Madrid Challenge by la Vuelta 2018 [FULL RACE]

September 16, 2018

Madrid Challenge by la Vuelta 2018 – Madrid – Madrid : 100 km

Organisers of the 2018 WNT Madrid Challenge by La Vuelta, Unipublic, announced that they have increased the event to a two-day stage race after adding a team time trial the day ahead of the original circuit race. The event, which received a mixed response, has also moved back two weeks and will now take place on September 15 and 16. On September 16, the peloton will once again take on the circuit race in downtown Madrid that included 17 laps (two more than last year) on a 5.8km circuit around the iconic Plaza Cibeles, Paseo de la Castellana, Plaza de Colon, Gran Via and the Prado Museum.

Giorgia Bronzini (Cylance) won stage 2 of the Madrid Challenge by La Vuelta. Part of a strong breakaway of nineteen riders that got away in the second half of the 100.3km race, and made it to the end, the former world champion outsprinted Sarah Roy (Mitchelton-Scott) and Charlotte Becker (Hitec Products-Birk Sport) to take the victory in her final race. Ellen van Dijk (Team Sunweb) won the race overall.

Stage 2 was held on the finishing circuit of the men’s Vuelta a España in the centre of Madrid. The 5.9km circuit on the Paseo de Prado, Paseo de Recoletos, and Paseo de la Castellana boulevards would be raced 17 times. Intermediate sprints every second lap (except after lap 16) offered bonus seconds and sprint points.

The race started quietly, and there were no attacks before the first intermediate sprint. A group of four got away after that, but was reduced to only two by a crash, and the remaining duo were soon reeled in. Five laps into the race, a new break of five riders formed. Their advantage went up to 50 seconds, and they took the next two intermediate sprints before being caught on lap nine.

Rossella Ratto (Cylance) attacked at the start of the tenth lap. Numerous other riders bridged and eventually formed a large breakaway of nineteen riders. Their advantage quickly went to over a minute and stayed there for a long time. Most teams were represented up front and therefore not interested in chasing, and the break was large enough to share the workload.

Ellen van Dijk (Team Sunweb), Audrey Cordon-Ragot (Wiggle High5), and Ilaria Sanguineti (Valcar PBM) took points and bonus seconds at the remaining intermediate sprints, and with three laps left to race the break was still 45 seconds ahead despite the chasing efforts of Alé Cipollini.

Coralie Demay (FDJ Nouvelle-Aquitaine Futuroscope) and Polish champion Malgorzata Jasinska (Movistar Team) attacked from the break and started the penultimate lap 24 seconds ahead of their erstwhile companions, the peloton led by Wiggle High5 was 48 seconds behind.

When the lead duo had been brought back with just over seven kilometres left, Olga Zabelinskaya (Cogeas-Mettler) pulled the re-united break single-handedly for over two kilometres. The gap was down to only 14 seconds at the 180-degree turn at the northern end of the circuit. Out of that turn, Sara Martín (Sopela Women’s Team) went solo from the break, but she was quickly reeled in again by Zabelinskaya.

The peloton had not gotten any closer to the break at the southern 180-degree turn, and then Zabelinskaya went to the front again and kept the pace high on the final kilometre, with Giorgia Bronzini ready in her wheel.

Charlotte Becker opened up the sprint with 300 metres to go. Sarah Roy was quickly in the German’s wheel, and Bronzini jumped onto the Australian’s wheel. Roy came around Becker 150 metres from the line. In the last 100 metres, a gap opened between Becker and Roy for Bronzini to launch the final sprint of her cycling career and take the stage win.

Lorena Wiebes (Parkhotel Valkenburg) won the bunch sprint for 17th place thirteen seconds later. Having been part of the winning break, Van Dijk won the overall classification of the two-day race ahead of team mate Coryn Rivera in second place. Cordon-Ragot had collected enough bonus seconds to push overnight leader Leah Kirchmann (Team Sunweb) off the final podium, while Sanguineti won the points classification.

The 2018 UCI Women’s WorldTour finishes with the Tour of Guangxi one-day race on 21 October.

