Aviva Women’s Tour – Stage 4

2014_August_Prendas_Bannerr4

Lisa Brennauer wins stage 4 of the Aviva Women’s Tour and takes the yellow jersey whilst Hannah Barnes is now best young rider and Best Brit

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Aviva Women’s Tour – Stage 4

Lisa Brennauer sprinted back into the Aviva Yellow Jersey at the end of Stage Four of the Aviva Women’s Tour in Stevenage, as the peloton swept up a two-rider breakaway inside the final kilometre.

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Photo finish between Brennauer and Sweden’s former world champion Johansson for stage 4 of the Aviva Women’s Tour

The World Time Trial Champion now holds a nine second lead in the race into tomorrow’ decisive stage between Marlow and Hemel Hempstead, which offers up probably the most demanding terrain of the week and possibility for breakaway success in what has been a furiously ridden race.

The German rider from the Velocio SRAM team had led the chase into Stevenage of a very high quality break in the last quarter of the race featuring European Under-23 Road Race champion Sabrina Stultiens and the dangerous Italian Elisa Longo Borghini, who won the Ronde Van Vlaanderen World Cup round earlier this year with a spectacular 33km break.

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Calm before the storm in Waltham Cross with a technical and wet 68 miles lying ahead of the riders.

That duo were much too dangerous to allow any significant leeway when they went hard with 25km to go and Brennauer and her team, as well as Boels Dolmans riding for overnight race leader Christine Majerus immediately moved to the front to control matters.

The break’s advantage reached almost one minute with just under 20-kilometres to go, but were steadily pegged back as the peloton rode with controlled pace in wet and slippery conditions. As they turned to take the flame route at one kilometre to go the game was up and the sprint teams started to organise themselves but Brennauer has shown a rare turn of speed this week and powered through in trademark fashion ahead of Emma Johansson and Finnish National Champion Lotta Lepistö, with the Aviva Yellow Jersey of Majerus in fourth.

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British champion Laura Trott, Jolien D’Hoore in yellow and Melissa Hoskins in the QoM jersey rolling out from Waltham Cross this morning

“When the rain came I knew it would be tricky but I went around the final corners safely and chose a good wheel in Emma Johansson and came off from there,” said Brennauer. “The chase was difficult because of the undulating course and the quality of the riders up the road and I wasn’t quite sure we would see them again before the finish.

“It’s going to be an exciting day and it is so close that there are seconds on the road that everybody will fight for before the final finish but me and my team are going to do our best to bring this jersey home now that we have it back. We raced very well today as a team and that will give us confidence for the final day. Our morale is very good. We have had a rider on the podium of every stage. The spirit is good and that is a very good way to start the final stage.”

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A delighted Hannah Barnes, Best Brit and first in the Young rider category as well.

Britain’s Hannah Barnes, finishing the Aviva Women’s Tour strongly, rode well for her second consecutive top five place on the day to move up to fifth place overall, taking over from Lucy Garner as both the Premier Inn Best British Rider and SweetSpot Best Young Rider (Under-23).

“It was a crazy finish, very technical in the last 10km and then it started raining on top of that,” said Barnes. “We drove the last 12km of the finish on the Friday night going to our hotel and you could see difficult it was going to be.

“I knew there would be splits and time gaps at the finish so I tried to stay at the front. It all split on the last KOM and about 30 of us went up the road then the break went. The last 10km were very narrow and two riders were away but with the rain nobody particularly wanted to take up the chase and then it was far from a straight finish.

“I wasn’t really happy with my form when I arrived back from the USA last week, it didn’t feel there, but I do usually go better towards the end of a stage race and that is what has happened this week. For me it’s more about confidence more than anything. If I go into a race confident I will perform and the last three days that confidence has returned and I’ve been pretty consistent.”

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Brennauer faces the media at the press conference and what a professional she is!

