Following on from Specialized-lululemon teammate Clara Hughes’ victory in Saturday’s time trial, Ina Teutenberg sprinted to victory in the the GP Cycliste Gatineau road race. The German champion, in her first road race since the GP Stad Roeselare in April, beat Rochelle Gilmore (Faren-Honda) and Alona Andruk, riding for the Ukrainian National Team, into second and third at the end of the 134km race.
"It was a pretty aggressive race," said Teutenberg afterwards. "Especially the second half. We tried pretty hard to get in a break and so did all the other teams. It was good racing."
The race, which was made up of 13 laps of a 10.18km circuit, was characterised by a long solo break from two-tim World Omnium champion Tara Whitten (Tibco-To The Top). The Canadian was later joined by former Oceania champion Bridie O’Donnell (Vanderkitten-Focus), but they were pulled back in plenty of time for the finish.
"It was a bit early for a solo break and it would have been hard out there for Tara," explained Teutenberg. "It was hot and windy and it was hard for breaks to stay away. The roads were pretty wide open and it was so much easier to roll in the bunch than for a break to stay."
Once Whitten and O’Donnell were back in the fold, there were a few attempts to escape, but the sprinters’ teams would not allow any further breaks. Into the finish the Specialized-lululemon team led Teutenberg out, and the German champion made her dash for the line; finishing just half a length clear of Commonwealth champion Gilmore.
"I went a little too early in the sprint," she said, "especially into the headwind. But I was able to hold it so I was happy with that.
"I haven't raced since late April, so it's nice to come back and have a solid weekend of racing. It seems like the training worked well and it was a good start the next block."
Result GP Cycliste Gatineau
1. Ina Teutenberg (Ger) Specialized-lululemon
2. Rochelle Gilmore (Aus) Faren-Honda
3. Alona Andruk (Ukr) Ukrainian National Team
4. Joelle Numainville (Can) Optum Pro Cycling
5. Carmen Small (USA) Optum Pro Cycling @ 2s
6. Kate Chilcott (NZl) Vanderkitten-Focus
7. Nicole Cooke (GBr) Faren-Honda @ 5s
8. Clara Hughes (Can) Specialized-lululemon
9. Jasmin Hurikino (Aus) Vanderkitten-Focus
10. Evelyn Stevens (USA) Specialized-lululemon @ 14s