Johansson sprints to second stage win

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Emma Johansson (Orica-AIS) claimed her second Thüringen Rundfahrt stage victory in Altenburg from a three-rider sprint ahead of Lucinda Brand (Rabobank-Liv/Giant) and Valentina Scandolara (MCipollini Giordana). The trio were part of a decisive 17-rider escape group which further splintered in the stage 5 finale.

Johansson remains in the leader's jersey and extended her advantage to 30 seconds on teammate Shara Gillow while Lisa Brennauer (Specialized-lululemon) moves up to third overall at 1:34.

"It's never easy to win a bike race, but I feel at home on this course," said Johansson. "It's a stage I have won in the past. I like the technical finish, and I think when you enjoy yourself and have fun, it makes the racing a bit easier. You're working with the course instead of against it. It was a good day for us, and I was happy to finish off the team's work with the win."

While the first lap of the Rund um Altenburg was raced aggressively, no breaks were able to establish themselves. That situation changed on the second lap, however, as an escape ultimately totalling 17 riders went clear.

Four riders in the top ten overall had missed the split. Tatiana Guderzo (MCipollini Giordana), who had started the day in third, was the most notable absence. Specialized-lululemon teammates Ellen van Dijk and Carmen Small, eighth and ninth overnight, were also missing along with Lizzie Armitstead (Boels Dolmans).

"The initial gap was fairly small," said Orica-AIS directeur sportif David McPartland. "A few teams had missed out, and they were chasing. In the third lap, one of the bridge attempts was successful. Four riders made it across. Guderzo had initially been with the group that bridged but she cracked before making it to the leaders. We definitely didn't expect that. The group that bridged broke the band, and the peloton finally sat up, allowing the gap to open."

The front group pushed out their advantage beyond the seven-minute mark, with an eight rider chase group ultimately able to trim back their deficit to just over six minutes at the finish. The bulk of the peloton, however, conceded more than 12 minutes on the 100km stage.

The 17-rider lead group would fracture on the final lap with race leader Emma Johansson keen on adding another stage victory to her palmares.

"We had already seen the finish three times before the sprint," said Johansson. "Lucinda Brand attacked, but I went straight to her wheel. She was the first one through the last turn, but I know how I can take that corner to bring the most speed with me. I came out of the corner the quickest, and I sped past to her to take the win."

"The racing this weekend will be hard, especially Sunday's stage," said McPartland. "We're not complacent. A lot can happen in two days, but we came here to win. We're in a great position to continue to put our efforts into accomplishing that goal. Anything beyond that at this point is a bonus."