Results :
1 Giorgia Bronzini (Ita) Cylance Pro Cycling 2:17:28
2 Sarah Roy (Aus) Mitchelton Scott Women
3 Charlotte Becker (Ger) Hitec Products-Birk Sport
4 Ilaria Sanguineti (Ita) Valcar PBM
5 Audrey Cordon Ragot (Fra) Wiggle High5
6 Ellen van Dijk (Ned) Team Sunweb Women
7 Lucinda Brand (Ned) Team Sunweb Women
8 Malgorzata Jasinska (Pol) Movistar Team Women
9 Roxane Knetemann (Ned) Ale Cipollini
10 Polona Batagelj (Slo) BTC City Ljubljana
11 Danielle Christmas (GBr) Bizkaia Durango-Euskadi Murias
12 Natalie Van Gogh (Ned) Parkhotel Valkenburg
13 Olga Zabelinskaya (Rus) Cogeas
14 Sara Martin (Spa) Sopela Women’s Team
15 Coralie Demay (Fra) FDJ Nouvelle-Aquitaine Futuroscope
16 Winanda Spoor (Ned) WNT Rotor
17 Lorena Wiebes (Ned) Parkhotel Valkenburg 0:00:13
18 Coryn Rivera (USA) Team Sunweb Women
19 Jolien D’Hoore (Bel) Mitchelton Scott Women
20 Eugenia Bujak (Slo) BTC City Ljubljana
21 Pascale Jeuland (Fra) Doltcini-Van Eyck Sport
22 Roxane Fournier (Fra) FDJ Nouvelle-Aquitaine Futuroscope
23 Alicia Gonzalez (Spa) Movistar Team Women
24 Leah Kirchmann (Can) Team Sunweb Women
25 Maria Martins (Por) Sopela Women’s Team
26 Annelies Dom (Bel) Lotto Soudal Ladies
27 Chloe Hosking (Aus) Ale Cipollini
28 Alba Teruel (Spa) Movistar Team Women
29 Kirsten Wild (Ned) Wiggle High5
30 Maria Giulia Confalonieri (Ita) Valcar PBM
31 Moniek Tenniglo (Ned) FDJ Nouvelle-Aquitaine Futuroscope
32 Sofia Rodriguez (Spa) Sopela Women’s Team
33 Ana Usabiaga Balerdi (Spa) Spain
34 Sarah Inghelbrecht (Bel) Doltcini-Van Eyck Sport
35 Rozanne Slik (Ned) FDJ Nouvelle-Aquitaine Futuroscope
36 Emilia Fahlin (Swe) Wiggle High5
37 Aude Biannic (Fra) Movistar Team Women
38 Maria Novolodskaya (Rus) Cogeas
39 Antri Christoforou (Cyp) Cogeas
40 Kelly Markus (Ned) Doltcini-Van Eyck Sport 0:00:19
41 Sandra Alonso (Spa) Bizkaia Durango-Euskadi Murias
42 Nina Kessler (Ned) Hitec Products-Birk Sport
43 Henrietta Colborne (GBr) Bizkaia Durango-Euskadi Murias
44 Lauren Kitchen (Aus) FDJ Nouvelle-Aquitaine Futuroscope
45 Marjolein van ‘T Geloof (Ned) Lotto Soudal Ladies
46 Elizaveta Oshurkova (Rus) Cogeas
47 Liane Lippert (Ger) Team Sunweb Women
48 Meike Uiterwijk Winkel (Ned) Parkhotel Valkenburg
49 Teuntje Beekhuis (Ned) Parkhotel Valkenburg
50 Maaike Boogaard (Ned) BTC City Ljubljana
51 Ingvild Gåskjenn (Nor) Hitec Products-Birk Sport
52 Eukene Larrarte Artega (Spa) Spain
53 Simona Frapporti (Ita) Hitec Products-Birk Sport
54 Corinna Lechner (Ger) BTC City Ljubljana
55 Lourdes Oyarbide (Spa) Movistar Team Women
56 Ilona Hoeksma (Ned) Parkhotel Valkenburg
57 Lisa Morzenti (Ita) BePink
58 Lucia Gonzalez (Spa) Bizkaia Durango-Euskadi Murias
59 Aafke Soet (Ned) WNT Rotor Pro Cycling Team
60 Nicole Steigenga (Ned) BePink
61 Lea Lin Teutenberg (Ger) WNT Rotor Pro Cycling Team
62 Marta Tagliaferro (Ita) Cylance Pro Cycling
63 Lisa Brennauer (Ger) Wiggle High5

