The UCI Women’s WorldTour continued in Hoogeveen on Saturday with the Ronde van Drenthe. The typically Dutch race covered 138 kilometres with narrow roads, cobbles, tight turns and sections exposed to winds. The race’s main feature was the infamous VAMberg – a 500 metre man-made hill with a maximum gradient of 23 percent.
With 55 kilometres still to race, Chantal Blaak (Boels Dolmans Cycling Team), Gracie Elvin (Orica-AIS), Anna van der Breggen (RaboLiv Women Cycling Team) and Trixi Worrack (Canyon SRAM Racing) powered away from a reduced peloton following the final cobble section. The quartet collaborated to build an advantage over a chase group led by four Wiggle High5 riders.
Unable to close the gap, Wiggle High5 eventually called off the chase, and the lead ballooned out to two minutes. Blaak gambled on her sprint and won. Elvin, who attacked out of the last corner, finished second. Worrack rounded out the podium.
Van der Breggen, fourth in Hoogeveen, pulled on the white UCI Women’s WorldTour leader’s jersey. The Dutchwoman leads the classification by ten points over Chantal Blaak in second and UCI World Champion Lizzie Armitstead (Boels Dolmans Cycling Team) in third. Armitstead, who started Ronde van Drenthe as the UCI Women’s WorldTour leader, withdrew mid-race with a migraine.
Leader of the youth classification after Strade Bianche, Kasia Niewiadoma (RaboLiv Women Cycling Team) sat out the second round of the series, leaving the colourful blue youth jersey for the taking. Twenty-year-old Floortje Mackaij (Team Liv-Plantur) snagged the jersey with six points, tied on points with Niewiadoma. Lotte Kopecky (Lotto Soudal Ladies) sits in third with four points.
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With two rounds of racing done, the UCI Women’s WorldTour has covered 260 kilometres.
Trofeo Alfredo Binda-Comune di Cittiglio > March 20th
Last year’s results – 2015 Trofeo Alfredo Binda-Comune di Cittiglio
1. Lizzie Armitstead (GBR) 2. Pauline Ferrand-Prévot (FRA) 3. Anna van der Breggen (NED)
Where to watch?
RAI 1 - Sunday, 20th March around 17.00/17.30 - 30 minutes highlights
One TV NBC - Monday, 21st March in the TV news
Azzurra TV - Monday, 21st March at 19h30 in the TV news
Tele Milano, Più Blu Lombardia - Thursday, 24th March at 21h30 and Saturday, 26th March at 12h10 in Solo Bici; Friday, 25th March at 21h20 and Sunday, 27th March at 12h10 in Sport&Sport
Rete 55 Sport - Friday, 25th March at 18h00 and Saturday, 26th March at 22h00 in Sportissimo
Canale 2 Italia - Sunday, 27th March at 20h00 in Sportissimo
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Trofeo Alfredo Binda-Comune di Cittiglio
The UCI Women’s WorldTour returns to Italy for the third round of the series. Trofeo Alfredo Binda – Comunde di Cittiglio is a hilly one-day race held in the province of Varese in northern Italy.
Lizzie Armitstead won Trofeo Alfredo Binda last year when the race was part of the UCI Women’s World Cup series. The Briton parlayed a perfectly timed sprint into victory from a group of six. RaboLiv Women Cycling Team pair Pauline Ferrand-Prévot (second) and Anna van der Breggen (third) occupied the lessor podium positions.
The 2016 edition of the Italian race will cover 123.3 kilometres. The course has been modified from previous editions with a new start location in Gavirate. The peloton covers a “transfer route” from Gavirate to Cittigilio, one large loop (38 kilometres) and five smaller loops (18 kilometres). The course is rolling, and each of the smaller loops features two main climbs – the Cuvio and the Orino.
Traditionally, Trofeo Alfredo Binda has been a race of attrition with groups of riders losing contact with the bunch over the main climbs. The selection made, a small group then typically slips away off the front to contest the finale.
Chantal Blaak
Chantal Blaak has had a stellar start to her spring. In addition to her victory at Ronde van Drenthe on Saturday, Blaak won Le Samyn some days ago and took out the chase group sprint for second at Omloop Het Nieuwsblad behind teammate Lizzie Armitstead.
Born in Zuidland, the Netherlands, the 26-year-old now resides in Berkel en Rodenrijs. The oldest in a family of four girls, Blaak is often seen as “the big sister” amongst her Boels Dolmans Cycling Team teammates.
Blaak moved from Specialized-Lululemon to Boels Dolmans Cycling Team alongside Evie Stevens following the 2014 season. Blaak had previously ridden for Boels Dolmans director Danny Stam at AA Drink – Leontien.nl in 2012 and jumped at the chance for the reunion.
While it’s her sprint that often nets her results, Blaak is a brilliant classics rider and a strong time triallist. She was part of Specialized-Lululmeon’s third team time trial victory (2014) at the UCI Road World Championships and a key to Boels Dolmans Cycling Team’s silver medal ride in the same discipline in Richmond last year.
Key results:
1st – Ronde van Drenthe (2016) 1st – Le Samyn des Dames (2016, 2015) 1st – Euskal Emakumeen Bira – stage 3 (2015) 1st – Crescent Women World Cup Vargarda (2014) 1st - –Crescent Women World Cup Vargarda TTT (2014) 1st – Molecaten Drentse 8 (2014) 1st – World Championships TTT (2014) 1st – Energiewacht Tour – stage 5 (2015) 1st – Erpe-Mere (2013) 1st - Rabo Ster Zeeuwsche Eilanden – stage 2 (2013) 2nd – Omloop Het Nieuwsblad (2016)
On the 14th of March we are 143 days from the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.
[TWITTER ID="https://twitter.com/gracieelvin/status/708762818485604352"]