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World Championships - CM
Verona, Italy, September 27-October 3, 2004
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Race 9 - Saturday October 2: Road Race - Elite Women, 132.75km
A different kind of salute: Arndt wins World's with both arms raised
Audacious Italian Guderzo runner-up
By Tim Maloney, European Editor in Verona
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No one watching will soon forget Judith Arndt's annoyingly rude gesture as she finished the Athens Olympics in the Women's Road Race in August to take the silver medal. Today the German rider managed to erase many of the bad vibes with a dramatic solo win in the Women's World Championship road race in Verona, Italy. Arndt got away in the final 5km from a break of six with a superb counterattack on the fast, twisting descent of the Torricelle climb and held off a determined chase to win. On the wide finishing straight of via Porta Nuova in Verona today, Arndt looked behind and saw that she had a winning margin, sat up and crossed the line with both arms raised, exulting with joy as she took the gold this time around.
Arndt came up with a silver medal earlier in the week in the Elite Women's TT and after her Olympic silver, the German rider capped her greatest season ever with a rainbow jersey. After the race, a cool and collected Arndt explained that "Oh, I'm not sad or angry anymore. It was a great day for German women's cycling since we haven't won a Championship for twenty years. In the final I gave it everything I had and it worked out."
Later, she told Cyclingnews that, "The last lap was dramatic! We had focused on the final lap from the beginning, waiting and sparing our power until then. We wanted to ride aggressively on that last lap. But it was so turbulent! I nearly lost track of what happened. The Russian and the Italian attacked on the climb, and Trixi [Worrack, who got 4th - ed.] filled the gap. We were five riders then at the top, and on the descent I didn't want to take the risk of everybody catching us again and the whole thing starting over, so I went as fast as I could."
A strong German team backed her. "It was a huge advantage to have two leaders in the team. With Trixi, we were two riders who were able to win, and that helped a lot."
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20 year-old Italian Tatiana Guderzo, already European U23 TT champ, had gotten some attention earlier this week with a solid 10th place in the Elite Women's TT, but today the young woman from Marostica, 70km east of Verona, rode way above her head to take the silver medal. Audaciously attacking from a stagnant peloton on the last lap in pursuit of escaped Russian Boubnenkova, Guderzo lit the women's road race on fire. "I just decided to go for it," said Guderzo. "I felt good and got across to the front rider faster than I thought. No one went after (Arndt) when she attacked so I went again. I did everything I could to make it happen and my team was telling me to go in my radio. I didn't look around until the last 300m and then I knew I had the silver medal."
The sprint for the bronze medal was won by Norwegian Anita Valen, just ahead of German Trixi Worrack from a group of 10 that had come together in the last lap. World Cup winner Oenone Wood was 14th at the head of a second chase group, which also included Americans Dede Barry and Christine Thorburn and the Polikeviciute twins.
How it unfolded
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On a hazy early afternoon in Verona, the Elite Women's World Championship Road Race started with 132.75km to cover. The race was gruppo compatto until Daniela Fusar Poli got a gap after 4 laps, but she was caught on the climb. Her young teammate Anna Zugno attacked but crashed soon afterwards on the descent.
With three laps to go, the first break to get properly established was away; Erinne Willock (Canada) and Sarah Grab (Switzerland) were away when Dori Ruano Sanchon (Spain) bridged up to them. This trio stayed away a lap until the surging action on the penultimate climb of Torricelle absorbed them. Russian Zabirova made a clever attack on the descent but Jeannie Longo chased her down. On the last lap, Dutch rider Chantal Beltman attacked on the cobbled section after the start/finish line in the centre of Verona and got a 0'10 gap. Russian Boubnenkova hammered away and bridged up to her just before the last ascent of the Torricelle began, with what remained of the peloton desperately chasing 0'15 behind.
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Flatlander Beltman dropped back as Boubnenkova made a desperate bid for victory on the final climb of Torricelle. Suddenly, Italian Guderzo attacked hard as all the favourites were looking at each other and got across to Boubnenkova with a hard 1 km chase. The two worked together until the final kilometre of the hill, when Judith Arndt (Germany), Joane Somarriba (Spain), Edita Pucinskaite (Lithuania) and Nicole Brändli (Switzerland) bridged across. This sextet went over the summit together for the final time, with two main chase groups seconds behind. The pursuers gained some ground but once the front riders hit the flats, canny Arndt wasted no time and flew the coop on the stretch just before the team boxes with 4km to race. Guderzo chased her and the two finished in that order, with Valen taking the sprint from the first chase group for the bronze.
