/b Kelly Benefit Strategies, 0:03:12.5
Report on the Wiggle Honda site - Australian National Team report
Stage 1
1. Giorgia Bronzini (Ita) Wiggle Honda, 3:09:33
2. Tiffany Cromwell (Aus) Australia, s.t.
3. Elena Cecchini (Ita) Faren Kuota, s.t.
4. Oxana Kozonchuk (Rus) RusVelo, s.t.
5. Katarzyna Pawloska (Pol) GSD Gestion Kallisto, s.t.
6. Rossella Ratto (Ita) Servetto Footon Mixed Team, s.t.
7. Alena Amialiusik (Blr) BePink, s.t.
8. Lauren Hall (USA) Optum p/b Kelly Benefits, s.t.
9. Maura Kinsella (USA) USA, s.t.
10. Julia lliynikh (Rus) Lointek, s.t.
Here's a little video focusing on Vienne Futuroscope in the race
Wiggle Honda race report - Team Australia race report
1. Alena Amialiusik (Blr) BePink, 0:05:15
2. Noemi Cantele (Ita) BePink, + 00:09
3. Linda Villumsen (NZl) Wiggle Honda, s.t.
4. Chloe McConville (Aus) Australia, s.t.
5. Jade Wilcoxson (USA) Optum p/b Kelly Benefits, s.t.
6. Andrea Graus (Aut) + 00:10
7. Tiffany Cromwell (Aus) Australia, s.t.
8. Ashleigh Moolman (RSA) Lotto Belisol, + 00:11
9. Alison Powers (USA) USA, s.t.
10. Cecile Gotaas Johnsen (Nor) Norway, s.t.
Stage 3 results (click through for GC - Amialiusik had taken the lead by the end of the two-stage day)
1. Giorgia Bronzini (Ita) Wiggle Honda, 2:19:32
2. Rossella Ratto (Ita) Servetto Footon Mixed Team, s.t.
3. Elena Cecchini (Ita) Faren Kuota, s.t.
4. Linda Villumsen (NZl) Wiggle Honda, + 00:02
5. Alena Amialiusik (Blr) BePink, s.t.
6. Ashleigh Moolman (RSA) Lotto Belisol, s.t.
7. Tiffany Cromwell (Aus) Australia, s.t.
8. Elena Kuchinskaya (Rus) RusVelo, + 00:43
9. Kristin McGrath (USA) USA, s.t.
10. Karol-Ann Canuel (Can) Viene Futuroscope, s.t.
Wiggle Honda Stage 3 report, and Australia's DS Marv Barras' report on Stages 2 & 3. A few photos on the race website
Stage 4
1. Joëlle Numainville (Can) Optum p/b Kelly Benefits, 3:08:15
2. Lauren Hall (USA) Optum p/b Kelly Benefits, s.t.
3. Tiffany Cromwell (Aus) Australia, s.t.
4. Elena Cecchini (Ita) Faren Kuota, s.t.
5. Oxana Kozonchuk (Rus) RusVelo, s.t.
6. Rossella Ratto (Ita) Servetto Footon Mixed Team, s.t.
7. Chaira Pierobon (Ita) TopGirls Fassa Bortolo, s.t.
8. Elena Valentini (Ita) TopGirls Fassa Bortolo, s.t.
9. Celine van Severen (Bel) Mixed Lotto-Bizkaia, s.t.
10. Charlotte Becker (Ger) Wiggle Honda, s.t.
Wiggle Honda's stage report, with Villumsen's crash - Australia's race report, with this great quote about climber Cromwell:
Tiff is now holding the green jersey. Wait a minute, I have to read this again… Tiffany Cromwell is holding the GREEN jersey, given to the race’s best SPRINTER! That’s right! THE BEST SPRINTER. TIFFANY!!!
