La Course by Le Tour de France 2019 [FULL RACE]

July 19, 2019

La Course by Le Tour de France 2019 – Pau – Pau : 121 km

The 10-day Giro Rosa just wrapped up in Italy this weekend and many of the same women will travel southwest to the French city of Pau to compete in the one-day La Course by Le Tour de France on Friday. Maglia rosa winner Annemiek van Vleuten, who won back-to-back races last year, will line up in an effort to win a third consecutive title at La Course, but she faces a less-challenging parcours, and one perhaps more suited to the puncheurs of the peloton – someone like Marianne Vos.

Marianne Vos (CCC-Liv) won the La Course by Le Tour de France with a powerful attack on the last climb in the centre of Pau. Vos passed Amanda Spratt (Mitchelton-Scott) at the top of the short, steep climb after Spratt had been on a solo attack for the last of the five 25-kilometre laps.

Vos powered to the finish and won with a three-second gap to Leah Kirchmann (Team Sunweb) who beat Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig (Bigla) in the sprint for second place.

“My first La Course win was five years ago, to win it again now, on a different circuit, is a very special feeling,” said Vos.

“I came out of the Giro Rosa with good motivation, and La Course was a good inspiration to give it an extra go. The break of Amanda Spratt was pretty dangerous, so my teammates had to do a lot of work to bring it back. When I saw it came down on the climb, I knew I had a chance. I went and just had the legs to continue.”

How it happened

Having been held in the Alps for the previous two years after three editions on the Champs-Élysées in Paris, race organiser ASO moved the sixth edition of La Course to Pau. The women did five laps of a hilly circuit of 25 kilometres south of the city that included the Côte de Gelos followed by a rolling section, a technical downhill and the Côte d’Esquillot. After another descent, there were 11 flat kilometres to Pau where the Rue Mulot, a 185-metre, 17-percent wall on the final kilometre, meant this was a race for puncheurs. Due to a neutral section at the start of the race, the distance was 121 km.

A break of eleven riders formed on the first lap, with most of the big teams represented. The second time up the Côte de Gelos, four riders tried to bridge to the front but were quickly reeled in again by the peloton. When the breakaway’s advantage increased to 1:45 minutes after 60 kilometres, this prompted WNT-Rotor and Lotto Soudal Ladies – both teams had missed the break – to take up the chase and reduce the gap.

Audrey Cordon-Ragot (Trek-Segafredo) attacked from the breakaway but her solo move was over when Annemiek van Vleuten (Mitchelton-Scott) upped the pace on the third ascent of the Côte de Gelos, reeling in all escapees and reducing the peloton to about 50 riders.

The following kilometres were hectic with several unsuccessful attacks. On the Côte d’Esquillot with 37 km to go, an attack by Anna van der Breggen (Boels Dolmans) led to a front group of 11 riders that also included Van Vleuten, Vos, Spratt, Uttrup Ludwig, Ashleigh Moolman-Pasio (CCC-Liv), Ane Santesteban (WNT-Rotor), Katarzyna Niewiadoma (Canyon-SRAM), Lucinda Brand (Team Sunweb), Soraya Paladin (Alé Cipollini), and Elisa Longo Borghini (Trek-Segafredo).

This group of favourites struggled to work together and after several attacks, five riders got away while the other six were caught by the peloton. Spratt, Paladin, Moolman-Pasio, Uttrup Ludwig, and Brand had a lead of up to 20 seconds but the chase work done by Boels Dolmans in particular had reduced this to only a few metres at the bottom of the Rue Mulot.

Spratt kept the move going over the steep climb and pulled away from Moolman-Pasio and Uttrup Ludwig on the following descent, going solo 24.5 kilometres from the finish. After a regrouping behind, nobody took charge in the peloton and Spratt carved out an advantage of more than 30 seconds in the first half of the rolling final lap.

Brand launched an attack into the technical descent and was followed by Vos and Van Vleuten but this group was caught again after Uttrup Ludwig and Paladin bridged on the Côte d’Esquillot. Spratt still held a 26-second lead at the 10-kilometre mark but by now CCC-Liv and Team Sunweb had committed to reeling her in.

Despite Van Vleuten trying to disrupt their chase and Spratt giving everything she had, the Australian climber’s advantage gradually came down. Entering the final kilometre, Spratt was still 12 seconds ahead but the peloton could see her.

On the steep Rue Mulot, Vos made her trademark attack, passing Spratt at the top and going on to open a three-second gap to the rest in the last 350 metres to the finish. Kirchmann won the sprint for second ahead of Uttrup Ludwig.

Van Vleuten finished in seventh place and defended her lead in the UCI Women’s WorldTour classification. Marta Cavalli (Valcar Cylance) continues to lead the UCI Women’s WorldTour U23 ranking.