Barnes has been largely based in the USA for the first half of the season but after this Aviva Women’s Tour she is planning a big training block in Girona before returning to the States where she is targeting the Tour of Utah and the Tour of Colorado, races in which she hopes to make a strong case for Great Britain selection at the World Championships at Richmond, Virginia in September.

Despite the efforts of Brennauer’s Velocio SRAM teammate Elise Delzenne, Orica AIS rider Melissa Hoskins continues to lead the Strava Queen of the Mountains jersey, but by just two points, and with the GC ambitions of her teammate Johansson the priority.

“I would probably be the last name you would expect to see leading the Queen of the Mountains. It just sort of happened. The first day as a team if you are near the mark when you come to the first QoM you go for it, take the points. You can get in a jersey and that is always great o this kind of tour.

“I ended up taking some points on the first QoM and then on the second day I thought I’d have a crack and see if I can get the jersey which I did. And what started as a bit of a joke and a bit of a play out on the road turned into something a little bit more serious and I started becoming attached to the polka dot!

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Elise Delzenne winning the first Queen of the Mountains sprint and closing the gap on leader Hoskins.

“Tomorrow’s stage sounds a bit horrific, I’ve got my work cut out, but at the end of the day we are here to help Emma in the GC so my 100% commitment will be towards here. And all this week in between the QoMs my priority has been getting her in to the sprint. We are here for a bigger picture and that is Emma and the yellow jersey.

“The stage is going to blow apart, there is no question about that. There is going to be some big time gaps. Emma’s got the form and there are a few girls behind her looking to get away on a break. It’s going to be a very aggressive race and it will be interesting to see how some of the sprinters handle the hills. Emma is climbing well, she’s always on the mark and there’s no question she can win it.”

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Brennauer, who also holds the Chain Reaction Cycles Points Jersey, enjoys a nine-second leader over Majerus, with Stage Two winner Jolien D’hoore just a further second back. In total all of the top fourteen remain within 30-seconds of the Aviva Yellow Jersey going into the final stage from Marlow to Hemel Hempstead, a 102.6km leg from the banks of the River Thames through the Chiltern Hills.

Highlights of Stage Four are on ITV4 at 8pm on Saturday 20 June with a repeat at 11.10am on Sunday 21 June and will be available on the ITV Player for 30-days after broadcast.

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Jolien D’Hoore all smiles before the start of the stage.

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Red numbers for Sharon Laws, the most Combative rider on stage 3

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Elisa Longo Borghini gets the champagne for most Combative rider on staged 4

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Brennauer celebrates another stage victory and taking the leader’s jersey

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Elise Delzenne of France win s the second QoM sprint and is only two points off the jersey.

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Bottom of the final QoM and the contenders are lining up at the front ready for the sprint up the hill

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Brennauer wins the second Sprint at Royston

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Audrey Cordon wins the first sprint of the day at Barkway

