GP de Plouay 2021 [FULL RACE] (ladies)

August 30, 2021

GP de Plouay 2021 – Plouay – Plouay : 150,5 km

The 2021 Grand Prix de Plouay – Lorient- Agglomération will fall on August 30th. All attention will be on ending the season on a high note. This year’s race will be the 20th edition of one of the longest-standing one-day races for women in France. The route for the 2021 Grand Prix de Plouay is slightly changed from last year’s parcours, which in itself was quite the departure from the norm. Whilst reduced to only 101.1km last year, this year’s course will clock up 150km in the saddle and has plenty of climbing tests within it. As has become an often occurrence in women’s racing, the route consists of a singular circuit that will be tackled 11 times. The women are challenged straight out of the blocks with the Côte du Lezot after only 2.3km, before proceeding to tackle two more categorised climbs on the 13.6km-long circuit: Montée de Lan Payot (1.3km at 2.6%) and Côte du Pont Neuf.

Tokyo Olympic bronze medalist Elisa Longo Borghini took the victory in her first race since the Games. The Trek-Segafredo rider attacked earlier on in the race and sustained a gap before being brought back. However, later in the race the Italian National Champion attacked again from a small group and made it stick to the line.

Team Arkea-Samsic’s Gladys Verhulst won the reduced bunch sprint for second with Kristen Faulkner of Team TIBCO-Silicon Valley Bank in third.

“The team rode really well and I’m really happy and satisfied about today,” said Longo Borghini. Asked if it was the goal to win, she said, “yeah, I mean it’s always a nice race to win, Plouay is such a great area for cycling plus we have the Bretagne champion Audrey Cordon and today she was really strong but she was really unlucky.”

How it unfolded

The 20th edition of GP Plouay took place over 150km with 11 laps of a 13.68km circuit containing three climbs, the first of which maxed out at 19 per cent gradient.

For this year, the race took on a slightly different route, using smaller circuits which made it harder as the climbs came in quick succession.

After two laps, the bunch was all together on a cloudy day in Plouay. With 95km to go Ashleigh Moolman Pasio (SD Worx) suffered a puncture but quickly returned to the peloton.

Shortly after, Lizzie Deignan, who is defending champion of this race having won three times, suffered a mechanical but, like Moolman Pasio, showed her experience and remained calm, quickly rejoining the peloton.

With 80km to go a select group broke away consisting of Anna van der Breggen (SD Worx), Ruth Winder (Trek-Segafredo), Franziska Koch (Team DSM), Anna Henderson (Jumbo-Visma), and Riejanne Markus (Jumbo-Visma). Behind, the peloton was split and strung out as a result of the attack.

With just over 70km to go, Jade Wiel (FDJ Nouvelle Aquitaine Futuroscope) and Alena Amialusik (Canyon-SRAM) attacked, quickly gaining a 1:05 gap.

Soon after, a crash occurred at the back of the bunch involving Coryn Rivera (Team DSM) and Karol-Ann Canuel (SD Worx) but all of the riders who came down were quickly back on their bikes and back in the bunch.

Amialusik and Wiel’s gap had stretched to 2:57 with 50km to go but attacks started to fly with Julie van de Velde, Eugenia Bijak, Abi Smith, Anna Shackley, Ruth Winder, Elise Chabbey, Evita Muzic, Pauleina Rooijakkers breaking clear. The peloton behind, including Deignan and van der Breggen, slowed down and the front group gained a one minute gap.

Soon after, with 44km to go, SD Worx started to chase the break down and with 43.5km to go and Amialusik attacked Wiel to go solo. It was Anna van der Breggen chasing on the front as SD Worx missed the move and Weil was caught with 37km to go.

With just over 36km to go the chasing group was caught and local rider Audrey Cordon-Ragot (Trek-Segafredo) countered but did not stay away.

At 34k.5m to go, attacks at the front saw World Champion Anna van der Breggen caught out and having to pull a group of riders off the back up to the bunch, meanwhile Amialusik remained out front solo with an almost two-minute gap.

Amialusik’s gap started to come down but at 27.5km to go it was still 1:30 with two more laps remaining. Behind, it was Team DSM and Trek-Segafredo putting in the work to bring the lone leader back with Ruth Winder and Juliette Labous on the front.

The first of Elisa Longo Borghini’s attacks came at 25.6km to go while her teammate Audrey Cordon Ragot crashed. Longo Borghini’s strong move began to eat into Amialusik’s advantage — which was reduced to just 38 seconds.

