Postnord Vargarda WestSweden 2019 [FULL RACE](woman)

August 17, 2019

Postnord Vargarda WestSweden 2019 – Vårgårda – Vårgårda : 145,3 km

The late-summer one-day races on the Women’s WorldTour continues at the 2019 Postnord Vårgårda WestSweden that offers two separate but back-to-back events beginning with the team time trial that was held on Saturday, August 17 won by Trek-Segafredo, and a road race on Sunday, August 18. The cycling world will be watching to see if Marianne Vos (CCC-Liv) can once again dominate the road race for a second year in a row. The women will complete 149.7km on a route that has changed compared to last year. This year, the peloton will take on a longer circuit of about 69.3km that includes five gravel road sections; Brunnlid (6.3km) at the 16km mark, Eklanda (3.5km) at the 23km mark, Slatthult (3.7km) at the 32km mark, Kvinnestad (2.7km) at the 55km mark, and Landa (3.1km) at the 63km mark. Then there are four shorter Hägrunga laps that are 11.4km each, and finally four closing longer laps of 15.3km each in Vargarda.

Marta Bastianelli (Team Virtu Cycling) won the Postnord Vårgårda WestSweden Road Race. After an active race with lots of attacks, things came down to the sprint of a reduced peloton. The Italian champion came through the final corner in the slipstream of Marianne Vos (CCC-Liv) and came past Vos on the final metres, winning the race with just a few centimetres. Lorena Wiebes (Parkhotel Valkenburg) sprinted to third place.

Vos dived into the last right turn with 300m to race, hoping to repeat her victory of 2018. She had speed and kicked hard but Bastianelli was on her wheel and then came past her at the line to win and quickly begin celebrating. It was her sixth victory of the 2019 season and her first since winning the Italian national title in late July. She is the first Italian rider to ever win the Postnord Vårgårda WestSweden Road Race.

“I am very happy to win this race today,” said Bastianelli in the post-race interview. “I had some injury problems with my knee before the Giro Rosa. Today, it was very important to have team support, especially Barbara Guarischi helped me in the final. I was in the breakaway at the start of the race, and my legs felt a bit weak after that.

“I know it’s important to get through the last corner in second position. I took Marianne’s wheel, and she did a very long sprint. I followed her and came around for the finish, it was very close, but I won. I am happy to win in my new [Italian] champion’s jersey and happy for the team and my sports director Carmen Small.”

Vos ensured she was perfectly placed going into and out of the fast turn but could not get rid of Bastianelli and then mistakenly took the longest line to the finish. “I was actually quite a good lead out from Ale Cipollini and Virtu,” Vos said. “I think Marta was on my wheel and it was just a little too long and I didn’t have the legs.”

How it happened

The race consisted of one long loop south and east of Vårgårda followed by three shorter laps including the Hägrungabakken hill and three finishing laps that took in a new gravel section ending only three kilometres from the finish in addition to the hill. 28.6 kilometres of the 145.3-kilometre race were on eight gravel sections. Although rain was forecast, it stayed dry throughout the race.

The first important move came after 35km when an attack on the uphill third gravel section led to a group of fourteen riders with, among others, Anna van der Breggen, Amy Pieters (both Boels Dolmans), Lisa Klein (Canyon-SRAM), Coryn Rivera, Lucinda Brand, Juliette Labous (all Team Sunweb), Demi Vollering (Parkhotel Valkenburg), Romy Kasper (Alé Cipollini), Ruth Winder (Trek-Segafredo), and Bastianelli getting away.

This strong breakaway had an advantage of more than a minute with 100km to go. Trek-Segafredo and CCC-Liv chased hard in the peloton to reduce the gap, but the break was only brought back on the second short laps when Vos and Lizzie Deignan (Trek-Segafredo) counterattacked on the Hägrunga hill, resetting the race with 62km to go.

After several short-lived attacks, Roxane Knetemann (Parkhotel Valkenburg), Eri Yonamine (Alé Cipollini), and Elena Pirrone (Valcar Cylance) went away with 46km left and stayed ahead for one lap, being caught at the start of the penultimate lap.

Again, there were many attempts to get away from the peloton. Moniek Tenniglo (Mitchelton-Scott) succeeded with an acceleration on the gravel section 20km from the finish and started the final lap with an advantage of 22 seconds.

Deignan and Floortje Mackaij (Team Sunweb) tried to bridge to Tenniglo the final time up Hägrungabakken but could not get away. Mackaij tried again on the final gravel section, and Tenniglo was caught just after.

