World champion turns the tables on Giorgia Bronzini to confirm final victory
Marianne Vos (Rabobank-Liv/GIant) won the second and final stage of the Festival Luxembourgeois du Cyclisme Féminin Elsy Jacobs, in Mamer, Luxembourg, as she jumped away from the peloton on the final corner of the race with 500 metres to go. The World and Olympic champion managed to open up enough of a gap in the fast, technical last half kilometre to be able to hold off the sprint of rainbow jersey predecessor Giorgia Bronzini (Wiggle Honda), who had beaten her the previous day.
Swedish champion Emma Johansson (Orica-AIS) was third, a further length behind Bronzini, with Luxembourg champion Christine Majerus (Sengers Ladies) fourth.
The stage, also known as the GP Nicolas Frantz, was made up of a 54.1km opening loop five laps of a 9km circuit. The opening loop saw attacks from Annelies Dom and Latoya Brulee (both CyclelivePlus-Zannata), Willeke Knol (Argos-Shimano), and Marta Bastianelli (Faren-Let’s Go Finland), but the race was all together as it hit the finishing circuit.
The final laps were also subject to attacks from lone riders, with Pauline Ferrand Prevot (Rabobank-Liv/Giant) and Lizzie Armitstead (Boels-Dolmans) both trying to get free, but nobody was able to get clear and the peloton arrived at the final kilometre all together.
Vos attacked into the final corner and managed to hold off the sprinters all the way to the finish. There was a crash involving Elise Delzenne (Bourgogne ProDialog) and Ashleigh Moolman (Lotto-Belisol) – who had also crashed during the rainy prologue – but both were able to finish and were given the same time as the rest of the peloton.
Starting the day in the yellow jersey of race leader – inherited from prologue winning Rabobank-Liv/Giant teammate Annemiek van Vleuten the previous day – Vos confirmed overall victory in the three day race with the ten-second time bonus on the line. Six seconds for Bronzini saw the Italian sprinter move up to second place overall, leapfrogging Johansson, who took a four-second bonus but dropped to third.
Result stage 2
1. Marianne Vos (Ned) Rabobank-Liv/GIant
2. Giorgia Bronzini (Ita) Wiggle Honda Pro Cycling @ 1s
3. Emma Johansson (Swe) Orica-AIS
4. Christine Majerus (Lux) Sengers Ladies Cycling Team
5. Celine Van Severen (Bel) Lotto-Belisol @ 2s
6. Elizabeth Armitstead (GBr) Boels-Dolmans Cycling Team
7. Barbara Guarischi (Ita) Team Vaiano-Fondriest
8. Anna van der Breggen (Ned) Sengers Ladies Cycling Team
9. Annemiek van Vleuten (Ned) Rabobank-Liv/Giant
10. Katarzyna Pawlowska (Pol) GSD Gestion-Kallisto @ 3s
Final overall standings
1. Marianne Vos (Ned) Rabobank-Liv/GIant
2. Giorgia Bronzini (Ita) Wiggle Honda Pro Cycling @ 10s
3. Emma Johansson (Swe) Orica-AIS @ 11s
4. Katarzyna Pawlowska (Pol) GSD Gestion-Kallisto @ 17s
5. Anna van der Breggen (Ned) Sengers Ladies Cycling Team
6. Lucinda Brand (Ned) Rabobank-Liv/Giant @ 20s
7. Elise Delzenne (Fra) Bourgogne ProDialog @ 21s
8. Amanda Spratt (Aus) Orica-AIS
9. Christine Majerus (Lux) Sengers Ladies Cycling Team
10. Valentina Scandolara (Ita) MCipollini-Giordana @ 22s