a few photos on the race website
Stage 5
1. Karol-Ann Canuel (Can) Vienne Futuroscope, 3:36:41
2. Tatiana Antoshina (Rus) RusVelo, + 00:02
3. Joëlle Numainville (Can) Optum p/b Kelly Benefits, + 00:59
4. Carlee Taylor (Aus) Mixed Lotto-Bizkaia, + 01:00
5. Rossella Ratto (Ita) Mixed Servetto Footon, s.t.
6. Linda Villumsen (NZl) Wiggle Honda, s.t.
7. Francesca Cauz (Ita) Top Girls Fassa Bortolo, s.t.
8. Ashleigh Moolman (RSA) Mixed Lotto-Bizkaia, s.t.
9. Denise Ramsden (Can) Optum p/b Kelly Benefits, + 01:37
10. Lauren Hall (USA) Optum p/b Kelly Benefits, + 02:40
But it was bad luck in the GC, as Amialiusik crashed, breaking her collarbone, so Linda Villumsen took over the lead
Optum-Kelly stage report - Wiggle Honda stage report - Australia report
Stage 6
Video!!! Of Stage 5, with Canuel interviewed, and the final Stage 6 results! Thanks so much @Clo_SR for finding it!
Stage 6 was all change in the GC - with Giorgia Bronzini demonstrating again that she could out-climb the climbers, and Linda Villumsen missing the break and losing the GC - while Rossella Ratto nailed down her Best Young Rider jersey.
Stage 6 results
1. Giorgia Bronzini (Ita) Wiggle Honda, 1:57:41
2. Joëlle Numainville (Can) Optum p/b Kelly Benefits, s.t.
3. Rossella Ratto (Ita) Servetto Footon, s.t.
4. Ashleigh Moolman (RSA) Mixed Lotto-Bizkaia, s.t.
5. Karol-Ann Canuel (Can) Vienne Futuroscope, s.t.
6. Noemi Cantele (Ita) BePink, + 00:03
7. Tatiana Antoshina (Rus) Russia, s.t.
8. Doris Schweizer (Swi) BePink, + 00:06
9. Carlee Taylor (Aus) Mixed Lotto-Bizkaia, + 00:09
10. Francesca Cauz (Ita) TopGirls Fassa Bortolo, s.t.
1. Tatiana Antoshina (Rus) Russia, 14:21:16
2. Ashleigh Moolman (RSA) Mixed Lotto-Bizkaia, + 00:13
3. Karol-Ann Canuel (Can) Vienne Futuroscope, + 00:17
4. Rossella Ratto (Ita) Servetto Footon, + 00:21
5. Joëlle Numainville (Can) Optum p/b Kelly Benefits, + 00:52
6. Carlee Taylor (Aus) Mixed Lotto-Bizkaia, + 01:06
7. Francesca Cauz (Ita) TopGirls Fassa Bortolo, + 01:48
8. Linda Villumsen (NZl) Wiggle Honda, + 01:55
9. Noemi Cantele (Ita) BePink, + 04:25
10. Denise Ramsden (Can) Optum p/b Kelly Benefits, + 04:33
Wiggle Honda race report - Australia's great report
It was a strange race - hard hills, Bronzini winning climbing stages - it'll make the Worlds very interesting, if those are her climbing legs in Toscana....
Tiffany Cromwell may have been racing for Australia in l'Ardèche, but ORICA love us, so here's a Q&A with her on the ORICA website
Hopefully riders will blog about this race... if you see anything, add it to the comments, pretty please!
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Tour of the Murray River
Five stages for the women, six for the men, and these Cycling Australia videos are excellent! It's another race in the Aussie National Road Series - I love how Cycling Australia sets the bar for other Federations in how to promote and share their domestic scene.
All the results are here - and here's the final General Clasification
1. Katrin Garfoot (Aus) Pensar SPM, 6:21:19
2. Felicity Wardlaw (Aus) Bicycle Superstore, + 00:42
3. Ruth Corset (Aus) Pensar SPM, + 00:50
4. Judith Betts (Aus) BikeBug, + 00:53
5. Zoe Watters (Aus) Pensar SPM, + 01:02
6. Sophie Mackay (Aus) Boss Racing Team, s.t.
7. Rebecca Wiasak (Aus) Suzuki Bontrager, + 01:11
8. Cassandra Dodd (Aus) Specialized-Securitor, + 02:10
9. Lisa Keeling (Aus) Bicycle Superstore, + 02:28
10. Crystal Wemyss (Aus) BRZ, + 02:47
***
There should be rider blogs and things to follow - so anything else you see, add it to the comments - and even if you don't see anything yourself, check there for any news, videos, and things anyone else sees, and, as always, to talk about the races.