Photography
Images by Fotoreporter Sirotti
- The bunch lined up at the start
- The field all lined up and somehwere to go
- The Italians were attacking all day
- Descending is hard work!
- Jeannie Longo (France) descends during the women's RR
- Jeannie Longo (France) crouches low as she tackles a corner
- Jeannie Longo (France): Age shall not weary them
- Judith Arndt (Germany) crosses the line to win the women's RR
- Judith Arndt (Germany) gives a two finger salute this time
- Judith Arndt (Germany) celebrates her win in the women's RR
- Tatiana Guderzo (Italy) crosses the line for second, more than happy
- You could be forgiven for thinking that Guderzo had actually won
- Tatiana Guderzo (Italy) takes a big swig
- The Italians hug each other at the finish
- The podium (L to R): Tatiana Guderzo (2nd), Judith Arndt (1st) and Anita Valen (3rd)
- The winners smiles from the podium
- Judith Arndt (Germany) is finally the World Champ
- Judith Arndt (Germany) smiles with the gold
- Judith Arndt (Germany) with her gold medal
- Tatiana Guderzo (Italy) with the Italian flag on the podium
- Tatiana Guderzo (Italy) with flowers and stuff
- Tatiana Guderzo (Italy) enjoys her time on the podium
- Tatiana Guderzo (Italy) is a very happy silver medalist
Images by Roberto Bettini
- Judith Arndt (Germany): straightforward
- Tatiana Guderzo (Italy) bites her silver
Images by AFP Photo
- What goes on four legs in the morning, two legs in the afternoon and three legs in the evening?
- Tatiana Guderzo (Italy) on the attack!
- Judith Arndt (Germany) during her winning attack
Images by Mitch Friedman Photography
- Lynn Bessette (Canada) waits to sign in
- Team Canada
- Team Mexico - aka Veronica Leal Balderas
- The Belgian women's team
- The British team
- The German team with eventual winner Judith Arndt
- Team Switzerland
- Nice shoes! Pearl Izumi made these stars and stripes specials for Dede Barry
- The USA team, but without Tina Pic
- Jeannie Longo (France) goes through a turn early on in the race
- The pack
- The back of the pack
- The pack goes through the Knights corner
- Amber Neben (USA) hides her teammate
- Polish rider Bogumila Matusiak leads Dede Barry (USA)
- Alison Wright (Australia)
- The women's podium - L-R: Tatiana Guderzo (Italy, 2nd), Judith Arndt (Germany, 1st), Anita Valen (Norway, 3rd)
- Judith Arndt with the gold
- Tatiana Guderzo (Italy)
- The start of the women's race
- A Swiss rider leads early
- Tina Pic (USA) looked good early on
- An early break tries to get away
- Bates and Wynter had a bad day
- One of the AUstralian team leads into a turn
- The pack takes a turn
- Kimberly Bruckner (USA) finished in 50th
- Judith Arndt (Germany) wins the women's World Road Race Championship
Results