Elise Chabbey (Bigla) was part of the early breakaway and first over the Côte de Gelos twice, enough to win the race’s Queen of the Mountains classification. For her long-range solo attack, Spratt was awarded the combativity prize.

Results :
1 Marianne Vos (Ned) CCC-Liv 3:15:20
2 Leah Kirchmann (Can) Team Sunweb Women 0:00:03
3 Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig (Den) Bigla Pro Cycling Team
4 Lucinda Brand (Ned) Team Sunweb Women 0:00:04
5 Ashleigh Moolman-Pasio (RSA) CCC-Liv 0:00:06
6 Elisa Longo Borghini (Ita) Trek-Segafredo Women
7 Annemiek van Vleuten (Ned) Mitchelton-Scott Women 0:00:07
8 Soraya Paladin (Ita) Ale Cipollini
9 Ane Santesteban Gonzalez (Spa) WNT-Rotor Pro Cycling
10 Anna van der Breggen (Ned) Boels Dolmans Cyclingteam
11 Demi Vollering (Ned) Parkhotel Valkenburg
12 Floortje Mackaij (Ned) Team Sunweb Women
13 Katarzyna Niewiadoma (Pol) Canyon-SRAM 0:00:10
14 Rachel Neylan (Aus) Team Virtu Cycling
15 Sofie De Vuyst (Bel) Parkhotel Valkenburg
16 Eugenia Bujak (Slo) BTC City Ljubljana
17 Janneke Ensing (Ned) WNT-Rotor Pro Cycling
18 Paula Andrea Patiño Bedoya (Col) Movistar Team Women
19 Katharine Hall (USA) Boels Dolmans Cyclingteam 0:00:13
20 Urska Pintar (Slo) BTC City Ljubljana 0:00:14
21 Hanna Nilsson (Swe) BTC City Ljubljana
22 Evita Muzic (Fra) FDJ Nouvelle-Aquitaine Futuroscope
23 Eri Yonamine (Jpn) Ale Cipollini
24 Amanda Spratt (Aus) Mitchelton-Scott Women
25 Brodie Chapman (Aus) Tibco-Silicon Valley Bank
26 Julie Van de Velde (Bel) Lotto Soudal Ladies
27 Nikola Noskova (Cze) Bigla Pro Cycling Team
28 Erica Magnaldi (Ita) WNT-Rotor Pro Cycling
29 Annika Langvad (Den) Boels Dolmans Cyclingteam
30 Elise Chabbey (Swi) Bigla Pro Cycling Team
31 Riejanne Markus (Ned) CCC-Liv 0:00:24
32 Juliette Labous (Fra) Team Sunweb Women 0:00:28
33 Malgorzata Jasinska (Pol) Movistar Team Women 0:00:43
34 Tayler Wiles (USA) Trek-Segafredo Women
35 Pauliena Rooijakkers (Ned) (CCC-Liv) 0:04:03
36 Elizabeth Banks (GBr) Bigla Pro Cycling Team 0:05:00
37 Jeanne Korevaar (Ned) CCC-Liv 0:05:04
38 Ruth Winder (USA) Trek-Segafredo Women 0:06:49
39 Karol-Ann Canuel (Can) Boels Dolmans Cyclingteam
40 Edwige Pitel (Fra) Cogeas Mettler Look 0:09:19
41 Shara Gillow (Aus) FDJ Nouvelle-Aquitaine Futuroscope
42 Alexis Ryan (USA) Canyon-SRAM 0:10:56
43 Anouska Koster (Ned) Team Virtu Cycling
44 Ahreum Na (Kor) Ale Cipollini
45 Marta Cavalli (Ita) Valcar-Cylance Cycling 0:10:58
46 Krista Doebel-Hickok (USA) Rally UHC Cycling Women
47 Nina Buijsman (Ned) Parkhotel Valkenburg 0:10:59
48 Jade Wiel (Fra) FDJ Nouvelle-Aquitaine Futuroscope
49 Leah Thomas (USA) Bigla Pro Cycling Team
50 Lotte Kopecky (Bel) Lotto Soudal Ladies
51 Rossella Ratto (Ita) BTC City Ljubljana
52 Victorie Guilman (Fra) FDJ Nouvelle-Aquitaine Futuroscope
53 Kelly Van Den Steen (Bel) Lotto Soudal Ladies
54 Lara Vieceli (Ita) WNT-Rotor Pro Cycling
55 Rozanne Slik (Ned) Tibco-Silicon Valley Bank 0:11:03
56 Pfeiffer Georgi (GBr) Team Sunweb Women 0:11:04
57 Liane Lippert (Ger) Team Sunweb Women
