Wild thwarts Armitstead's Tour de Yorkshire dream

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Dutchwoman Kirsten Wild thwarted both the hopes of Yorkshire’s world champion Lizzie Armitstead and those of local fans when she proved quickest of the bunch to claim the first edition of the Asda Tour de Yorkshire in Doncaster. The Hitec Products rider finished a bike length clear of Wiggle-High5’s Lucy Garner, with Liv-Plantur’s Floortje Mackaij in third, to claim the biggest prize in women’s cycling of more than £15,000.

Going into the final 20 kilometres it had seemed that Armitstead, riding for the Great Britain team, might pull off a hugely popular coup after she went on the attack with Liv-Plantur’s Leah Kirchmann and Cylance Pro Cycling’s Doris Schweizer. The trio opened up a lead of more than a minute with little more than 15km remaining. But they were reeled in two kilometres from the line.

It was Schweizer who made the early running, breaking away after the field had left Armitstead’s home town of Otley. The gap was kept down to below two minutes as Liv-Plantur and Hitec Products kept the bunch moving along briskly behind the Swiss rider.

Soon after passing the 60-kilometre mark in Pontefract, where church bells rang as the riders passed, Schweizer pushed out her lead even more until it reached more than three minutes at just beyond half-distance. That signalled the start of a more determined pursuit of the lone leader, whose advantage began to fall rapidly approaching Conisbrough.

Prior to the race, Armitstead had suggested that the short climb at Conisbrough Castle might provide a launchpad to thwart the sprinters’ hopes of deciding the race between them, and it was the world champion herself who took advantage of the steep grade. Armitstead accelerated clear with Liv-Plantur’s Leah Kirchmann, and the pair quickly bridged across the gap to Schweizer.

The trio pushed their advantage out to just over a minute going into the final 15 kilometres, as Hitec took responsibility for leading the chase in the peloton. With 10 kilometres remaining, Hitec had trimmed the deficit back to 45 seconds. Five kilometres later and Armitstead, Kirchmann and Schweizer were just 20 seconds clear.

For a couple of minutes it looked as if world champion Armitstead might still be in with a chance of delivering a fairytale ending to the debut edition of her home race. However, the bunch had judged its pursuit perfectly. Having reeled the three breakaways in with little more than two kilometres remaining, the lead-out trains began to jostle for position.

In the final straight, pre-race favourite Wild opened up with 150 metres to the line to finish a bike length clear of Garner, who was one of five British riders in the top 10.

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