Worrack and Nürnberger dominate in Albstadt

Equipe Nürnberger Versicherung dominated the Albstadt Etappenrennen over the weekend, with Trixi Worrack winning two stages to take the overall title, for the third year in a row. Her team-mate Charlotte Becker finished second overall after being on the podium for all three stages. In fact, the Equipe finished one-two-three in the opening prologue, and took the top two spots in the first stage. Needless to say, it also won the team ranking.

Worrack laid the basis for her success by winning the four-kilometre opening prologue nearly two seconds faster than team-mate Larissa Kleinmann in second and 9.41 seconds faster than Becker. On Saturday's stage one, Worrack won after 90 kilometres in a solo effort, as Becker led the peloton across the finish line 44 seconds later. The Equipe rider had enough of a lead that she was able to finish 10th in the closing stage, two seconds behind the winner, and still take the win. Again, Charlotte Becker finished second on the stage.

Worrack's performance was all the more impressive in light of the fact that she had just returned from the Olympic Games. She finished 20th in the road race, but that wasn't her only appearance on a bike in Beijing.

The cyclists had been given tickets to the opening ceremony, and she and Judith Arndt of Team Columbia decided to sit in the audience. "To get there we borrowed a folding bike from one of the men [on the German team]. Judith took over the driving and I sat on the luggage rack. And so we made our way to the Olympic stadium!"(SW)