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1st Women's Ronde van Vlaanderen - CDM
Belgium, April 4, 2004
Zabirova takes first women's Ronde world cup
By Chris Henry
Russia's Zoulfia Zabirova won the first women's World Cup event on the Tour of Flanders parcours, stylishly winning alone after a decisive attack on the Muur van Geraardsbergen. It was Zabirova's second World Cup win this season, following her victory in the Primavera Rosa in March. Australian Oenone Wood maintained her lead in the World Cup standings after the fourth round of the series.
Zabirova came out on top of a comparatively large women's field of 31 teams and 185 riders. The peloton covered 94km from Oudenaarde to Meerbeke, finishing on the same two decisive climbs as the men's race: the Muur van Geraardsbergen and the Bosberg. The first attack of note came from France's Virginie Moinard, who broke clear on the Kluisberg climb but could only build a maximum advantage of 35". She was soon pulled back by the peloton by the summit of the Boigneberg.
The next move marked the emergence of the favourites, as women like Leontien Zijlaard-Van Moorsel and Mirjam Melchers (Farm Frites-Hartol), Hanka Kupfernagel (Vlaanderen-T Interim), Trixi Worrack (Nürnberger), Olga Slyusareva (Nobili Rubinetterie), and Zabirova forced a selection. There was still enough horsepower in the peloton to bring this group back before the Berendries, but the break significantly whittled down the size of the field.
Finally it was Zabirova who again broke clear, this time alone on the steep slopes of the Muur. Although she never held more than 15" over three chasers (Worrack, Van Moorsel, Melchers), the Russian had all the power required to stay clear over the Bosberg and solo into the finish in Meerbeke. Worrack won the sprint for second ahead of Van Moorsel, four seconds behind the winner, with Melchers finishing another three seconds back. The field sprint for fifth was won by Slyusareva, 1'20 later.
