Elisa Longo Borghini (Hitec Products-Mistral Home) took a solo stage victory in the Thüringen-Rundfahrt, as she escaped from a breakaway group to win the 101.5km Rund um Schöllm. The 21-year-old Italian was a member of a 14-rider group, which had broken away from the peloton in the opening ten kilometres, but rode away from the rest on the final climb to win alone.
Adrie Visser (Skil-Argos) outsprinted Jessie Daams (AA Drink-Leontien.nl) to take second place on the stage, 47 seconds back. The remaining riders from the group came in a few seconds behind Visser, while Elena Cecchini (MCipollini-Giambenini) led the peloton across the line 1’11” behind to take 13th place.
With race leader Judith Arndt (Orica-GreenEdge) just behind Cecchini in 14th place, the veteran German held on to her yellow jersey by the same five-second margin over stage three and four winner Trixi Worrack (Specialized-lululemon)
With Longo Borghini, Visser and Daams in the break were Visser’s Skil-Argos teammate Janneke Kanis, Daams’ AA Drink-Leontien.nl teammate Isabelle Søderberg, Mascha Pijnenborg (Dolmans-Boels), Sarah Düster (Rabobank), Evelyn Arys (Kleo Ladies), Anna-Bianca Schnitzmeier (Abus Nutrixxion), Marta Bastianelli and Malgorzata Jasinska (both MCipollini-Giambenini), Beate Zanner (Maxx-solar-Biehler), Olga Zabelinskaya and Romy Kasper (both RusVelo), Sari Saarelainen (Finland), and Amanda Spratt (Orica-GreenEdge).
With Zabelinskaya in the group there was a threat to Arndt’s yellow jersey, so Australian champion Spratt dropped back to the peloton to help with the chase. After 50km though, the group was 2’40” clear, making the RusVelo rider the virtual leader of the race, but this began to come down over the second half of the race until Arndt’s lead was restored.
On the last of three 18.5km finishing circuits, Düster tried to escape, but was unable to get clear; shortly afterwards however, Longo Borghini made her move and managed to open up a winning margin over the rest of the chasing group.
Result stage 5
1. Elisa Longo Borghini (Ita) Hitec Products-Mistral Home
2. Adrie Visser (Ned) Skil-Argos @ 34
3. Jessie Daams (Bel) AA Drink-Leontien.nl
4. Mascha Pijnenborg (Ned) Dolmans-Boels @ 47s
5. Sarah Düster (Ger) Rabobank Women @ 51s
6. Evelyn Arys (Bel) Kleo Ladies
7. Anna-Bianca Schnitzmeier (Ger) Abus Nutrixxion
8. Marta Bastianelli (Ita) MCipollini-Giambenini
9. Beate Zanner (Ger) Maxx-solar-Biehler
10. Olga Zabelinskaya (Rus) RusVelo
Standings after stage 5
1. Judith Arndt (Ger) Orica-GreenEdge
2. Trixi Worrack (Ger) Specialized Lululemon @ 5s
3. Emma Johansson (Swe) Hitec Products-Mistral Home @ 8s
4. Elizabeth Armitstead (Großbritannien/AA Drink – Leontien.nl @ 48s
5. Hanka Kupfernagel (Neustadt an der Orla/RusVelo) @ 57s
6. Elisa Longo Borghini (Italien/Hitec Products Mistral Home @ 1’01”
7. Olga Zabelinskaya (Russland/RusVelo) @ 1’26”
8. Adrie Visser (Niederlande/Skil Argos) @ 1’39”
9. Emilia Fahlin (Schweden/Team Specialized Lululemon) @ 2’03”
10. Mascha Pijnenborg (Niederlande/Dolmans-Boels @ 2’41”