STAGE 4
1 BRENNAUER Lisa VEL 2h36’35” 00″
2 JOHANSSON Emma OGE ‘
3 LEPESTÖ Lotta BCT ‘
4 MAJERUS Christine DLT ‘
5 * BARNES Hannah UHC ‘
6 * DIDERIKSEN Amalie DLT ‘
7 * RYAN Alexis UHC ‘
8 MUSTONEN-LICHAN Sara TLP ‘
9 LONGO BORGHINI Elisa WHT ‘
10 * STULTIENS Sabrina TLP ‘
11 BRONZINI Giorgia WHT ‘
12 * ZORZI Susanna LBL ‘
13 D’HOORE Jolien WHT ‘
14 STEPHENS Lauren USA ‘
15 *CONFALONIERI Maria Giulia ALE ‘
16 * TROTT Laura MAT ‘
17 KINSELLA Maura OPW ‘
18 JEULAND Pascale FUT ‘
19 KNETEMANN Roxanne RBW ‘
20 KIRCHMANN Leah OPW ‘
21 GUARNIER Megan DLT 07″
22 PAWLOWSKA Katarzyna DLT ‘
23 ELVIN Gracie OGE ‘
24 KASPER Romy DLT ‘
25 ROSS Hannah USA ‘
26 JASINSKA Malgorzta ALE ‘
27 CROMWELL Tiffany VEL ‘
28 * WEAVER Molly TLP ‘
29 CORDON Audrey WHT ‘
30 DELZENNE Elise VEL ‘
31 BIANNIC Aude FUT ‘
32 LICHTENBERG Claudia TLP 11″
33 WORRACK Trixi VEL ‘
34 * EWART Annie OPW 13″
35 HORNE Ciara PIS 16″
36 HAMMES Kathrin GER 18″
37 TAYLOR Carlee LBL ‘
38 KING Dani WHT ‘
39 * DUVAL Eugenie FUT ‘
40 HALL Katie UHC ‘
41 * KOSTER Anouska RBW 20″
42 KOEDOODER Vera BCT ‘
43 LAWS Sharon BCT 24″
44 FERNANDES SOUSA Uenia ALE ‘
45 POHL Stephanie GER ‘
46 HEADLEY Sara USA ‘
47 HOSKINS Melissa OGE ‘
48 SLAPPENDEL Iris BCT ‘
49 * GARNER Lucy TLP ‘
50 GUARISCHI Barbara VEL ‘
51 MCCONVILLE Chloe OGE ‘
52 SOEK Julia TLP ‘
53 EDMONDSON Annette WHT ‘
54 AUBRY Emilie BCT 35″
55 FRAPPORTI Simona ALE 00″
56 BUCHANAN Rushlee UHC 01’00”
57 TAGLIAFERRO Marta ALE 01’21”
58 ALBRECHT Lex OPW 01’22”
59 ROWNEY Loren VEL 01’26”
60 * DE JONG Thalita RBW ‘
61 TENNIGLO Moniek RBW ‘
62 HANSELMANN Nicole BCT ‘
63 *CAUZ Francesca ALE ‘
64 HOFFMANN Chantal LBL ‘
65 DECROIX Lieselot LBL ‘
66 RIJKES Sarah LBL ‘
67 VILLUMSEN Linda UHC 01’41”
68 KOMANSKI Lauren USA 01’54”
69 WYMAN Helen MAT 03’14”
70 CURTIS Katie PIS 03’36”
71 FISCHER Heather USA 03’39”
72 RIVAT Amelie FUT P:20″ 04’53”
73 FOURNIER Roxane FUT ‘
74 ROY Sarah OGE ‘
75 * BARKER Elinor MAT 06’33”
76 * LECHNER Corinna GER 07’55”
77 * MANLY Alexandra OGE ‘
78 * KÃœLLMER Lisa GER ‘
79 * RIJFF Anouk LBL ‘
80 *LE COURT DE BILLOT Kimberley MAT 14’16”
81 MARTIN Lucy MAT ‘
82 * SHAW Gabriella PIS ‘
83 STOREY Dame Sarah PIS ‘
84 * ARCHIBALD Katie PIS ‘
85 * HORBACH Ariane OPW ‘

