German sprinter shows versatility in defence of teammate Charlotte Becker’s overall lead
Ina Teutenberg (Specialized-lululemon) showed her versatility in the fifth stage of the Brain Wash Holland Ladies Toer, in Bergeijk, in the southern Netherlands, as she outsprinted the rest of a 14-rider break. The veteran former German champion, who won the opening stage of the race four days before, proved too quick for US rider Shelley Olds (AA Drink-Leontien.nl) at the end of the 126.7km stage, with Swede Sara Mustonen (Hitec Products-Mistral Home) finishing third.
The victory was Teutenberg’s 14th in the Holland Ladies Toer, which is an outright record.
“At the beginning of the season I said to wanted to quit, but now I’m doubting it again,” she sad. “Maybe I'll come back again next year and I try again to win. This race is good to me.”
The breakaway group had been as much as two minutes clear but, as the previous day’s stage winner Marianne Vos (Rabobank) led the peloton home in 15th place, it was just 39 seconds behind. This meant that Teutenberg’s Specialized-lululemon teammate and compatriot Charlotte Becker held on to the race lead with just the final hilly stage to come.
With the peloton all together Teutenberg took the first intermediate sprint, after 43.3km, to protect teammate Becker’s overall lead. Vos still managed to take second however, ahead of Shelley Olds (AA Drink-Leontien.nl), and shortly afterwards Nina Kessler (Dolmans-Boels) and Judith Bloem (Restore Cycling) escaped.
The two riders managed to open up a maximum lead of 3’30”, but this meant that Kessler - who started the day just 5’46” behind Becker - was becoming a danger overall, so the peloton began to close them down.
The pace of the peloton saw 14 riders splinter off the front of the peloton. The group was made up of Teutenberg, Olds and Chantal Blaak (both AA Drink-Leontien.nl), Mustonen, Liesbet De Vocht (Rabobank), Vera Koedooder (Sengers), Lisa Fischer (Germany), Beatice Bartelloni (Italy), Janneke Kanis and Amy Pieters (both Skil-Argos), Julie Leth (Ibis Cycles), Moniek Tenniglo (Jan van Arckel), Bianca van den Hoek (Specialized DPD) and Else Belmans (Belgium).
The counterattack caught up with the two leaders and, with the race’s big teams all represented up ahead, the break was allowed to get two minutes clear; this was cut to just one minute with 15km to go.
Olds outsprinted Pieters and Teutenberg at the finish line to take the second bonus sprint, and to start the two 7km finishing circuits, and the lead over the peloton was down to just 45 seconds. Bloem and Leth both suffered mechanical problems, and dropped back to the peloton, but the rest were still 50 seconds clear with five kilometres to go.
Kanis was the first to try to breakaway from the group but, as she was caught De Vocht went over the top. The Belgian time trial champion was a handful of seconds clear as she passed under the flamme rouge with a kilometre to go, but she was caught in the final metres as Teutenberg sprinted to victory.
Becker was safely in the peloton that Vos led in after 39 seconds, but the Olympic champion had chipped an extra two seconds off the German’s lead at the first intermediate sprint, which was down to 24 with the toughest stage of the race to come.
Result stage 5
1. Ina Teutenberg (Ger) Specialized-lululemon
2. Shelley Olds (USA) AA Drink-Leontien.nl
3. Sara Mustonen (Swe) Hitec Products-Mistral Home
4. Liesbet De Vocht (Bel) Stichting Rabobank
5. Amy Pieters (Ned) Skil-Argos
6. Nina Kessler (Ned) Dolmans-Boels
7. Bianca van den Hoek (Ned) Team Specialized DPD
8. Else Belmans (Bel) Belgian National Team
9. Lisa Fischer (Ger) German National Team
10. Beatrice Bartelloni (Ita) Italian National Team
Standings after stage 5
1. Charlotte Becker (Ger) Specialized-lululemon
2. Marianne Vos (Ned) Stichting Rabobank @ 24s
3. Ellen van Dijk (Ned) Specialized-lululemon @ 1’35”
4. Trixi Worrack (Ger) Specialized-lululemon @ 1’36”
5. Evelyn Stevens (USA) Specialized-lululemon
6. Judith Arndt (Ger) Orica-GreenEdge @ 1’50”
7. Linda Villumsen (NZl) Orica-GreenEdge @ 1’55”
8. Pauline Ferrand Prevot (Fra) Stichting Rabobank @ 2’33”
9. Iris Slappendel (Ned) Stichting Rabobank @ 2’34”
10. Tatiana Antoshina (Rus) Stichting Rabobank