Charlotte Becker (Cervélo TestTeam) won the first GP Ciudad de Valladolid, the sixth round of the Women’s Road World Cup. The German outsprinted her two breakaway companions Judith Arndt (HTC-Columbia) and Annemiek Van Vleuten (Nederland Bloeit) at the end of the 122.9km race.
The very flat parcours was expected to produce a sprint finish but when the three very strong riders, representing three of the strongest teams, escaped they were allowed to get away. All three riders are capable of a powerful sprint but the 27-year-old German hit the front early and the others weren’t able to come past.
“With 30 km to go, four riders attacked, and I went with them,” said Becker after the race. “Later on two lost contact with our group and then I was with left with Judith Arndt and Annemiek van Vleuten. The gap was getting bigger and I know that I’ve been fast in the sprints in the last couple of weeks so I was thinking positively.
“I knew that van Vleuten is really fast, especially since she had not been riding full gas as her teammate Marianne Vos was in the group behind us. I lead my group into the final and never gave the front position away, I went full gas as well and the two where not able to pass me.”
Becker has won the Holland Ladies Tour and the Albstadt Etappenrennen stage races in the past, but this victory is the biggest of her career so far. “I am really happy about my first World Cup win, and that I got the chance from the team to go for my own success today. The plan for us was to have somebody in the final break away and everything went according to plan.”
World Cup leader Marianne Vos (Nederland Bloeit) won the sprint for fourth, 1’06” behind the leading trio; leading home peloton that was fractured into a number of pieces by several crashes in the closing stages. The 23-year-old Dutch champion extends her lead in the season-long World Cup to 60 points over her big rival Emma Johansson (RedSun Cycling) who rises to second in the standings ahead of Ronde van Vlaanderen winner Grace Verbeke (Lotto Ladies).
The next rounds of World Cup will be the team time trial and road race in Vårgårda, Sweden at the end of July before the series end at the Grand Prix Plouay in France on August 21st.
Result GP Ciudad de Valladolid
1. Charlotte Becker (Ger) Cervélo TestTeam
2. Judith Arndt (Ger) HTC-Columbia
3. Annemiek Van Vleuten (Ned) Nederland Bloeit
4. Marianne Vos (Ned) Nederland Bloeit @ 1’06”
5. Giorgia Bronzini (Ita) Gauss-RDZ-Ormu
6. Emma Johansson (Swe) RedSun Cycling Team
7. Monia Baccaille (Ita) Team Valdarno
8. Nicole Cooke (GBr) Great Britain National Team
9. Oxana Kozonchuk (Rus) Safi-Pasta Zara
10. Pascale Jeuland (Fra) Vienne-Futuroscope
World Cup standings after 6 rounds
1. Marianne Vos (Ned) Nederland Bloeit 185pts
2. Emma Johansson (Swe) RedSun Cycling Team 125
3. Grace Verbeke (Bel) Lotto Ladies 123
4. Charlotte Becker (Ger) Cervélo TestTeam 105
5. Annemiek Van Vleuten (Ned) Nederland Bloeit 105