OVERALL
1 BRENNAUER Lisa VEL 12h22’35” 00″
2 MAJERUS Christine DLT 09″
3 D’HOORE Jolien WHT 10″
4 JOHANSSON Emma OGE 11″
5 * BARNES Hannah UHC 22″
6 * RYAN Alexis UHC 28″
7 JEULAND Pascale FUT ‘
8 *CONFALONIERI Maria Giulia ALE ‘
9 * ZORZI Susanna LBL ‘
10 FRAPPORTI Simona ALE ‘
11 KNETEMANN Roxanne RBW ‘
12 STEPHENS Lauren USA ‘
13 KIRCHMANN Leah OPW ‘
14 * DIDERIKSEN Amalie DLT ‘
15 LEPESTÖ Lotta BCT 31″
16 PAWLOWSKA Katarzyna DLT 35″
17 * TROTT Laura MAT ‘
18 MUSTONEN-LICHAN Sara TLP ‘
19 GUARNIER Megan DLT ‘
20 LONGO BORGHINI Elisa WHT ‘
21 KINSELLA Maura OPW ‘
22 * STULTIENS Sabrina TLP ‘
23 WORRACK Trixi VEL 39″
24 CORDON Audrey WHT ‘
25 DELZENNE Elise VEL 40″
26 JASINSKA Malgorzta ALE 41″
27 ELVIN Gracie OGE 42″
28 ROSS Hannah USA ‘
29 CROMWELL Tiffany VEL ‘
30 KASPER Romy DLT ‘
31 BIANNIC Aude FUT ‘
32 * WEAVER Molly TLP ‘
33 GUARISCHI Barbara VEL 43″
34 * GARNER Lucy TLP 45″
35 LICHTENBERG Claudia TLP 46″
36 * KOSTER Anouska RBW 48″
37 * EWART Annie OPW ‘
38 KOEDOODER Vera BCT 49″
39 HORNE Ciara PIS 51″
40 HALL Katie UHC 53″
41 TAYLOR Carlee LBL ‘
42 HAMMES Kathrin GER ‘
43 KING Dani WHT ‘
44 * DUVAL Eugenie FUT ‘
45 BRONZINI Giorgia WHT 55″
46 MCCONVILLE Chloe OGE 57″
47 SLAPPENDEL Iris BCT 59″
48 POHL Stephanie GER ‘
49 SOEK Julia TLP ‘
50 LAWS Sharon BCT ‘
51 HEADLEY Sara USA ‘
52 FERNANDES SOUSA Uenia ALE ‘
53 HOSKINS Melissa OGE ‘
54 AUBRY Emilie BCT 01’36”
55 EDMONDSON Annette WHT 01’39”
56 TAGLIAFERRO Marta ALE 01’51”
57 BUCHANAN Rushlee UHC 01’52”
58 DECROIX Lieselot LBL 02’01”
59 * DE JONG Thalita RBW ‘
60 TENNIGLO Moniek RBW ‘
61 ROWNEY Loren VEL ‘
62 RIJKES Sarah LBL ‘
63 *CAUZ Francesca ALE ‘
64 HANSELMANN Nicole BCT 02’14”
65 ALBRECHT Lex OPW ‘
66 VILLUMSEN Linda UHC 02’16”
67 KOMANSKI Lauren USA 02’29”
68 HOFFMANN Chantal LBL 02’41”
69 CURTIS Katie PIS 04’11”
70 FISCHER Heather USA 04’34”
71 ROY Sarah OGE 05’28”
72 FOURNIER Roxane FUT ‘
73 WYMAN Helen MAT 05’51”
74 RIVAT Amelie FUT 06’05”
75 * BARKER Elinor MAT 07’31”
76 * LECHNER Corinna GER 08’26”
77 * KÃœLLMER Lisa GER 09’32”
78 * RIJFF Anouk LBL 10’43”
79 * SHAW Gabriella PIS 14’51”
80 MARTIN Lucy MAT 15’13”
81 * HORBACH Ariane OPW 15’54”
82 STOREY Dame Sarah PIS 17’15”
83 * ARCHIBALD Katie PIS 18’16”
84 * MANLY Alexandra OGE 37’31”
85 *LE COURT DE BILLOT Kimberley MAT 49’04”