Liane Lippert for Team DSM was close behind the Italian, chasing her down with Coryn Rivera on her wheel. However the impetus went out of the chasing pair and Mavi Garcia counter attacked and successfully bridged to Longo Borghini.

With just under 22km to go Longo Borghini and Garcia caught Amialusik but Moolman Pasio was on the front of the chasing group working hard to pull the trio back and with 17.9km to go the gap to the three leaders just 21 seconds.

Liane Lippert was active in the bunch, attacking and getting a small gap but it was Moolman Pasio once again who pulled the bunch back to the leaders and the peloton were all together with 15.4km to go.

Coming into the final lap a select group of 10 chasers formed with Riejanne Markus of Jumbo-Visma on the front of the group behind.

For the penultimate time over the finish line, with 13.3km to go, Taitana Guderzo (Ale BTC Ljubljana attacked and managed to stay away for a short while. Meanwhile, Niamh Fisher Black (SD Worx) and Rachel Neylan (Parkhotel Valkenburg) countered together on the climb but were pulled back as Anna Henderson (Jumbo-Visma) and Floortje Mackaij (Team DSM) also attacked together, however the group came back together.

With 10km to go a group of four managed to break free with Longo Borghini, Guderzo, Lippert, Magnaldi but Olympic bronze medalist Longo Borghini put in yet another solo attack to go clear.

With 7km to go Longo Borghini’s gap had extended to 17 seconds while behind, Mackaij was chasing for Team DSM. Then with 5km to go and Longo Borghini still out in front, Mavi Garcia attacked again.

Going into the final ascent of the Pont Neuf climb, Longo Borghini’s gap was 42 seconds ahead of the peloton and 12 seconds to Mackaij. Meanwhile, Garcia caught up with Mackaij behind and the two began to work together as Marta Cavalli and Liane Lippert joined them.

With under 2km to go Kristen Faulkner brought the rest of the group back up to the four chasers but just as they caught, Marta Cavalli attacked for FDJ but the move didn’t stick and all signs pointed to a reduced bunch kick for second.

As Longo Borghini crossed the line solo, the group behind began to wind up for a sprint with Coryn Rivera of Team DSM going early, however it was Gladys Verhulst of Team Arkea Samsic, who managed to cross the line second, with Kristen Faulkner of Team TIBCO-Silicon Valley Bank claiming third.

