World Champs: Bronzini and Vos interviews

World Champs: Bronzini retains her title while Vos settles for another second

Giorgia Bronzini rode to her second consecutive World Road Championship, while Marianne Vos had to settle for second yet again.

Bronzini and her Italian team timed the sprint to perfection, as she launched herself off the front and beat Vos by a mere half a wheel. Vos ran out of road, as she chased the defending champion, and had to settle for her fifth silver medal in a row. The Dutch rider tried to move out from behind the bunch, but Teutenberg was also beginning her sprint and momentarily blocked her. This is now Italy’s fourth women’s title in five years, only interrupted by Nicole Cooke in Verese.

Teutenberg’s attack faded towards the line and she was passed by Vos, but still managed to hold off Cooke. It looked like it was going to be an exact repeat of the podium in Geelong, but Cooke timed it slightly wrong and couldn’t catch up with the German. Her teammate Lizzie Armitstead was, for many, one of the pre race favourites, but she could only manage seventh.

World Champs: Elite Women's Road Race 2011 Start List

1 Giorgia Bronzini ITALY
2 Monia Baccaille
3 Noemi Cantele
4 Elena Cecchini
5 Tatiana Guderzo
6 Elisa Longo Borghini
7 Valentina Scandolara
8 Alessandra D'Ettorre

9 Chantal Blaak NETHERLANDS
10 Lucinda Brand
11 Martine Bras
12 Loes Gunnewijk
13 Annemiek Van Vleuten
14 Marianne Vos
15 Kirsten Wild

World Champs: Judith Arndt finally takes Gold in the Women's TT

Judith Arndt stormed to victory in the Elite Women’s time-trial, in a wet Copenhagen, beating Linda Villumsen and Emma Pooley to the top spot.

Arndt has only one second place to her name, for 2011, but showed form in a recent invitation race.  The German looked like she had the race under control from the start, passing the first check point only a handful of seconds down on the current leader Clara Hughes. She managed to keep her high pace up and benefited from other riders completing a slower second lap.

World Champs: Women's Elite Time-Trial Start List 2011

14:00:00 Kathryn Bertine
14:01:30 Elena Tchalykh
14:03:00 Seba Alraai
14:04:30 Liesbet de Vocht
14:06:00 Monrudee Chapookham
14:07:30 Melodie Lesueur
14:09:00 Rhae-Christie Shaw
14:10:30 Aleksandra Sosenko
14:12:00 Valeria Muller
14:13:30 Olena Pavlukhina
14:15:00 Alenka Novak
14:16:30 Michelle Lauge Jensen
14:18:00 Eneritz Iturriagaechevarrua Mazaga
14:40:00 Verónica Leal Balderas
14:41:30 Nontasin Chanpeng
14:43:00 Claire Fraser
14:44:30 Martina Sablikova
14:46:00 Julia Shaw
14:47:30 Dinah Chan

One Cycling Discipline isn't Enough, A Marianne Vos Profile

Dutch rider Marianne Vos is probably the definition of an all-rounder, winning races in mountain biking, cyclo-cross, road and track racing.

Born 13th May 1987 in 's-Hertogenbosch, Netherlands; she took to cycling, aged six, after watching her brother racing. Vos would have to train with her brother’s team as she couldn’t take part in racing. Eventually she took up cyclo-cross at the age of eight, where she was old enough to take part in races. Not satisfied with just one sport she also took up, the popular Dutch sports, inline and speed skating.

Bronzini takes the gold in the Elite Women's Road Race as Vos has to settle for silver again

Giorgia Bronzini took Italy’s second consecutive gold in the elite women’s road race as Marianne Vos had to settle for second place the fourth year in a row.

Bronzini came from behind in five way sprint to win the rainbow jersey by inching out Vos, who has come second every year since winning in Austria 2006. The Italian dedicated her victory to Franco Ballerini who was manager of the team until he was killed in a rally accident earlier in the year.

Elite Women's Road Race Results

1 BRONZINI Giorgia ITA 3:32:01 35.997
2 VOS Marianne NED " "
3 JOHANSSON Emma SWE " "
4 COOKE Nicole GBR " "
5 ARNDT Judith GER 3:32:02 +0:01
6 VERBEKE Grace BEL 3:32:04 +0:03
7 WORRACK Trixi GER " "
8 LELEIVYTE Rasa LTU " "
9 ARMITSTEAD Elizabeth GBR " "
10 SWART Carla RSA " "
11 CHEATLEY Catherine NZL " "
12 LONGO-CIPRELLI Jeannie FRA " "
13 ZABELINSKAYA Olga RUS " "
14 GRAUS Andrea AUT " "
15 WHITTEN Tara CAN " "
16 LAWS Sharon GBR " "
17 NEBEN Amber USA " "
18 PITEL Edwige FRA " "
19 VILLUMSEN Linda NZL " "
20 POOLEY Emma GBR " "

Emma Pooley Takes her First Road Title at World Championship Time-Trial

Emma Pooley braved the cold weather to become the first British woman to win the World Championship time-trial.

Pooley stormed ahead of the competition to win her first international road title by beating Germany’s Judith Arndt by 15 seconds with a time of 32 minutes 48 seconds. The Londoner managed to keep her cool despite having to change her bike moments before the start after officials found a problem with it.

Disappointment for Cantele
She came over to Australia earlier this year in February to recce the course and it paid off as she mastered the difficult lumpy circuit. Pooley then had a tense wait after her run while the other seven riders had to come in including Noemi Cantele, who finished second in that time-trial and third in the road race at last year’s event.

Elite Women's Time-trial results

1 Emma Pooley (Great Britain) 0:32:48.44

2 Judith Arndt (Germany) 0:33:03.61
3 Linda Melanie Villumsen (New Zealand) 0:33:04.24
4 Amber Neben (United States Of America) 0:33:26.10
5 Jeannie Longo-Ciprelli (France) 0:33:32.38
6 Evelyn Stevens (United States Of America) 0:33:48.52
7 Tara Whitten (Canada) 0:33:54.35
8 Shara Gillow (Australia) 0:34:01.62
9 Emilia Fahlin (Sweden) 0:34:10.64

10 Tatiana Guderzo (Italy) 0:34:13.99
11 Emma Johansson (Sweden) 0:34:22.32
12 Noemi Cantele (Italy) 0:34:29.59
13 Patricia Schwager (Switzerland) 0:34:39.23
14 Charlotte Becker (Germany) 0:34:42.39
15 Anne Samplonius (Canada) 0:34:43.25
16 Melissa Holt (New Zealand) 0:34:53.83
17 Tatiana Antoshina (Russian Federation) 0:35:04.70
18 Vicki Whitelaw (Australia) 0:35:07.75
19 Alexis Rhodes (Australia) 0:35:12.22
20 Olga Zabelinskaya (Russian Federation) 0:35:18.29