1 Judith Arndt (Germany) 3.44.38 (35.458 km/h) 2 Tatiana Guderzo (Italy) 0.10 3 Anita Valen (Norway) 0.12 4 Trixi Worrack (Germany) 5 Modesta Vzesniauskaite (Lithuania) 6 Nicole Brändli (Switzerland) 7 Joane Somarriba Arrola (Spain) 8 Svetlana Bubnenkova (Russia) 9 Mirjam Melchers (Netherlands) 10 Edita Pucinskaite (Lithuania) 11 Valentina Polkhanova (Russia) 12 Zoulfia Zabirova (Russia) 13 Oenone Wood (Australia) 0.41 14 Lyne Bessette (Canada) 15 Eneritz Iturriaga (Spain) 16 Deirdre Demet-Barry (USA) 17 Rasa Polikeviciute (Lithuania) 18 Susan Palmer-Komar (Canada) 19 Jolanta Polikeviciute (Lithuania) 20 Christine Thorburn (USA) 21 Jeannie Longo Ciprelli (France) 1.07 22 Annette Beutler (Switzerland) 23 Edwige Pitel (France) 24 Nicole Cooke (Great Britain) 25 Linda Villumsen Serup (Denmark) 26 Susanne Ljungskog (Sweden) 1.11 27 Noemi Cantele (Italy) 2.08 28 Lene Byberg (Norway) 2.36 29 Magali Le Floc'h (France) 3.30 30 Chantal Beltman (Netherlands) 31 Theresa Senff (Germany) 3.38 32 Barbara Heeb (Switzerland) 33 Lada Kozlikova (Czech Republic) 6.09 34 Amy Moore (Canada) 35 Miho Oki (Japan) 36 Bogumila Matusiak (Poland) 37 Rachel Heal (Great Britain) 38 Clemilda Fernandes Silva (Brazil) 39 Christiane Soeder (Austria) 40 Evy Van Damme (Belgium) 41 Tatiana Shishkova (Moldova) 42 Anna Zugno (Italy) 43 Corine Hierckens (Belgium) 44 Elisabeth Chevanne Brunel (France) 45 Trine Hansen (Denmark) 46 Amber Neben (USA) 47 Zinaida Stahurskaya (Belarus) 48 Sarah Grab (Switzerland) 49 Margaret Hemsley (Australia) 50 Kimberly Bruckner (USA) 51 Manon Jutras (Canada) 52 Maribel Moreno Allue (Spain) 53 Sonia Huguet (France) 54 Erinne Willock (Canada) 55 Dori Ruano Sanchon (Spain) 56 Elisabeth Vink (Netherlands) 57 Olivia Gollan (Australia) 58 Tina Liebig (Germany) 6.13 59 Kristin Armstrong (USA) 11.12 60 Ghita Beltman (Netherlands) 61 Malgorzata Wysocka (Poland) 11.23 62 Rosane Kirch (Brazil) 63 Natalya Kachalka (Ukraine) 64 Veerle Ingels (Belgium) 12.14 65 Oxana Kashchyshyna (Ukraine) 20.52 66 Grete Treier (Estonia) 21.21 67 Valentina Karpenko (Ukraine) 68 Tina Mayolo Pic (USA) 21.23 69 Camilla Larsson (Sweden) 22.51 70 Natalia Boyarskaya (Russia) 71 Lise Christensen (Denmark) 72 Marina Jaunatre (France) 73 Andrea Graus (Austria) 74 Ana Paola Madrinan Villegas (Colombia) 23.32 75 Paulina Brzezna (Poland) 28.08 DNF Madeleine Sandig (Germany) DNF Daniela Fusar Poli (Italy) DNF Silvia Parietti (Italy) DNF Hayley Rutherford (Australia) DNF Sofie Goor (Belgium) DNF Veronika Jeger (Hungary) DNF Arenda Grimberg (Netherlands) DNF Edita Kubelskiene (Lithuania) DNF Zita Urbonaite (Lithuania) DNF Olga Slyusareva (Russia) DNF Regina Schleicher (Germany) DNF Tania Belvederesi (Italy) DNF Nathalie Bates (Australia) DNF Sereina Trachsel (Switzerland) DNF Iona Wynter (Jamaica) DNF Noelia Soledad Fernandez (Argentina) DNF Charlotte Goldsmith (Great Britain) DNF Frances Newstead (Great Britain) DNF Julia Martissova (Russia) DNF Aleksandra Zabrocka (Poland) DNF Nicole Demars (Canada) DNF Cristina Alcalde Huertanos (Spain) DNF Anna Ramirez Bauxell (Spain) DNF Irene Hostettler (Switzerland) DNF Veronica Leal Balderas (Mexico) DNF Volha Hayeva (Belarus) DNF Tatsiana Sharakova (Belarus) DNF Tiina Nieminen (Finland) DNF Colette Swift (Ireland) DNF Madeleine Lindberg (Sweden) DNF Loes Gunnewijk (Netherlands) DNF Alison Wright (Australia) DNF Iryna Chuzhynova (Ukraine) DNF Louise Moriarty (Ireland) DNF Uenia Fernandes Souza (Brazil) DNF Cindy Pieters (Belgium) DNF Sharon Van Dromme (Belgium) DNF Maria Lucilene Silva (Brazil) DNF Monika Kiraly (Hungary) DNF Monica Holler (Sweden) DNF Linn Torp (Norway) DNF Janildes Fernandes Silva (Brazil) DNF Dianne Emery (South Africa)