Results :
1 Elisa Longo Borghini (Ita) Trek – Segafredo 4:06:02
2 Gladys Verhulst (Fra) Arkea Pro Cycling Team 0:00:12
3 Kristen Faulkner (USA) Team Tibco – Silicon Valley Bank
4 Sofia Bertizzolo (Ita) Liv Racing
5 Evita Muzic (Fra) Fdj Nouvelle-Aquitaine Futuroscope
6 Eugenia Bujak (Slo) Ale’ Btc Ljubljana
7 Elizabeth Deignan (GBr) Trek – Segafredo
8 Coryn Rivera (USA) Team Dsm
9 Ashleigh Moolman-Pasio (RSA) Team Sd Worx
10 Anna Henderson (GBr) Jumbo-Visma Women Team
11 Silvia Persico (Ita) Valcar – Travel & Service
12 Niamh Fisher-Black (NZl) Team Sd Worx
13 Elise Chabbey (Swi) Canyon//Sram Racing
14 India Grangier (Fra) Stade Rochelais Charente- Maritime Women Cycling
15 Erica Magnaldi (Ita) Ceratizit – Wnt Pro Cycling Team
16 Abi Smith (GBr) Team Tibco – Silicon Valley Bank
17 Urska Pintar (Slo) Ale’ Btc Ljubljana
18 Tatiana Guderzo (Ita) Ale’ Btc Ljubljana
19 Rachel Neylan (Aus) Parkhotel Valkenburg
20 Anna Shackley (GBr) Team Sd Worx
21 Margarita Victo Garcia Cañellas (Spa) Ale’ Btc Ljubljana
22 Juliette Labous (Fra) Team Dsm
23 Ilaria Sanguineti (Ita) Valcar – Travel & Service
24 Floortje Mackaij (Ned) Team Dsm
25 Soraya Paladin (Ita) Liv Racing 0:00:21
26 Marta Cavalli (Ita) Fdj Nouvelle-Aquitaine Futuroscope 0:00:25
27 Liane Lippert (Ger) Team Dsm 0:00:27
28 Marie Le Net (Fra) Fdj Nouvelle-Aquitaine Futuroscope 0:00:51
29 Špela Kern (Slo) Massi Tactic Women Team 0:00:55
30 Pauliena Rooijakkers (Ned) Liv Racing
31 Mikayla Harvey (NZl) Canyon//Sram Racing 0:01:19
32 Alena Amialiusik (Blr) Canyon//Sram Racing 0:01:26
33 Tiffany Cromwell (Aus) Canyon//Sram Racing
34 Nina Kessler (Ned) Team Tibco – Silicon Valley Bank 0:02:38
35 Riejanne Markus (Ned) Jumbo-Visma Women Team
36 Stine Borgli (Nor) Fdj Nouvelle-Aquitaine Futuroscope
37 Lucie Jounier (Fra) Arkea Pro Cycling Team 0:05:51
38 Maeva Squiban (Fra) Stade Rochelais Charente- Maritime Women Cycling 0:06:37
39 Diana Carolina Peñuela Martinez (Col) Team Tibco – Silicon Valley Bank
40 Manon Souyris (Fra) Stade Rochelais Charente- Maritime Women Cycling
41 Amber Kraak (Ned) Jumbo-Visma Women Team
42 Tanja Erath (Ger) Team Tibco – Silicon Valley Bank
43 Coralie Demay (Fra) Stade Rochelais Charente- Maritime Women Cycling
44 Arianna Pruisscher (Ned) Stade Rochelais Charente- Maritime Women Cycling 0:07:59
45 Martina Alzini (Ita) Valcar – Travel & Service
46 Elena Pirrone (Ita) Valcar – Travel & Service
47 Maaike Coljé (Ned) Massi Tactic Women Team
48 Franziska Koch (Ger) Team Dsm
49 Pien Limpens (Ned) Parkhotel Valkenburg
50 Typhaine Laurance (Fra) Arkea Pro Cycling Team
51 Kathrin Hammes (Ger) Ceratizit – Wnt Pro Cycling Team
52 Wilma Olausson (Swe) Team Dsm
53 Olivia Baril (Can) Massi Tactic Women Team
54 Victorie Guilman (Fra) Fdj Nouvelle-Aquitaine Futuroscope
55 Jade Wiel (Fra) Fdj Nouvelle-Aquitaine Futuroscope
56 Laura Asencio (Fra) Ceratizit – Wnt Pro Cycling Team
57 Marit Raaijmakers (Ned) Parkhotel Valkenburg
58 Julie Van De Velde (Bel) Jumbo-Visma Women Team
59 Neve Bradbury (Aus) Canyon//Sram Racing 0:14:22
60 Vita Heine (Nor) Massi Tactic Women Team 0:16:30
61 Sophie Wright (GBr) Ale’ Btc Ljubljana
62 Mireia Benito Pellicer (Spa) Massi Tactic Women Team
63 Roxane Fournier (Fra) Team Sd Worx 0:16:31
64 Silvia Pollicini (Ita) Valcar – Travel & Service
65 Mireia Trias Jordan (Spa) Massi Tactic Women Team
66 Kirstie Van Haaften (Ned) Parkhotel Valkenburg
DNF Audrey Cordon Ragot (Fra) Trek – Segafredo
DNF Tayler Wiles (USA) Trek – Segafredo
DNF Ruth Winder (USA) Trek – Segafredo
DNF Chiara Consonni (Ita) Valcar – Travel & Service
DNF Sabrina Stultiens (Ned) Liv Racing
DNF Sylvie Swinkels (Ned) Parkhotel Valkenburg
DNF Belle De Gast (Ned) Parkhotel Valkenburg
DNF Charlotte Becker (Ger) Arkea Pro Cycling Team
DNF Greta Richioud (Fra) Arkea Pro Cycling Team
DNF Marie Morgane Le Deunff (Fra) Arkea Pro Cycling Team
DNF Anna Van Der Breggen (Ned) Team Sd Worx
DNF Karol-Ann Canuel (Can) Team Sd Worx
DNF Leah Dixon (GBr) Team Tibco – Silicon Valley Bank
DNF Hannah Ludwig (Ger) Canyon//Sram Racing
DNF Nancy Van Der Burg (Ned) Jumbo-Visma Women Team
DNF Aafke Soet (Ned) Jumbo-Visma Women Team
DNF Noemie Abgrall (Fra) Stade Rochelais Charente- Maritime Women Cycling
DNF Sarah Rijkes (Aut) Ceratizit – Wnt Pro Cycling Team
DNF Lara Vieceli (Ita) Ceratizit – Wnt Pro Cycling Team