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The Ladies Golden
Hour World Cup |
30/07/06 |
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| Univega
Raleigh Lifeforce |
1st |
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A 41.4 kilometre Team
Time Trial on a largely flat course.
The Univega-Raleigh-Lifeforce team ( Nicole
COOKE, Priska DOPPMANN, Christaine SOEDER, Karin THÜRIG,
Sarah DÜSTER, Joanne KIESANOWSKI ) were the last of the
17 teams to set off.
At the first time check they were behind the Buitenport time,
but by the halfway point were leading by seven seconds. At
the finish they posted the fastest time by two seconds. With
the teams of Nicole's main overall rivals finishing fourth
and fifth it was more good news in the World Cup Series two
days after her second place in Vargarda, Sweden (Round 8).
The points system for the Golden Hour is a little different
to normal World Cup Races. Members of the winning team (finishing
with their first four riders) receive 35 points (as oppose
to 75 for winning riders in the other rounds), with 30 for
2nd, 25 for 3rd, 20 for 4th, 16th for fifth and then one point
less for each place lower.
Nicole has therefore increased her lead with 3 rounds to go
to 118 points.
The remaining rounds are Grand Prix Plouay in France (26/08),
Rottterdam Tour in Holland (03/10) and Rund um die Nürnberger
Altstadt in Germany (10/10). Double points (i.e. 150 for winning
100 for second etc) will be awarded in that final round.
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"That
was very hard, but very satisfying!"
"It was really interesting to ride a Team Time Trial
competition. It's good to test your abilities and learn
new skills, and I think events like this help to take women's
cycling forward."
"This event also proved the strength of my Univega-Raleigh-Lifeforce
team, and I was especially pleased to have won for them.
In the other World Cup races they work really hard for me,
and if it works out then I get the victory. So it's nice
here that all the hard work that the team put in gave all
of the a first place."
"As for the World Cup Series, I obviously have a commanding
lead now, but it would be very wrong to think it will be
easy now to regain the title. Altogether there are 300 points
on offer for the winners of the remaining three rounds so
we'll all have to work flat out to maintain that advantage."
"It means training hard over the next four weeks before
the next round which is in Plouay a circuit I always enjoy
riding."
(Nicole won her first Junior
World title on the Plouay course, and won there again on
her way to victory in the 2003 World Cup Series)
(Full official results at www.uci.ch.
further photos available at womenscycling.net
) |
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| Individual
standings after 9 rounds of 12 |
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| Univega
Raleigh Lifeforce |
354
points |
Nurnberger
Versicherung
|
170
points |
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| Team
standings after 9 rounds of 12 |
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| Univega
Raleigh Lifeforce |
1st |
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