58 Sarah Roy (Aus) Mitchelton-Scott Women
59 Deborah Paine (NZl) Cogeas Mettler Look
60 Katrine Aalerud (Nor) Team Virtu Cycling
61 Tiffany Cromwell (Aus) Canyon-SRAM
62 Georgia Williams (NZl) Mitchelton-Scott Women
63 Mikayla Harvey (NZl) Bigla Pro Cycling Team
64 Alice Maria Arzuffi (Ita) Valcar-Cylance Cycling
65 Dalia Muccioli (Ita) Valcar-Cylance Cycling
66 Elena Pirrone (Ita) Astana Women’s Team
67 Lorena Llamas Garcia (Spa) Movistar Team Women 0:11:08
68 Hannah Barnes (GBr) Canyon-SRAM 0:11:10
69 Eider Merino Cortazar (Spa) Movistar Team Women 0:11:13
70 Nadia Quagliotto (Ita) Ale Cipollini
71 Laura Asencio (Fra) WNT-Rotor Pro Cycling
72 Alena Amialiusik (Blr) Canyon-SRAM
73 Asja Paladin (Ita) Valcar-Cylance Cycling 0:11:22
74 Aude Biannic (Fra) Movistar Team Women
75 Chantal Blaak (Ned) Boels Dolmans Cyclingteam
76 Audrey Cordon Ragot (Fra) Trek-Segafredo Women
77 Elizabeth Deignan (GBr) Trek-Segafredo Women
78 Charlotte Becker (Ger) FDJ Nouvelle-Aquitaine Futuroscope
79 Severine Eraud (Fra) Doltcini-Van Eyck Sport 0:12:57
80 Annelies Dom (Bel) Lotto Soudal Ladies
81 Mieke Docx (Bel) Doltcini-Van Eyck Sport
82 Danielle Christmas (GBr) Lotto Soudal Ladies
83 Chloe Hosking (Aus) Ale Cipollini
84 Sara Bergen (Can) Rally UHC Cycling Women
85 Marina Uvarova (Rus) Cogeas Mettler Look
86 Lucie Lahaye (Fra) Charente-Maritime Women 0:13:02
87 Pauline Allin (Fra) Charente-Maritime Women
88 Birgitte Andersen (Den) Team Virtu Cycling
89 Jesse Vandenbulcke (Bel) Doltcini-Van Eyck Sport 0:13:06
90 Alice Barnes (GBr) Canyon-SRAM
91 Urska Zigart (Slo) BTC City Ljubljana 0:13:07
DNF Jessica Allen (Aus) Mitchelton-Scott Women
DNF Alexandra Manly (Aus) Mitchelton-Scott Women
DNF Valerie Demey (Bel) CCC-Liv
DNF Jessica Raimondi (Ita) Ale Cipollini
DNS Sheyla Gutierrez Ruiz (Spa) Movistar Team Women
DNF Lex Albrecht (Can) Tibco-Silicon Valley Bank
DNF Nina Kessler (Ned) Tibco-Silicon Valley Bank
DNF Emily Newsom (USA) Tibco-Silicon Valley Bank
DNF Anna Plichta (Pol) Trek-Segafredo Women
DNF Eugénie Duval (Fra) FDJ Nouvelle-Aquitaine Futuroscope
DNF Elisa Balsamo (Ita) Valcar-Cylance Cycling
DNF Belle de Gast (Ned) Parkhotel Valkenburg
DNF Roxane Knetemann (Ned) Parkhotel Valkenburg
DNF Olga Deyko (Rus) Cogeas Mettler Look
DNF Anastasiia Pliaskina (Rus) Cogeas Mettler Look
DNF Sari Saarelainen (Fin) Cogeas Mettler Look
DNF Cameron Vandenbroucke (Bel) Lotto Soudal Ladies
DNF Sofia Bertizzolo (Ita) Team Virtu Cycling
DNF Spela Kern (Slo) BTC City Ljubljana
DNF Allison Beveridge (Can) Rally UHC Cycling Women
DNF Abigail Mickey (USA) Rally UHC Cycling Women
DNF Sara Poidevin (Can) Rally UHC Cycling Women
DNF Emma White (USA) Rally UHC Cycling Women
DNF Pascale Jeuland (Fra) Doltcini-Van Eyck Sport
DNF Daniela Reis (Por) Doltcini-Van Eyck Spor
DNS Marion Sicot (Fra) Doltcini-Van Eyck Sport
DNF Noemie Abgrall (Fra) Charente-Maritime Women
DNF Anaïs Morichon (Fra) Charente-Maritime Women
DNF Marine Quiniou (Fra) Charente-Maritime Women
DNF Anna Traxler (Can) Charente-Maritime Women