YOUNG RIDER
1 BARNES Hannah UHC 12h22’57” 00″
2 RYAN Alexis UHC 06″
3 ZORZI Susanna LBL ‘
4 CONFALONIERI Maria Giulia ALE ‘
5 DIDERIKSEN Amalie DLT ‘
6 TROTT Laura MAT 13″
7 STULTIENS Sabrina TLP ‘
8 WEAVER Molly TLP 20″
9 GARNER Lucy TLP 23″
10 KOSTER Anouska RBW 26″
11 EWART Annie OPW ‘
12 DUVAL Eugenie FUT 31″
13 DE JONG Thalita RBW 01’39”
14 CAUZ Francesca ALE ‘
15 BARKER Elinor MAT 07’09”
16 LECHNER Corinna GER 08’04”
17 KÃœLLMER Lisa GER 09’10”
18 RIJFF Anouk LBL 10’21”
19 SHAW Gabriella PIS 14’29”
20 HORBACH Ariane OPW 15’32”
21 ARCHIBALD Katie PIS 17’54”
22 MANLY Alexandra OGE 37’09”
23 LE COURT DE BILLOT Kimberley MAT 48’42”

POINTS
1 BRENNAUER Lisa VEL 47
2 JOHANSSON Emma OGE 38
3 MAJERUS Christine DLT 31
4 D’HOORE Jolien WHT 30
5 BARNES Hannah UHC 16
6 GUARISCHI Barbara VEL 12
7 FRAPPORTI Simona ALE 11
8 LEPESTÖ Lotta BCT 11
9 TAGLIAFERRO Marta ALE 10
10 GARNER Lucy TLP 10
11 RYAN Alexis UHC 9
12 DIDERIKSEN Amalie DLT 7
13 KOEDOODER Vera BCT 6
14 KOSTER Anouska RBW 6
15 KNETEMANN Roxanne RBW 5
16 JEULAND Pascale FUT 4
17 BRONZINI Giorgia WHT 4
18 LECHNER Corinna GER 4
19 CORDON Audrey WHT 3
20 FISCHER Heather USA 3
21 MUSTONEN-LICHAN Sara TLP 3
22 WORRACK Trixi VEL 3
23 BARKER Elinor MAT 3
24 LONGO BORGHINI Elisa WHT 2
25 DELZENNE Elise VEL 2
26 MCCONVILLE Chloe OGE 2
27 STULTIENS Sabrina TLP 1
28 JASINSKA Malgorzta ALE 1
29 BIANNIC Aude FUT 1

MOUNTAINS
1 HOSKINS Melissa OGE 31
2 DELZENNE Elise VEL 29
3 LAWS Sharon BCT 15
4 TROTT Laura MAT 10
5 STULTIENS Sabrina TLP 9
6 KOSTER Anouska RBW 9
7 KOEDOODER Vera BCT 6
8 HALL Katie UHC 6
9 MCCONVILLE Chloe OGE 6
10 GUARNIER Megan DLT 6
11 LONGO BORGHINI Elisa WHT 5
12 FISCHER Heather USA 5
13 JASINSKA Malgorzta ALE 4
14 TAGLIAFERRO Marta ALE 4
15 JOHANSSON Emma OGE 3
16 HANSELMANN Nicole BCT 3
17 BARKER Elinor MAT 3
18 KIRCHMANN Leah OPW 2
19 TENNIGLO Moniek RBW 2
20 ARCHIBALD Katie PIS 2
21 KNETEMANN Roxanne RBW 1
22 ELVIN Gracie OGE 1
23 FERNANDES SOUSA Uenia ALE 1

TEAM
1 Boels Dolmans Cycling Team 37h09’11” 00″
2 Velocio SRAM 06″
3 Wiggle Honda 09″
4 Ale Cipollini 12″
5 Team Liv Plantur 16″
6 UnitedHealthcare Professional Cycling 20″
7 Optum p/b Kelly Benefit Strategies 25″
8 Poitou-Charentes.Futuroscope.86 37″
9 Orica AIS 40″
10 USA 43″
11 Bigla Pro Cycling Team 01’03”
12 Rabo Liv Womens Cycling Team 01’51”
13 Lotto Soudal Ladies 01’56”
14 Germany 08’56”
15 Matrix Fitness 10’54”
16 Pearl Izumi Sports Tours International 18’27”

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