Neben solos to victory in GP Stad Roeselare

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HTC-Highroad's Amber Neben claimed her first ever one-day classic victory in the Stad Roeselare Classic in Belgium on Sunday. The 36-year-old attacked 20 kilometers from the line and stayed away for a lone win. Swedish champion Emma Johansson (Hitek Products UCK) claimed the sprint for second over HTC's Adrie Visser .

"I felt that going for it at 20 kilometers or so was the right moment," said Neben. "Adrie had just come up to my group so I felt I should take that risk and attack, knowing I had a teammate there. It was difficult but I felt good and after how hard the race had been all day, I felt that if I could get a gap I might be able to make it work.

"When I got to five kilometers and I still had 45 seconds I thought I could stick it. A lot of people say 'ten seconds for every kilometer' so I figured it was going to be close, but I still had a little bit of energy and good rhythm."

"But you don't take anything for granted and I didn't want to celebrate until I saw the finish line."

The first attack of the day came from relatively unknown riders Esra Trump (Skil Koga) and Linda Ringlever (Moving Ladies), but the pair could not hold their advantage on the unforgiving hills.

Shara Gillow (Australia) overcame a crash to launch a gutsy solo move that gained 1:30 on the peloton, but eventually she, too was pulled back.

Neben put in her move just as Gillow was being caught, and it was third time's a charm. Her breakaway stuck, and Neben became the first American winner of the GP Stad Roeselare.

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