While there was no UCI Women’s WorldTour racing this week, the women’s peloton had plenty of opportunities to scoop up UCI Olympic qualification points that will determine the numbers of riders each country can send to the Rio 2016 Games. The ranking closes May 31.
Boels Dolmans Cycling Team riders dominated a double race day on Friday with Lizzie Armitstead winning a three-up sprint at Boels Rental Hills Classic in the Netherlands and Christine Majerus, riding for Luxembourg’s national team, winning La Classique Morbihan in France.
Rachel Neylan (Orica-AIS, riding for Australia) parlayed a late race attack into victory at Grand Prix de Plumelec-Morbihan Dames on Saturday while Tetiana Riabchenko (Ukraine) won the Horizon Park Women Challenge on home soil.
Defending champion Gracie Elvin (Orica-AIS) repeated at Gooik-Geraardsbergen-Gooik on Sunday taking the sprint from a group of around 20 riders in cold, wet conditions. Valeriya Kononenko (Ukraine) won the VR Women ITT in her home country.
Two national titles were awarded in the United States: Carmen Small (Cervélo-Bigla Pro Cycling) took her second individual time trial title, and UCI Women’s WorldTour leader Megan Guarnier (Boels Dolmans Cycling Team) successfully defended her stars and stripes jersey in the road race to earn the third national elite road title of her career.
Philadelphia International Cycling Classic (USA) - 05.06.2016
The race will be broadcasted LIVE on Philadelphia International Cycling Classic's website. The live broadcast can be watched worldwide and without geo-blocking.
Follow the race on social media
Facebook: facebook.com/phillybikerace Twitter: @PhillyBikeRace Instagram: @PhillyBikeRace
Philadelphia International Cycling Classic 2015 :
1. Lizzie Armitstead (GBR) 2. Elisa Longo Borghini (ITA) 3. Alena Amialiusik (BLR)
Round nine of the UCI Women’s WorldTour covers six laps of a 19.8-kilometre circuit.
Previously known as the Liberty Classic, The Philadelphia International Cycling Classic was part of the former UCI Women Road World Cup for five years (1998-2001, 2015).
The race includes three main climbs: Lemon Hill, Strawberry Mansion and Manayunk Wall. Three years ago, race organisers replaced the flat final run into the city with a finish atop Manayunk. The 800-metre climb has an average gradient of eight percent, with a maximum grade of 17 percent mid-way.
While both men and women race on the same day, the women’s event is the higher-ranked and takes centre-stage.
US time trial champion Carmen Small (36) has a background in gymnastics, kayak racing and cross-country skiing. She went to college on a full volleyball scholarship, and only started riding when working as a maths teacher in Colorado. Pro since the age of 28, the rider with Cervélo-Bigla Pro Cycling is a time trial specialist and team leader.
KEY RESULTS:
1st – U.S. National Road Championships, time trial (2013, 2016) 1st – Chrono Gatineau (2013, 2015) 1st – UCI Road World Championships, team time trial (2013, 2015) 1st - Open de Suède Vargarda, team time trial (2014) 1st – UCI Road World Championships, individual time trial (2013) 1st – Thüringen Rundfahrt, stage 2 (2013) 1st – Classica Citta di Padova (2012) 1st – USA Cycling National Race Calendar (NRC) individual standings (2012) 1st – Nature Valley Grand Prix (2012, 2014) 2nd – Euskal Emakumeen Bira – stages 1, 3 (2016) 5th – Gent Wevelgem (2016)
On May 30, we are 66 days from the Olympic Games in Rio.
[TWITTER ID="https://twitter.com/thewomenstour/status/736535192526065664"]