Dutch rider overcomes superior Rabobank-Liv/Giant numbers to take solo victory
Vera Koedooder (Sengers Ladies) took the second victory of her 2013 season in the GP Dottignies, as she escaped an eight-rider group in the closing kilometres of the 113.8km race. Once clear of the group, the Dutch track specialist managed to hold off the chase of Iris Slappendel, who was one of five Rabobank-Liv/Giant riders that had been part of the original 13-rider group; Koedooder took a solo win, with Slappendel taking a lone second, six seconds later, while her Rabobank-Liv/Giant teammate Sanne van Paassen took the sprint for third, ahead of Olympic track champion Laura Trott (Wiggle Honda), after 48 seconds.
The race, which made up the third round of the Lotto Cycling Cup, consisted of four laps of a 28.4km circuit, based on the town of Walloon town of Dottignies on the Flanders border, just a few kilometres from the course of the previous day’s Ronde van Vlaanderen.
The group of thirteen riders escaped in the very first lap, and included five of the six-strong Rabobank-Liv/Giant team in Slappendel, van Paassen, Liesbet De Vocht,, Roxane Knetemann and Thalita De Jong. With them were Koedooder, Trott, Yekatsiryna Barazna (Michela Fanini), Katarzyna Pawlowska (GSD Gestion), Alena Amialyusik (BePink), Lauren Hall (United States), Chantal Hoffmann (Sprinters Malderen) and Esther Fennel (Koga Ladies).
The group was barely able to get more than a minute clear of the peloton, which was splitting up on the rolling course behind it. The combination of the five Rabobank-Liv/Giant up front, and the blocking from behind by some of the other teams represented in the group, meant that it was to last until the finish.
At the bell the lead was down to less than 30 seconds and, as the attacks began up front, the group was reduced to eight, with Slappendel, Knetemann, van Paasen, Trott, Koedooder, Pawlowska, Amialyusik and Fennel remaining.
Knetemann was the first to make a successful break from the leaders, and the daughter of the late 1978 World champion was chased and joined by Koedooder. The rest of the group soon pulled them back, however, only for Slappendel to try her own escape. The Rabobank-Liv/Giant rider was quickly pulled back into the fold, but the next attack – from Koedooder – was more successful.
Once away, there was no catching the track pursuit specialist and, despite a chase from Slappendel, she was able to take a solo victory in the race that’s historically dominated by the sprinters. Slappendel took second place, while van Paassen outsprinted the rest to take third.
Emilia Fahlin (Hitec Products) and Alexandra Burchenkova (RusVelo) escaped the peloton to take ninth and tenth after 1’33”, and two-time World champion Giorgia Bronzini (Wiggle Honda) won the bunch sprint for 11th after 2’17”.
Result
1. Vera Koedooder (Ned) Sengers Ladies Cycling Team
2. Iris Slappendel (Ned) Rabobank-Liv/Giant @6s
3. Sanne van Paassen (Ned) Rabobank-Liv/Giant @ 48s
4. Laura Trott (GBr) Wiggle Honda Pro Cycling
5. Katarzyna Pawlowska (Pol) GSD Gestion-Kallisto
6. Alena Amialyusik (Blr) BePink
7. Roxane Knetemann (Ned) Rabobank-Liv/Giant
8. Esther Fennel (Ger) Koga Ladies-Central Rhede
9. Emilia Fahlin (Swe) Hitec Products @ 1’33”
10. Alexandra Burchenkova (Rus) RusVelo