Final General Classification :
1 Ellen van Dijk (Ned) Team Sunweb Women 2:35:03
2 Coryn Rivera (USA) Team Sunweb Women 0:00:11
3 Audrey Cordon Ragot (Fra) Wiggle High5 0:00:15
4 Leah Kirchmann (Can) Team Sunweb Women 0:00:18
5 Liane Lippert (Ger) Team Sunweb Women 0:00:24
6 Emilia Fahlin (Swe) Wiggle High5 0:00:29
7 Kirsten Wild (Ned) Wiggle High5 0:00:36
8 Sarah Roy (Aus) Mitchelton Scott Women 0:00:41
9 Polona Batagelj (Slo) BTC City Ljubljana 0:00:57
10 Jolien D’Hoore (Bel) Mitchelton Scott Women 0:01:04
11 Ilaria Sanguineti (Ita) Valcar PBM 0:01:08
12 Eugenia Bujak (Slo) BTC City Ljubljana 0:01:09
13 Olga Zabelinskaya (Rus) Cogeas 0:01:15
14 Maaike Boogaard (Ned) BTC City Ljubljana 0:01:16
15 Giorgia Bronzini (Ita) Cylance Pro Cycling 0:01:17
16 Malgorzata Jasinska (Pol) Movistar Team Women 0:01:19
17 Coralie Demay (Fra) FDJ Nouvelle-Aquitaine Futuroscope 0:01:27
18 Maria Novolodskaya (Rus) Cogeas
19 Antri Christoforou (Cyp) Cogeas 0:01:28
20 Natalie Van Gogh (Ned) Parkhotel Valkenburg 0:01:29
21 Rozanne Slik (Ned) FDJ Nouvelle-Aquitaine Futuroscope 0:01:30
22 Maria Giulia Confalonieri (Ita) Valcar PBM 0:01:32
23 Aude Biannic (Fra) Movistar Team Women
24 Lourdes Oyarbide (Spa) Movistar Team Women 0:01:38
25 Moniek Tenniglo (Ned) FDJ Nouvelle-Aquitaine Futuroscope 0:01:40
26 Lorena Wiebes (Ned) Parkhotel Valkenburg 0:01:42
27 Chloe Hosking (Aus) Ale Cipollini
28 Lauren Kitchen (Aus) FDJ Nouvelle-Aquitaine Futuroscope 0:01:46
29 Charlotte Becker (Ger) Hitec Products-Birk Sport 0:01:47
30 Winanda Spoor (Ned) WNT Rotor 0:01:48
31 Meike Uiterwijk Winkel (Ned) Parkhotel Valkenburg
32 Teuntje Beekhuis (Ned) Parkhotel Valkenburg 0:01:50
33 Pascale Jeuland (Fra) Doltcini-Van Eyck Sport 0:01:57
34 Sarah Inghelbrecht (Bel) Doltcini-Van Eyck Sport
35 Roxane Fournier (Fra) FDJ Nouvelle-Aquitaine Futuroscope 0:02:02
36 Kelly Markus (Ned) Doltcini-Van Eyck Sport 0:02:03
37 Annelies Dom (Bel) Lotto Soudal Ladies 0:02:10
38 Ingvild Gåskjenn (Nor) Hitec Products-Birk Sport 0:02:11
39 Simona Frapporti (Ita) Hitec Products-Birk Sport
40 Marjolein van ‘T Geloof (Ned) Lotto Soudal Ladies 0:02:18
41 Danielle Christmas (GBr) Bizkaia Durango-Euskadi Murias 0:02:27
42 Roxane Knetemann (Ned) Ale Cipollini 0:02:37
43 Sara Martin (Spa) Sopela Women’s Team 0:02:39
44 Sandra Alonso (Spa) Bizkaia Durango-Euskadi Murias 0:02:46
45 Henrietta Colborne (GBr) Bizkaia Durango-Euskadi Murias
46 Sofia Rodriguez (Spa) Sopela Women’s Team 0:02:52
47 Lucinda Brand (Ned) Team Sunweb Women 0:02:57
48 Ana Usabiaga Balerdi (Spa) Spain 0:03:01
49 Eukene Larrarte Artega (Spa) Spain 0:03:07