First UCI victory for Belgian rider; ideal Olympic preparation for German veteran
Jessie Daams (AA Drink-Leontien.nl) took her first ever victory in a UCI-ranked race, as she outsprinted Elisa Longo Borghini (Hitec Products-Mistral Home) at the end of the sixth and final stage of the 2012 Thüringen-Rundfahrt, the Rund um Zeulenroda-Triebes. The two riders, finished two seconds clear of the rest of a group of 17 riders, which was led home by Daams’ AA Drink-Leontien.nl teammate, British champion Sharon Laws, who was celebrating Daams victory as she crossed the line in third place.
Safely in the group behind Daams though, was race leader Judith Arndt (Orica-GreenEdge), who secured her third overall victory in the biggest German stage race.
The 106.4km stage was based on just under four laps of a 27.5km circuit, whose main obstacle was the Dörtendorfer Berg, known as the “Hanka-Berg” after local rider, former World time trial and cyclocross champion Hanka Kupfernagel (RusVelo).
Despite several attacks, it was not until the second lap that a seven-rider group, made up of Longo Borghini, Sarah Düster (Rabobank), Natalia Boyarskaya (RusVelo), Claudia Häusler (Orica-AIS), Elena Cecchini (MCipollini-Giambenini), Rachel Neylan (Abus Nutrixxion), Mascha Pijnenborg (Dolmans-Boels) and Petra Dijkman (Kleo Ladies) escaped.
Häusler dropped back to help control the chase from behind on behalf of Arndt, thus sacrificing her chances of taking back the mountains jersey from Longo Borghini, who had taken it on route to stage victory the previous day.
The group was caught by the front of the peloton just before the third time up the climb, with defending champion Johansson trying to escape. Arndt refused to let the Swedish champion get away however and, on the descent, the group of 17 riders pulled clear of the rest.
With Arndt, Johansson, Häusler, Daams, Longo Borghini and Laws, were second place overall Trixi Worrack (Specialized-lululemon) Adrie Visser (Skil-Argos), Arndt’s Orica-GreenEdge teammate, Australian champion Amanda Spratt, Daams’ and Laws’ AA Drink-Leontien.nl teammate Lizzie Armitstead, Kupfernagel and RusVelo teammates Olga Zabelinskaya and Natalia Boyarskaya, Martine Bras and Mascha Pijnenborg (both Dolmans-Boels), Elena Cecchini (MCipollini-Giambenini), Petra Dijkman (Kleo Ladies), and Sarah Düster (Rabobank).
There were several attacks in the final lap, but nobody was able to get clear until Laws pulled Daams and Longo Borghini clear in the final kilometres. The Italian tried to escape into the finish, but Daams managed to outsprint her on the line.
Result stage 6
1. Jessie Daams (Bel) AA Drink-Leontien.nl
2. Elisa Longo Borghini (Ita) Hitec Products-Mistral Home
3. Sharon Laws (GBr) AA Drink-Leontien.nl @ 2s
4. Trixi Worrack (Ger) Specialized-lululemon
5. Judith Arndt (Ger) Orica-GreenEdge
6. Adrie Visser (Ned) Skil-Argos
7. Elizabeth Armitstead (GBr) AA Drink-Leontien.nl
8. Hanka Kupfernagel (Ger) RusVelo
9. Emma Johansson (Swe) Hitec Products-Mistral Home
10. Martine Bras (Ned) Dolmans-Boels
Final overall standings
1. Judith Arndt (Ger) Orica-GreenEdge
2. Trixi Worrack (Ger) Specialized-lululemon @ 9s
3. Emma Johansson (Swe) Hitec Products-Mistral Home @ 11s
4. Elizabeth Armitstead (GBr) AA Drink-Leontien.nl @ 54s
5. Elisa Longo Borghini (Ita) Hitec Products-Mistral Home @ 59s
6. Hanka Kupfernagel (Ger) RusVelo @ 1’03”
7. Adrie Visser (Ned) Skil-Argos @ 1’45”
8. Sharon Laws (GBr) AA Drink-Leontien.nl @ 1’53”
9. Mascha Pijnenborg (Ned) Dolmans-Boels @ 2’52”
10. Jessie Daams (Bel) AA Drink-Leontien.nl @ 2’55”