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Women's World Cup Round 4: Huy 109km

Pooley solos to victory in Huy

By:
Cycling News
Published:
April 21, 2010, 14:02,
Updated:
April 21, 2010, 15:14

Cooke, Johansson can't catch flying Briton

Emma Pooley (Cervelo TestTeam) celebrates her win at the women's La Fléche Wallonne.

Emma Pooley (Cervelo TestTeam) celebrates her win at the women's La Fléche Wallonne.

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Briton's Emma Pooley (Cervelo TestTeam) confirmed she is one of the best climbers in women's cycling by winning Flèche Wallonne with a strong attack on the Muy de Huy climb.

Pooley had earlier been well protected by her teammates, while her rivals were forced to chase other attacks, and so was able to give her all on the climb to the finish. She managed to distance fellow Briton Nicole Cooke (Great Britain) on the steepest section of the Mur de Hut and won by eight seconds. Emma Johansson (Redsun) was third, also at eight seconds. Belgium's Grace Verbeke (Lotto Ladies Team) was fourth at 12 seconds and the USA's Evelyn Stevens (HTC-Columbia) was an impressive fifth at 17 seconds.

Pooley has won other World Cup races but was overjoyed with victory on the Mur de Huy.

"Last year I said I thought I'd never win a World Cup again and said the same thing this year. But this is not any World Cup, it has a lot of tradition," Pooley said as she fought to regain her breath after the steepest final kilometre in professional racing.

"My coach said that one day I'd win it and I told him not to be stupid but it's not me that's won, it's the team and the way the directeur told me to ride. I've never got to the end of a race without having to do so little work because I had the most awesome team behind me. They did absolutely everything for me. After the first time up the Mur, we had four girls in the front group. It came back but I wouldn't have won if the other favourites weren't all tired from chasing the attacks. They (my teammates) won the race. I just had to do the last kilometre."

Pooley start the Mur on the shoulder of Evelyn Stevens because she knew the young but talented American would be a threat. She then took advantage of her strength to weight ratio to win.

"I went just before the S bend. I was supposed to wait for the steep section but I got impatient and was nervous I'd fall off my bike in the excitement, so I went a bit early," she said. "I could see I had a gap but you can never know if some one will come back. It's only 300 metres from the line but it feels like miles."

"I had to take advantage of the steep section because my power is rubbish, it's only my strength to weight that is okay. Of course you can't do that unless you get to the end fresh. I can never usually do that because I waste a lot of energy but today it was like the team babysat me all the way."

