Women's World Cup #3 - Tour of Flanders
Judith Arndt wins Tour of Flanders outsprinting Kristin Armstrong for the win. Canada's Joëlle Numainville wins sprint of chasing group for third. World Cup leader Vos absence due to illness.
Judith Arndt has won the 2012 Tour of Flanders on the new route. The GreenEdge-AIS German outsprinted her break companion Kristin Armstrong for the win. The duo powered away on the Oude Kwaremont with 30 km to go. Canadian Joëlle Numainville won the sprint of the chasing group for third. Kirsten Wild, Adrie Visser, Ellen van Dijk, Loes Gunnewijk, Christine Majerus, Anna van der Breggen and Alena Amialiusik completed the top ten. For Arndt it is her second win in the "Ronde". In 2008 she won the race for the first time and back than she even was faster than Armstrong.
Judith Arndt takes win in Tour of Flanders new style. Photo ©
2012 Bart Hazen
The 127 km race lacked the presence of Dutch champion and World Cup leader Marianne Vos (Rabobank) due to illness. The race contained nine climbs and two cobbles sections. On the first cobble section of the Paddestraat almost 40 km into the race AA Drink, GreenEdge and the USA National Team controlled the bunch with Armitstead, Gunnewijk and Dvorak setting the pace.
On the first climbs the Berendries, Valkenberg and Kanarieberg some riders tried to get away but on the second and last cobbles section the Haaghoek all breaks were neutralized. Due to the pace of mainly GreenEdge and the USA National Team the bunch broke into several parts. In the meantime last year's winner Annemiek van Vleuten punctured and ruined her chances of contending the final.
Kristin Armstrong and Joëlle Numainville finished in second and third. Photo ©
2012 Bart Hazen
The decisive move came on the Oude Kwaremont when the USA National Team with Carmen Small and Kristin Armstrong attacked. Only TT World Champion Judith Arndt was able to follow. Over the Kwaremont Small her job was done and the two worked well together to extend their lead on a first chasing group with a.o. Evelyn Stevens and Emma Johansson.
On top of the Paterberg with 16 km to go the gap of Armstrong and Arndt was up to 40 seconds on the first chasers and a little more on the bunch. In the 16 km towards the finish the chasing group with Johansson got caught forming a first bunch of 33 riders. Despite the efforts of teams like AA Drink-Leontien.nl they couldn't close the gap and the race ended up in a sprint-a-deux.
Numainville wins the sprint for third over Wild and Visser. Photo ©
2012 Bart Hazen
Armstrong started the sprint with 300 meters to go but it was Arndt who took the win with a few bike lenghts on the American and reigning Olympic TT Champion.
“This is an unbelievable win,” said Sports Director Dave McPartland. “We’ve had a hugely successful run this year, and this is our biggest victory to date. Happy is an understatement.”
“Our plan had been to put riders up the road beginning after 40 kilometers,” said Arndt. “We’re all pretty good from a break, so we can be aggressive. My teammates did this, and I saved myself for the last three climbs.”
 
Judith Arndt celebrates the win - Armstrong rolls in as second. Photo ©
2012 Bart Hazen
“We had five girls in the front bunch when the race hit the Oude Kwaremont,” said Sports Director Dave McPartland. “With 27 kilometers left, we had the strongest presence at the front of the race when Judith went away with Kristin.”
“We came into the final kilometer, and I thought to myself ‘OK, I have a 50/50 chance here,’ ” explained Arndt. “I’m usually a little bit better than Armstrong in a normal sprint, but after a hard race with only two riders, it can be a little difficult. She jumped at 350 meters, and I saw her acceleration immediately. I matched it and passed her. She conceded.”
“Any of the five girls that were left in the front group are capable of winning a race like this on any given day,” said McPartland. “Today was Judith’s day. We’re extremely thrilled by our first Tour of Flanders.”
