HTC-Highroad completes almost total domination of Chinese stage race
Chloe Hosking (HTC-Highroad) won the third and final stage of the Tour of Chongming Island, the Shanghai East Beach Cup, in a bunch sprint, completing the team’s almost total domination of the race. The Australian sprinter, whose overall victory here as an amateur two years ago earned her to a position in her current team, beat HTC-Highroad teammate and race leader Ina Teutenberg. Italian champion Monia Baccaille (MCipollini-Giambenini) was third at the end of the 79.2km circuit race.
“It was really something,” said Hosking after the race. “The whole team was still at the front of the race with 800m to go. We worked so hard yesterday and for the team to put everything into me is something special.”
Having secured the first intermediate sprint for Teutenberg, giving her enough time to all but guarantee the overall victory, the HTC-Highroad team rode the rest of the stage for Hosking. The team proceeded to keep the pace high to prevent breakaways, both to prevent anyone stealing the stage from Hosking or the overall from Teutenberg.
“The girls worked really hard to get this win,” said Teutenberg. “Every day they did everything to keep me safe, particularly yesterday in the cross winds, so it’s nice that we were able to pull it off and it was nice for Chloe to win today. She’s so fast around the corners, that just leaving a little gap makes it really hard to get her back.”
HTC-Highroad managed to hold the race together and led out Hosking to take the victory, meaning that the American team’s domination of the race was complete, but for Garmin-Cervélo’s Lizzie Armitstead taking the first stage.
“Now we have a day to get some rest before the World Cup on Sunday,” said Teutenberg.
Result stage 3
1. Chloe Hosking (Aus) HTC-Highroad
2. Ina Teutenberg (Ger) HTC-Highroad
3. Monia Baccaille (Ita) MCipollini-Giambenini
4. Ellen van Dijk (Ned) HTC-Highroad
5. Elizabeth Armitstead (GBr) Garmin-Cervélo
6. Giorgia Bronzini (Ita) Italian National Team
7. Rasa Leleivye (Ltu) Vaiano-Solaristech
8. Rochelle Gilmore (Aus) Lotto Honda Team
9. Monica Holler (Swe) Alriksson Go:Green
10. Annemiek van Vleuten (Ned) Nederland Bloeit
Final overall standings
1. Ina Teutenberg (Ger) HTC-Highroad
2. Annemiek van Vleuten (Ned) Nederland Bloeit @ 26s
3. Monia Baccaille (Ita) MCipollini-Giambenini @ 27s
4. Emma Johansson (Swe) Hitec Products-UCK
5. Sara Mustonen (Swe) Hitec Products-UCK @ 33s
6. Giada Borgato (Ita) Italian National Team @ 34s
7. Lauren Tamayo (USA) United States National Team
8. Romy Kasper (Ger) German National Team @ 36s
9. Sarah Düster (Ger) Nederland Bloeit
10. Lucy Martin (GBr) Garmin-Cervélo