Fl̬che Wallonne F̩minine РArmistead Second

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World Cup leader Lizzie Armitstead is second to Ferrand-Prevot in Women’s Flèche Wallonne Féminine

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Fl̬che Wallonne F̩minine РArmistead Second

GLORY DAY FOR FERRAND PREVOT !

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Photo: PelotonPhotos.com

Pauline Ferrand Prévot, the world road race junior champion in 2010, has gone some way to fulfilling her potential by winning the 17th edition of the Women’s Flèche Wallonne at the age of 22 years. The young French rider’s impressive performance on the Mur de Huy (the Wall of Huy) helped her beat current UCI World Cup classification leader Lizzie Armistead (Boels) at the finishing line, as well as Longo Borghini (Hitec Products), who finished second last year.

Marianne Vos, the five times winner of the event and team-mate of Ferrand Prévot, finished in 6th place, one in front of Emma Pooley.

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Photo: PelotonPhotos.com

The 139 competitors in the 17th Women’s Flèche Wallonne set off at 11 AM this morning under sunny skies in Huy. On the programme were 127 km (made up of two 63.5-km loops) and 12 slopes to climb, including the formidable Mur de Huy (1.3-km long at a gradient of 9.3 %), the top of which played host to the finishing line. The first offensive was triggered after 17 km by Russia’s Ilinykh (Bizkaia) who managed to gain a lead of 55’’ over the pack but was soon caught, shortly after the summit of the Côte de Bellaire slope (after 31 km).

The Côte de Bohisseau (after 38.5 km) and Côte de Boussalle slopes (after 41.5 km) were climbed at lightning pace, with in particular Longo Borghini, second last year on the Flèche, very active in the ascents and first to reach both of the summits.

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Photo: PelotonPhotos.com

The pack shrunk bit by bit and only totalled around forty riders at Huy and then only 24 women at the top of ‘the wall’ on the first passage over the location of the finishing line. At this point, the leading group was made up of Moolman (1st to the summit of the Mur de Huy), Pooley, Armistead, Ferrand-Prévot, Longo Borghini, Stevens and Vos. The pace dropped after the refreshment point in Huy (after 64 km) enabling 13 riders to catch up. 40 km from the finish, the leading group totalled 35 riders with a lead of 3’40” over the rest of the pack.

Audrey Cordon (Hitec Products), a team-mate of Longo Borghini and Moolman, went on the attack in the second climb up the Côte de Bellaire (after 95 km), 32 kilometres from the finish, and reached the summit with a lead of 15’’ over the rest of the group. However, the Frenchwoman did not manage to open up a gap and was caught just before the Côte de Boussalle (after 105.5 km) which Marianne Vos (Rabo) was first to complete. Liesbeth De Vocht chose this moment to make a break, but it was in vain as the Belgian champion was eventually caught on the climb up the Côte d’Ahin (after 116 km), 11 km from the finish. With the end of the race 10 km away, Linda Villumsen (Wiggle Honda) burst away from the group and the time-trial specialist managed to build up a lead of up to 35’’on entering the outskirts of Huy.

Fourth Podium in a row for Lizzie
Lizzie Armitstead has now finished on the podium in the last four events in the World Cup. Obviously Armitstead regretted that in the last fifty meters Ferrand Prevot (Rabobank) had dropped her but was also positively surprised on her performance on the Wall of Huy.

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Photo: PelotonPhotos.com

“This is quite a different game to what we have had so far. I felt strong and decided to go for it. In retrospect, maybe I went a little too early, I should have waited longer. For a moment, we rode side by side, but when she was still accelerating, I cramped. In short, I could not amtch her.”

Team manager Danny Stam said “It’s very clever what Lizzie shows here. And the team was very strong. We had from the beginning a strong block of four riders in the front when things blew apart. Of course it’s a pity if you do not win when you’re so close. The postive is hopefully that Lizzie has now been informed that on this kind of course, she can winand gives her confidence.”

Flèche Wallonne Féminine 

1 FERRAND-PREVOT Pauline Rabobank-Liv Woman Cycling Team 03:26:43
2 ARMITSTEAD Elizabeth Boels – Dolmans Cycling Team 00:01
3 LONGO BORGHINI Elisa Hitec Products 00:04
4 STEVENS Evelyn Specialized-lululemon 00:07
5 MOOLMAN PASIO Ashleigh Hitec Products 00:11
6 VOS Marianne Rabobank-Liv Woman Cycling Team 00:13
7 POOLEY Emma Lotto Belisol Ladies ,,
8 VILLUMSEN Linda Wiggle Honda Pro Cycling 00:21
9 HäUSLER Claudia Team Giant-Shimano 00:24
10 VAN DIJK Ellen Boels – Dolmans Cycling Team 00:28
11 JOHANSSON Emma Orica – AIS 00:30
12 VAN DER BREGGEN Anna Rabobank-Liv Woman Cycling Team 00:31
13 BERLATO Elena Alé Cipollini ,,
14 HOGAN Joanne Bigla Cycling Team ,,
15 NIEWIADOMA Katarzyna Rabobank-Liv Woman Cycling Team 00:35
16 GARFOOT Katrin Australia 00:42
17 GUARNIER Megan Boels – Dolmans Cycling Team 00:45
18 DAAMS Jessie Boels – Dolmans Cycling Team 00:49
19 CECCHINI Elena Estado de México-Faren Kuota 00:50
20 HALL Lauren United States 00:57

42 KING Danielle Wiggle Honda Pro Cycling 9.30
53 TROTT Laura Wiggle Honda Pro Cycling 9.45

 

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