Lizzie Armitstead led the pace of the bunch on the Paddestraat. Photo ©
2012 Bart Hazen
Result
1 Judith Arndt (Ger) Greenedge-Ais 3:19:05
2 Kristin Armstrong (USA) USA National Team 0:00:02
3 Joelle Numainville (Can) Canada National Team 0:00:30
4 Kirsten Wild (Ned) AA Drink-Leontien.nl Cycling Team
5 Adrie Visser (Ned) Skil 1T4I
6 Eleonora Van Dijk (Ned) Team Specialized-Lululemon
7 Loes Gunnewijk (Ned) GreenEdge-AIS
8 Christine Majerus (Lux) Team GSD Gestion
9 Anna Van Der Breggen (Ned) Sengers Ladies Cycling Team
10 Alena Amialiusik (Blr) Be Pink
GreenEdge-AIS and Team USA took control on the Haaghoek. Photo ©
2012 Bart Hazen
11 Pauline Ferrand Prevot (Fra) Stichting Rabo Women Cycling Team
12 Emma Johansson (Swe) Hitec Products-Mistral Home Cycling Team
13 Carmen Mcnellis Small (USA) USA National Team
14 Maaike Polspoel (Bel) Topsport Vlaanderen-Ridley 2012
15 Tiffany Cromwell (Aus) Greenedge-Ais
16 Hanka Kupfernagel (Ger) Rusvelo
17 Audrey Cordon (Fra) Vienne Futuroscope
18 Tatiana Antoshina (Rus) Stichting Rabo Women Cycling Team
19 Rasa Leleivyte (Ltu) Vaiano Tepso
20 Amélie Rivat (Fra) Vienne Futuroscope
Pauline Ferrand-Prevot had another top ride with rank 11. Photo ©
2012 Bart Hazen
21 Megan Guarnier (USA) Tibco-To The Top
22 Trixi Worrack (Ger) Team Specialized-Lululemon
23 Elisa Longo Borghini (Ita) Hitec Products-Mistral Home Cycling Team
24 Lieselot Decroix (Bel) Dolmans-Boels Cyclingteam
25 Tatiana Guderzo (Ita) Mcipollini Giambenini
26 Denise Ramsden (Can) Canada National Team
27 Chantal Blaak (Ned) AA Drink-Leontien.nl Cycling Team
28 Andrea Dvorak (USA) USA National Team
29 Olga Zabelinskaya (Rus) Rusvelo
30 Tayler Wiles (USA) USA National Team
Joëlle Numainville. Photo ©
2012 Bart Hazen
31 Noemi Cantele (Ita) Be Pink
32 Evelyn Stevens (USA) Team Specialized-Lululemon
33 Amanda Spratt (Aus) Greenedge-Ais
34 Elizabeth Armitstead (GBr) AA Drink-Leontien.nl Cycling Team
35 Emma Pooley (GBr) AA Drink-Leontien.nl Cycling Team 0:00:54
36 Liesbet De Vocht (Bel) Stichting Rabo Women Cycling Team 0:01:52
37 Martina Corazza (Ita) Kleo Ladies Team
38 Samantha Schneider (USA) Tibco-To The Top
39 Svetlana Bubnenkova (Rus) Rusvelo
40 Monia Baccaille (Ita) Mcipollini Giambenini
Pacing hard on the cobbles of the Haaghoek. Photo ©
2012 Bart Hazen
41 Leah Kirchmann (Can) Canada National Team
42 Ina Teutenberg (Ger) Team Specialized-Lululemon
43 Kristin Mcgrath (USA) USA National Team
44 Irina Molicheva (Rus) Rusvelo
45 Clara Hughes (Can) Team Specialized-Lululemon
46 Alexis Rhodes (Aus) Greenedge-Ais
47 Sarah Düster (Ger) Stichting Rabo Women Cycling Team
48 Lauren Hall (USA) Tibco-To The Top
49 Ludivine Henrion (Bel) Lotto Belisol Ladies 0:01:57
50 Annelies Van Doorslaer (Bel) Kleo Ladies Team 0:04:46
Kristin Armstrong tries to move up on the cobbles. Photo ©
2012 Bart Hazen
51 Julia Martisova (Rus) Be Pink
52 Ine Beyen (Bel) Topsport Vlaanderen-Ridley 2012
53 Inga Cilvinaite (Ltu) Diadora-Pasta Zara
54 Valentina Carretta (Ita) Mcipollini Giambenini
55 Josien Van Wingerden (Ned) Netherlands National Team
56 Lucinda Brand (Ned) AA Drink-Leontien.nl Cycling Team
57 Amanda Miller (USA) Tibco-To The Top
58 Kaat Hannes (Bel) Lotto Belisol Ladies
59 Lise Nöstvold (Nor) Hitec Products-Mistral Home Cycling Team 0:07:44
60 Romy Kasper (Ger) Rusvelo
For Joëlle Numainville it was her first ever World Cup podium. Photo ©
2012 Bart Hazen
61 Christel Ferrier-Bruneau (Fra) Hitec Products-Mistral Home Cycling Team
62 Mascha Pijnenborg (Ned) Dolmans-Boels Cyclingteam 0:08:56
63 Lucy Martin (GBr) AA Drink-Leontien.nl Cycling Team
64 Oxana Kozonchuk (Rus) Be Pink
65 Marta Tagliaferro (Ita) Mcipollini Giambenini
66 Anne Arnouts (Bel) Kleo Ladies Team
67 Polona Batagelj (Slo) Diadora-Pasta Zara
68 Valentina Scandolara (Ita) S.C. Michela Fanini Rox
69 Regina Bruins (Ned) Skil 1T4I
70 Alona Andruk (Ukr) Diadora-Pasta Zara
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