Ina Teutenberg (HTC-Highroad) successfully defended her title in the Tour of Chongming Island World Cup, capping a near perfect week for herself and the HTC-Highroad team. The German über-sprinter beat British prodigy Lizzie Armitstead (Garmin-Cervélo) into second place, with her own HTC-Highroad teammate and lead out German champion Charlotte Becker in third at the end of the 136.3km race.
With the majority of the peloton having recently race in the stage race of the same name last week, the entire top ten had a familiar look to it over the similar course.
“It was a tricky last kilometre but I got the perfect lead-out in the last part of the race," Teutenberg said afterwards.
"There was a bridge with 300 metres to go where you had to have enough speed in the leadout train otherwise someone could jump ahead of you. But my team-mates made it so fast that really nobody could come by us."
Having taken one stage and the overall in the last week, Teutenberg was the hot favourite for the race. The 36-year-old won both the stage race and the World Cup last year, but had been beaten by Armitstead in stage one of this year’s event and so could not take anything for granted.
With virtually nothing in the race that could be termed a hill, save for the bridge that joins the island to mainland China – the two crossings of which being what was to count as the “climbs” category, there were very few opportunities for anybody to get away from the peloton.
This didn’t prevent perennial solo attacker Valentina Bastianelli (Vaiano-Solaristech) from jumping away in the opening kilometres though. The peloton let her go, safe in the knowledge that, so long as she didn’t get too far away, they could easily bring back a lone rider on the exposed course.
The Italian managed to get a lead of almost five minutes, in which she took the “mountain” primes over the bridge both times, before she was caught after 75km. Soon afterwards a crash brought down a number of riders, including World champion Giorgia Bronzini (Colavita-Forno d’Asolo).
After 100km Tang Kerong (China Chongming-Giant) attacked, but like Bastianelli, she was forced to try to go it alone. She managed to get just over a minute’s lead before the sprinters teams organised themselves, but was pulled back with 10km to go.
HTC-Highroad carried Teutenberg into the final few kilometres, before Becker finally led her to the line. Armitstead managed to get around the German champion, but Teutenberg proved unbeatable. Becker managed to hold off Ronde van Vlaanderen winner Annemiek van Vleuten (Nederland Bloeit).
"It was very cool, too, that Charlotte could hold off the bunch and make it onto the podium as well,” said Teutenberg. “The whole race had been perfect team-work. I'm very pleased."
In the absence of Ronde van Drenthe and Flèche Wallonne winner Marianne Vos (Nederland Bloeit), teammate van Vleuten retakes the leader’s jersey after five of the nine events. Having won three of those races between them, the two Dutch riders are pulling away from the rest in the season-long competition..
Result Tour of Chongming Island World Cup
1. Ina Teutenberg (Ger) HTC-Highroad
2. Elizabeth Armitstead (GBr) Garmin-Cervélo
3. Charlotte Becker (Ger) HTC-Highroad
4. Annemiek van Vleuten (Ned) Nederland Bloeit
5. Rasa Leleivyte (Ltu) Vaiano-Solaristech
6. Monia Baccaille (Ita) MCipollini-Giambenini
7. Romy Kasper (Ger) German National Team
8. Rochelle Gilmore (Aus) Lotto Honda Team
9. Giorgia Bronzini (Ita) Italian National Team
10. Isabelle Søderberg (Swe) Alriksson Go:Green
World Cup standings after five rounds
1. Annemiek van Vleuten (Ned) Nederland Bloeit 188pts
2. Marianne Vos (Ned) Nederland Bloeit 185
3. Emma Johansson (Swe) Hitec Products-UCK 153
4. Ina Teutenberg (Ger) HTC-Highroad 113
5. Emma Pooley (GBr) Garmin-Cervélo 86
6. Judith Arndt (Ger) HTC-Highroad 83
7. Martine Bras (Ned) Dolmans Landscaping Team 76
8. Tatiana Antoshina (Rus) Gauss 66
9. Lizzie Armitstead (GBr) Garmin-Cervélo 61
10. Kirsten Wild (Ned) AA Drink-Leontien.nl 54