March 1/07 10:57 am - Geelong Women's Tour Stage 4 & Final GC

Posted by Editor on 03/1/07
 

Geelong Women's Tour - Australia

Stage 4 - Barwon Heads 80 km

1 Tina Pic (USA) Colavita/Sutter Home p/b Cooking Light 1:59:47
2 Rochelle Gilmore (Aus) Menikini Gysko
3 Jenny Macpherson (Aus) Australian National Team
4 Nicole Cooke (GBr) Raleigh Lifeforce Creation
5 Katherine Bates (Aus) T-Mobile Women
6 Charlotte Becker (Ger) Equipe Nurnberger Versicherung
7 Melissa Holt (NZl) BikeNZ New Zealand National Team
8 Trixi Worrack (Ger) Equipe Nurnberger Versicherung
9 Susanne Ljungskog (Swe) Team Flexpoint
10 Janildes Fernandes (Bra) Brazilian National Team

14 Leigh Hobson (Can) Cheerwine
15 Judith Arndt (Ger) T-Mobile Women
18 Betina Hold (Can) Cheerwine all s.t.
34 Dotsie Bausch (USA) Colavita/Sutter Home p/b Cooking Light 0:45
36 Laura Van Gilder (USA) Cheerwine s.t.
59 Alison Powers (USA) Colavita/Sutter Home p/b Cooking Light 7:12
71 Sheba Farrin (USA) MB Coaching
74 Brooke Ourada (USA) Cheerwine all s.t.
DNF Alex Wrubleski (Can) Colavita/Sutter Home p/b Cooking Light

Final GC

1 Nicole Cooke (GBr) Raleigh Lifeforce Creation 6:15:46
2 Larissa Kleinmann (Ger) German National Team at 0:10
3 Judith Arndt (Ger) T-Mobile Women 0:23
4 Ina-Yoko Teutenberg (Ger) T-Mobile Women 0:26
5 Oenone Wood (Aus) T-Mobile Women 0:28
6 Susanne Ljungskog (Swe) Team Flexpoint 0:40
7 Tina Pic (USA) Colavita/Sutter Home p/b Cooking Light 0:46
8 Vicki Whitelaw (Aus) Landlink Cycling Team 0:47
9 Dotsie Bausch (USA) Colavita/Sutter Home p/b Cooking Light 0:54
10 Edita Pucinskaite (Ltu) Equipe Nurnberger Versicherung 0:56

18 Leigh Hobson (Can) Cheerwine 1:16
29 Betina Hold (Can) Cheerwine 1:47
50 Brooke Ourada (USA) Cheerwine 8:48
52 Alison Powers (USA) Colavita/Sutter Home p/b Cooking Light 9:34
72 Sheba Farrin (USA) MB Coaching 24:26

Points Classification

1 Nicole Cooke (GBr) Raleigh Lifeforce Creation 26 points
2 Tina Pic (USA) Colavita/Sutter Home p/b Cooking Light 18
3 Ina-Yoko Teutenberg (Ger) T-Mobile Women 16
4 Oenone Wood (Aus) T-Mobile Women 16
5 Rochelle Gilmore (Aus) Menikini Gysko 16

19 Alex Wrubleski (Can) Colavita/Sutter Home p/b Cooking Light 2

Colavita team report

The Colavita/Sutter Home presented by Cooking Light Women's cycling team finished the 4 stage Geelong Tour today. The team opened the 2007 season racing in Australia against the top teams in the world and the Colavita/Sutter Home women served notice that they will be a team to watch this year as Dotsie Bausch took the opening stage 8 km time trail win by 4 seconds over the number 1 ranked rider in the world, Nicole Cooke.

Dotsie pulled the race leaders jersey over her head and she and her 3 teammates had only 2 hours before the second stage crit took place. Having only 4 riders to the other teams 6 the Colavita/ Sutter Home women put up a good fight but with time bonuses gained by Cooke, Dotsie slipped to 3rd overall in the standings after the stage.

Stage 3 was a long day in the saddle, with a climb halfway through which saw some girls get off their bike and walk. Colavita/Sutter Home's Tina Pic worked herself into a good group of riders that escaped the front of the field and after the climb this group had over 2 minutes on the chasing pack. Tina became the race leader on the road after picking up time bonuses but her group stopped working together and with 3 km before the finish they were caught. Despite being out in a break for over 70 km Tina was still able to find her sprinting legs and finished 4th.

The final stage was Colavita/Sutter Homes last attempt to chase the "grape", as the team had nicknamed the Purple leaders jersey. Dotsie could take the overall lead if she could pick up some time bonuses on the road and finish with the main bunch together. At the first time bonus Dotsie finished second and she won the second one moving her within 2 seconds of race leader Cooke.

As the teams were getting ready for the third sprint the Colavita/Sutter Homes fortunes would change - two crashes in quick succession split the field into 4 groups; 3 racing and a 4th containing riders looking for first aid. Colavita/Sutter Home had a rider in all 4 groups. Alex Wrubleski, who had worked the last 3 days covering breaks, policing the front and keeping her teammates protected from the wind, ended up skidding on her head and needing her road rash attended to. Meanwhile Dotsie was caught in a second group that was chasing a front group of 30, one of which was Tina Pic. Dotsie's group came within 10 second of making contact but was never able to close down the gap.

As the finish line approached Colavita/Sutter Home's hopes turned to Tina Pic to save the day, and she did by taking out the stage win and giving Colavita/Sutter Home 2 wins in the 4 stage event. Dotsie slipped to 9th overall and Tina moved up to 7th. While the team was a bit disappointed that it wasn't able to bring home a new type of grape for its sponsors, they are happy with the first races as a UCI team and how they fared against the world's best. The team will now focus on the first round of the World Cup held on Saturday March 3rd, in Geelong.