Full Results

# Rider Name (Country) Team Result
1 Emma Pooley (GBr) Cervelo Test Team 3:01:27  
2 Nicole Cooke (GBr) Grande-Bretagne 0:00:08  
3 Emma Johansson (Swe) Redsun Cycling Team    
4 Grace Verbeke (Bel) Lotto Ladies Team 0:00:12  
5 Evelyn Stevens (USA) HTC Columbia Women 0:00:17  
6 Marianne Vos (Ned) Nederland Bloeit 0:00:22  
7 Tatiana Guderzo (Ita) Team Valdarno    
8 Elena Berlato (Ita) Top Girls Fassa Bortolo - Ghezzi 0:00:27  
9 Judith Arndt (Ger) HTC Columbia Women 0:00:40  
10 Eleonora Patuzzo (Ita) Safi-Pasta Zara Manhattan 0:00:42  
11 Sharon Laws (GBr) Cervelo Test Team 0:00:44  
12 Annemiek Van Vleuten (Ned) Nederland Bloeit 0:00:47  
13 Regina Bruins (Ned) Cervelo Test Team 0:00:58  
14 Claudia Hausler (Ger) Cervelo Test Team 0:01:04  
15 Noemi Cantele (Ita) HTC Columbia Women 0:01:23  
16 Olena Olinyk (Ukr) Acs Chirio - Forno d'Asolo    
17 Lieselot Decroix (Bel) Cervelo Test Team 0:01:28  
18 Edwige Pitel (Fra) S.C. Michela Fanini Record Rox 0:01:31  
19 Eugenie Mermillod Anseleme (Fra) Esgl 93 - Gsd Gestion    
20 Valentina Carretta (Ita) Top Girls Fassa Bortolo - Ghezzi 0:01:34  
21 Sylwia Kapusta (Pol) Safi-Pasta Zara Manhattan    
22 Loes Gunnewijk (Ned) Nederland Bloeit    
23 Carla Ryan (Aus) Cervelo Test Team    
24 Martine Bras (Ned) Gauss Rdz Ormu    
25 Ludivine Henrion (Bel) Redsun Cycling Team 0:01:39  
26 Jessie Daams (Bel) Topsport Vlaanderen Thompson 0:01:41  
27 Marijn De Vries (Ned) Leontien.Nl 0:01:43  
28 Andrea Bosman (Ned) Leontien.Nl    
29 Bridie O’Donnell (Aus) Team Valdarno    
30 Irina Molicheva (Rus) Fenixs - Petrogradets    
31 Julie Beveridge (Can) Vienne Futuroscope    
32 Trixi Worrack (Ger) Noris Cycling    
33 Tiffany Cromwell (Aus) Australie 0:01:48  
34 Bianca Purath (Ger) Noris Cycling 0:01:51  
35 Denise Ramsden (Can) Canada 0:01:52  
36 Chantal Blaak (Ned) Leontien.Nl 0:01:54  
37 Christine Majerus (Lux) Esgl 93 - Gsd Gestion    
38 Rachel Neylan (Aus) Australie 0:01:59  
39 Julia Martisova (Rus) Gauss Rdz Ormu    
40 Rasa Lelivyte (Ltu) Safi-Pasta Zara Manhattan 0:02:04  
41 Liesbeth De Vocht (Bel) Nederland Bloeit 0:02:07  
42 Katie Colclough (GBr) Grande-Bretagne 0:02:20  
43 Petra Dijkman (Ned) Redsun Cycling Team 0:02:23  
44 Joanne Kiesanowski (NZl) Tibco-To The Top 0:02:25  
45 Monia Baccaille (Ita) Team Valdarno 0:02:40  
46 Christel Ferrier-Bruneau (Fra) Vienne Futuroscope 0:02:52  
47 Erika Vilunaite (Ltu) Fenixs - Petrogradets 0:03:55  
48 Sjoukje Dufoer (Bel) Topsport Vlaanderen Thompson 0:04:38  
49 Luise Keller (Ger) HTC Columbia Women 0:04:49  
50 Froydis Waersted (Nor) Hitec Products Uck 0:04:51  
51 Linda Villumsen Serup (Den) HTC Columbia Women 0:04:56  
52 Larisa Pankova (Rus) Russie 0:04:58  
53 Annelies Van Doorslaer (Bel) Lotto Ladies Team 0:05:01  
54 Irene Van Den Broek (Ned) Leontien.Nl    
55 Oxana Kozonchuk (Rus) Safi-Pasta Zara Manhattan    
56 Karin Aune (Swe) Fenixs - Petrogradets    
57 Marina Romoli (Ita) Safi-Pasta Zara Manhattan 0:05:05  
58 Devon Haskell (USA) Tibco-To The Top 0:05:11  
59 Paulina Brzezna (Pol) Redsun Cycling Team    
60 Roxanne Knetemann (Ned) Pays-Bas    
61 Yulia Blindyuk (Rus) Russie    
62 Catherine Delfosse (Bel) Lotto Ladies Team    
63 Emma Silversides (GBr) Redsun Cycling Team    
64 Anna Potokina (Rus) Russie    
65 Jacqueline Hahn (Aut) Hitec Products Uck 0:05:15  
66 Venia Fernandes (Bra) Acs Chirio - Forno d'Asolo    
67 Sylvie Riedle (Fra) France    
68 Silvia Valsecchi (Ita) Top Girls Fassa Bortolo - Ghezzi 0:05:18  
69 Emma Mackie (Aus) Tibco-To The Top    
70 Kim Schoonbaert (Bel) Lotto Ladies Team    
71 Julie Krasniak (Fra) France    
72 Emilie Blanquefort (Fra) France    
73 Alexis Rhodes (Aus) Australie    
74 Melodie Lesueur (Fra) Esgl 93 - Gsd Gestion    
75 Lucy Martin (GBr) Grande-Bretagne 0:05:22  
76 Anne De Wildt (Ned) Leontien.Nl    
77 Giada Borgato (Ita) Gauss Rdz Ormu    
78 Mélanie Bravard (Fra) Esgl 93 - Gsd Gestion    
79 Veronica Andreasson (Swe) Lotto Ladies Team    
80 Sigrid Corneo (Slo) Top Girls Fassa Bortolo - Ghezzi 0:05:26  
81 Noortje Tabak (Ned) Nederland Bloeit    
82 Heather Logan (Can) Canada 0:05:31  
83 Kimberly Anderson (USA) HTC Columbia Women    
84 Marlen Johrend (Ger) Noris Cycling    
85 Alona Andruk (Ukr) Safi-Pasta Zara Manhattan    
86 Corine Hierckens (Bel) Fenixs - Petrogradets    
87 Amélie Rivat (Fra) France    
88 Tetyana Riabchenko (Ukr) Acs Chirio - Forno d'Asolo    
89 Emma Trott (GBr) Grande-Bretagne    
90 Daphny Van Den Brand (Ned) Pays-Bas 0:05:36  
91 Moriah Mac Gregor (Can) Canada    
92 Emmanuelle Merlot (Fra) Vienne Futuroscope    
93 Madeleine Sandig (Ger) Noris Cycling    
94 Gloria Presti (Ita) Top Girls Fassa Bortolo - Ghezzi    
95 Anna Evseeva (Rus) Russie    
96 Marta Vilajosana Andreu (Spa) Team Valdarno    
97 Stephanie Pohl (Ger) Noris Cycling    
98 Josien Van Wingerden (Ned) Leontien.Nl    
99 Lauren Kitchen (Aus) Australie 0:05:42  
100 Brooke Miller (USA) Tibco-To The Top 0:05:55  
101 Edita Unguryte (Ltu) Acs Chirio - Forno d'Asolo 0:06:02  
102 Margot Ortega (Fra) France 0:06:19  
103 Martina Ruzickova (Cze) S.C. Michela Fanini Record Rox 0:07:10