Results, 94 km
1 Zoulfia Zabirova (Rus) Team Let's Go Finland 2.26.00 (38.630 km/h)
2 Trixi Worrack (Ger) Equipe Nürnberger Versicherung 0.04
3 Leontien Zijlaard-V. Moorsel (Ned) Team Farm Frites-Hartol
4 Mirjam Melchers (Ned) Team Farm Frites-Hartol 0.07
5 Olga Slyusareva (Rus) Nobili Rubinetterie-Guerciotti 1.20
6 Alison Wright (Aus) Nobili Rubinetterie-Guerciotti
7 Loes Gunnewijk (Ned) Vrienden Van Het Platteland
8 Oenone Wood (Aus)
9 Joanne Kiesanowski (NZl)
10 Annette Beutler (Swi) Lietzsport Cycling
11 Sharon Van Dromme (Bel) Vlaanderen-T-Interim Univega
12 Marion Clignet (Fra) Basis Aude
13 Priska Doppman (Swi)
14 Noemi Cantele (Ita)
15 Susanne Ljungskog (Swe) Team S.A.T.S.
16 Edita Pucinskaite (Ltu) S.C. Michela Fanini Record Rox
17 Evy Van Damme (Bel)
18 Deirdre Demet-Barry (USA) T-Mobile Professional Cycling Team
19 Margaret Hemsley (Aus) Equipe Nürnberger Versicherung
20 Gunn-Rita Dahle (Nor) Safi-Pasta Zara Manhattan
21 Theresa Senff (Ger)
22 Nicole Brändli (Swi) S.C. Michela Fanini Record Rox
23 Valentina Polkhanova (Rus) Nobili Rubinetterie-Guerciotti
24 Olivia Gollan (Aus)
25 Amber Neben (USA) T-Mobile Professional Cycling Team
26 Hanka Kupfernagel (Ger) Vlaanderen-T-Interim Univega
27 Miho Oki (Jpn) Team Farm Frites-Hartol 1.35
28 Rosa Bravo Soba (Spa)
29 Valentyna Karpenko (Ukr)
30 Edwige Pitel (Fra)
31 Fabiana Luperini (Ita) Team Let's Go Finland
32 Anna Zugno (Ita) Safi-Pasta Zara Manhattan
33 Olga Zabelinskaia (Rus) Equipe Nürnberger Versicherung
34 Jolanta Polikeviciute (Ltu) USC Chirio Forno d'Asolo
35 Kimberly Bruckner (USA) T-Mobile Professional Cycling Team
36 Stacey Peters (USA) T-Mobile Professional Cycling Team
37 Regina Schleicher (Ger) Safi-Pasta Zara Manhattan
38 Angela Brodtka (Ger) 3.15
39 Veronique Belleter (Bel) Vlaanderen-T-Interim Univega
40 Arenda Grimberg (Ned) Therme Skin Care
41 Chantal Beltman (Ned) Vrienden Van Het Platteland
42 Virginie Moinard (Fra)
43 Tanja Schmidt-Hennes (Ger) Team Next 125
44 Rachel Heal (GBr) Team Farm Frites-Hartol
45 Silvia Parietti (Ita)
46 Catherine Marsal (Fra) Nobili Rubinetterie-Guerciotti
47 Ilse Geldhof (Bel)
48 Rosalind Reekie-May (NZl)
49 Michelle Hyland (NZl)
50 Corine Hierckens (Bel)
51 Kirsty Robb (NZl)
52 Tania Belvederesi (Ita)
53 Hayley Rutherford (Aus) S.C. Michela Fanini Record Rox
54 Zita Urbonaite (Ltu) Safi-Pasta Zara Manhattan
55 Maria Teodora Ruano Sanchon (Spa)
56 Anouska Van Der Zee (Ned) Team Farm Frites-Hartol
57 Milena Pirola (Ita) USC Chirio Forno d'Asolo 7.15
58 Sophie Creux (Fra)
59 Marina Jaunatre (Fra)
60 Josephine Groenveld (Ned) Team Ton Van Bemmelen Sports
61 Melissa Holt (NZl)
62 Manon Jutras (Can) Team S.A.T.S.
World Cup standings after round 4
1 Oenone Wood (Aus) 178 pts 2 Zoulfia Zabirova (Rus) Team Let's Go Finland 150 3 Mirjam Melchers (Ned) Team Farm Frites-Hartol 115 4 Angela Brodtka (Ger) 79 5 Alison Wright (Aus) Nobili Rubinetterie-Guerciotti 71 6 Petra Rossner (Ger) Equipe Nürnberger Versicherung 68 7 Joanne Kiesanowski (NZl) 58 8 Rochelle Gilmore (Aus) Team S.A.T.S. 57 9 Priska Doppman (Swi) 57 10 Trixi Worrack (Ger) Equipe Nürnberger Versicherung 50 11 Olga Slyusareva (Rus) Nobili Rubinetterie-Guerciotti 48 12 Miho Oki (Jpn) Team Farm Frites-Hartol 38 13 Leontien Zijlaard-V. Moorsel (Ned) Team Farm Frites-Hartol 35 14 Regina Schleicher (Ger) Safi-Pasta Zara Manhattan 30 15 Susanne Ljungskog (Swe) Team S.A.T.S. 30 16 Giorgia Bronzini (Ita) Safi-Pasta Zara Manhattan 27 17 Anita Valen (Nor) Team S.A.T.S. 27 18 Loes Gunnewijk (Ned) Vrienden Van Het Platteland 26 19 Olivia Gollan (Aus) 25 20 Katia Longhin (Ita) S.C. Michela Fanini Record Rox 25 21 Hayley Rutherford (Aus) S.C. Michela Fanini Record Rox 24 22 Sara Carrigan (Aus) 23 23 Rachel Heal (GBr) Team Farm Frites-Hartol 21 24 Sharon Van Dromme (Bel) Vlaanderen-T-Interim Univega 21 25 Annette Beutler (Swi) Lietzsport Cycling 16 26 Arenda Grimberg (Ned) Therme Skin Care 15 27 Liane Bahler (Ger) 11 28 Tanja Schmidt-Hennes (Ger) Team Next 125 11 29 Marion Clignet (Fra) Basis Aude 9 30 Debby Mansveld (Ned) Vlaanderen-T-Interim Univega 9 31 Sara Symington (GBr) Team S.A.T.S. 9 32 Eneritz Iturriaga (Spa) Team Let's Go Finland 8 33 Nicole Freedman (Isr) Basis Aude 8 34 Noemi Cantele (Ita) 7 35 Svetlana Boubnenkova (Rus) 7 36 Catherine Marsal (Fra) Nobili Rubinetterie-Guerciotti 7 37 Tina Mayolo (USA) 6 38 Edita Pucinskaite (Ltu) S.C. Michela Fanini Record Rox 5 39 Modesta Vzesniauskaite (Ltu) Safi-Pasta Zara Manhattan 5 40 Katie Mactier (Aus) 5 41 Evy Van Damme (Bel) 4 42 Deirdre Demet-Barry (USA) T-Mobile Professional Cycling Team 4 43 Jaccolien Wallaard (Ned) Team Ton Van Bemmelen Sports 3 44 Tatiana Stiajkina (Ukr) Team Aliverti-Bianchi-Kookai 3 45 Margaret Hemsley (Aus) Equipe Nürnberger Versicherung 2 46 Bertine Spijkerman (Ned) @Home Cycling Team 2 47 Rosa Bravo Soba (Spa) 2 48 Frances Newstead (GBr) 2 49 Gunn-Rita Dahle (Nor) Safi-Pasta Zara Manhattan 1
