Most countries held their national road race championships over the weekend, many of them also holding time trial championships too. Here is a selection of results.
Great Britain: Pooley finally beats Cooke in crash affected race
Great Britain has a new champion for the first time since 2000 as in form rider Emma Pooley (Cervélo TestTeam) made team superiority count to finally defeat ten-time winner Nicole Cooke. A group of four, made up of Pooley, Cooke, and Pooley’s Cervélo teammates Lizzie Armitstead and Sharon Laws approached the finish together and Pooley managed to escape in the final kilometre. Cooke, who’d been forced to chase all attacks herself, was unable to respond one last time and Pooley took an emotional solo victory.
Armitstead beat the exhausted Cooke in the sprint for silver and also won the under-23 jersey.
The race had been shortened to just 48km after a serious crash in the first lap caused a delay of over an hour as ambulances took some of the injured riders to hospital. The incident happened on a descent as riders were doing speeds of up to 80kph, many of the riders who had been dropped on the climb crashed into stationary race vehicles as they were trying to regain the peloton.
Road race
1. Emma Pooley (Cervélo TestTeam)
2. Elizabeth Armitstead (Cervélo TestTeam)
3. Nicole Cooke (NicoleCooke.com)
USA: Abbott escapes to regain her title
A late attack from 2007 champion Mara Abbott (Peanut Butter & Co-TWENTY12) saw her solo away from the rest of a small group to take back the stars and stripes jersey. The 24-year-old from Boulder, Colorado managed to hold on to the form that saw her take second place in the Tour de l’Aude, taking one of the toughest stages on the way.
Abbott’s teammate Shelley Evans, winner of the national criterium a few days before, took the sprint for second ahead of Carmen Small (Colavita-Baci) and Evelyn Stevens (HTC-Columbia), whose attacks had caused the group to go clear.
Road race
1. Mara Abbott (Peanut Butter & Co-TWENTY12)
2. Shelley Evans (Peanut Butter & Co-TWENTY12)
3. Carmen Small (Colavita-Baci p/b Cooking Light)
Netherlands: Gunnewijk accepts a gift from teammate Vos
Escaping the rest of the field Loes Gunnewvjk and defending champion Marianne Vos (both Nederland Bloeit) arrived at the finish together in the Netherlands Championships race. Vos allowed Gunnewijk, a former national time trial champion to take the victory as the two riders crossed the line in celebration. Irene Van Den Broek (Leontien.nl) came in third.
Three days earlier Vos won the time trial championship ahead of the Cervélo TestTeam duo of defending champion Regina Bruins and Kirsten Wild.
Road race
1. Loes Gunnewijk (Nederland Bloeit)
2. Marinane Vos (Nederland Bloeit)
3. Irene Van Den Broek (Leontien.nl)
Time trial
1. Marinane Vos (Nederland Bloeit)
2. Regina Bruins (Cervélo TestTeam)
3. Kirsten Wild (Cervélo TestTeam)
Germany: In-form Becker denies Arndt as Cervélo gets another
Winner of the GP Cuidad de Valladolid at the beginning of the month, Charlotte Becker (Cervélo TestTeam) took her second big win of the year to take the German championships. She outsprinted former World champion Judith Arndt (HTC-Columbia), with Trixi Worrack (Noris Cycling) following them home a few seconds later. Outgoing champion Ina Teutenberg (HTC-Columbia) led the peloton home 6 minutes later.
Becker denied Arndt a double championship after the HTC-Columbia rider beat her younger rival in the time trial championships a few days earlier. Former World champion, and cyclocross specialist, Hanka Kupfernagel took the bronze.
Road race
1. Charlotte Becker (Cervélo TestTeam)
2. Judith Arndt (HTC-Columbia)
3. Trixi Worrack (Noris Cycling)
Time trial
1. Judith Arndt (HTC-Columbia)
2. Charlotte Becker (Cervélo TestTeam)
3. Hanka Kupfernagel
Italy: Baccaille repeats
Defending champion Monia Baccaille, riding for the Fiamme Azzure instead of her usual Team Valdarno, retained her tricolore jersey after outsprinting a small group at the end of the race in Riese Pio X. Alessandra D’Ettorre (Top Girls-Fassa-Bortolo-Ghezzi) took second, with Lorena Foresi (Safi-Pasta Zara) in third.
Unusually, the road race was held mid-week in Italy, with the time trial at the weekend. World road race champion Tatiana Guderzo, also riding for Fiamme Azzure instead of Team Valdarno, took back the title that she won in 2007. Silvia Valsecchi (Top Girls-Fassa Bortolo-Ghezzi) took second, with defending champion and World silver medallist Noemi Cantele (HTC-Columbia) taking third.
Road race
1. Monia Baccaille (Fiamme Azzure)
2. Alessandra D’Ettorre (Top Girls-Fassa Bortolo-Ghezzi)
3. Lorena Foresi (Safi-Pasta Zara)
Time trial
1. Tatiana Guderzo (Fiamme Azzure)
2. Silvia Valsecchi (Top Girls-Fassa Bortolo-Ghezzi)
3. Noemi Cantele (HTC-Columbia)
Sweden: Johansson is champion at last
Outstanding Swedish rider for a number of years, Emma Johansson (RedSun Cycling) has a Swedish road championship to her name at last. The Olympic silver medallist from Beijing rode away from the rest of the field to finish almost a minute clear of teammate Marie Lindberg.
Earlier in the week Emilia Fahlin (HTC-Columbia) beat Johansson to retain her time trial title. Sara Mustonen (Hitec Products) was third in both races.
Road
1. Emma Johansson (RedSun Cycling)
2. Marie Lindberg (RedSun Cycling)
3. Sara Mustonen (Hitec Products)
Time trial
1. Emilia Fahlin (HTC-Columbia)
2. Emma Johansson (RedSun Cycling)
3. Sara Mustonen (Hitec Products)
France
Road race
1. Mélodie Lesueur (ESGL 93-Gestion)
2. Amélie Rivat
3. Jeannie Longo-Ciprelli
Time trial
1. Jeannie Longo-Ciprelli
2. Edwige Pitel (Michela Fanini-Record-Rox)
3. Christelle Ferrier-Bruneau (Vienne-Futuroscope)
Spain
Road race
1. Leire Olaberria (Debabarrena-Kirolgi)
2. Debora Galvez (Lointek)
3. Rosa Maria Bravo
Time trial
1. Leire Olaberria (Debabarrena-Kirolgi)
2. Rosa Maria Bravo
3. Debora Galvez (Lointek)
Switzerland
Road race
1. Emilie Aubry (Cervélo TestTeam)
2. Pascale Schnider (Bike-import.ch)
3. Doris Schweizer
Time trial
1. Pascale Schnider (Bike-import.ch)
2. Patricia Schwager (Cervélo TestTeam)
3. Marielle Saner-Guinchard