Brand, Vos, and Sarah Roy (Mitchelton-Scott) were among the riders who tried to anticipate a sprint with a late attack, but things quickly came back together for the sprint finish where Vos just saw herself beaten by Bastianelli.

Despite not participating in the Vårgårda race weekend, Annemiek van Vleuten (Mitchelton-Scott) continues to lead the UCI Women’s WorldTour. Marta Cavalli (Valcar Cylance) finished in sixth place to defend her lead in the Women’s WorldTour U23 ranking.

Results :
1 Marta Bastianelli (Ita) Team Virtu Cycling 3:37:43
2 Marianne Vos (Ned) Ccc – Liv
3 Lorena Wiebes (Ned) Parkhotel Valkenburg
4 Chloe Hosking (Aus) Ale Cipollini
5 Amy Pieters (Ned) Boels Dolmans Cyclingteam 0:00:01
6 Marta Cavalli (Ita) Valcar Cylance Cycling 0:00:02
7 Maria Giulia Confalonieri (Ita) Valcar Cylance Cycling 0:00:03
8 Ruth Winder (USA) Trek – Segafredo
9 Stine Borgli (Nor) Fdj Nouvelle – Aquitaine Futuroscope
10 Leah Kirchmann (Can) Team Sunweb
11 Roxane Fournier (Fra) Movistar Team Women
12 Sarah Roy (Aus) Mitchelton Scott
13 Floortje Mackaij (Ned) Team Sunweb 0:00:04
14 Eugenia Bujak (Slo) Btc City Ljubljana
15 Lisa Brennauer (Ger) Wnt Rotor Pro Cycling Team
16 Hannah Barnes (GBr) Canyon / /Sram Racing
17 Vita Heine (Nor) Norway 0:00:05
18 Lisa Klein (Ger) Canyon / /Sram Racing
19 Chiara Consonni (Ita) Valcar Cylance Cycling 0:00:06
20 Anastasiia Chursina (Rus) Btc City Ljubljana
21 Karlijn Swinkels (Ned) Ale Cipollini
22 Aude Biannic (Fra) Movistar Team Women
23 Anouska Koster (Ned) Team Virtu Cycling 0:00:07
24 Juliette Labous (Fra) Team Sunweb
25 Demi Vollering (Ned) Parkhotel Valkenburg
26 Romy Kasper (Ger) Ale Cipollini 0:00:08
27 Shara Gillow (Aus) Fdj Nouvelle – Aquitaine Futuroscope
28 Amalie Dideriksen (Den) Boels Dolmans Cyclingteam
29 Riejanne Markus (Ned) Ccc – Liv
30 Ellen Van Dijk (Ned) Trek – Segafredo
31 Valerie Demey (Bel) Ccc – Liv 0:00:09
32 Grace Brown (Aus) Mitchelton Scott
33 Georgia Williams (NZl) Mitchelton Scott
34 Alena Amialiusik (Blr) Canyon / /Sram Racing 0:00:10
35 Margarita Victo Garcia Cañellas (Spa) Movistar Team Women
36 Clara Koppenburg (Ger) Wnt Rotor Pro Cycling Team
37 Karol-Ann Canuel (Can) Boels Dolmans Cyclingteam 0:00:19
38 Barbara Guarischi (Ita) Team Virtu Cycling 0:00:20
39 Soraya Paladin (Ita) Ale Cipollini 0:00:21
40 Lucinda Brand (Ned) Team Sunweb 0:00:41
41 Anna Van Der Breggen (Ned) Boels Dolmans Cyclingteam
42 Lisa Nordén (Swe) Sweden 0:00:42
43 Urska Pintar (Slo) Btc City Ljubljana 0:00:47
44 Moniek Tenniglo (Ned) Mitchelton Scott
45 Nina Buijsman (Ned) Parkhotel Valkenburg 0:00:51
46 Elizabeth Deignan (GBr) Trek – Segafredo 0:01:22
47 Jeanne Korevaar (Ned) Ccc – Liv 0:02:27
48 Elena Pirrone (Ita) Valcar Cylance Cycling
49 Coryn Rivera (USA) Team Sunweb
50 Femke Markus (Ned) Parkhotel Valkenburg 0:05:18
50 Sara Penton (Swe) Team Virtu Cycling
52 Jip Van Den Bos (Ned) Boels Dolmans Cyclingteam 0:05:19
53 Roxane Knetemann (Ned) Parkhotel Valkenburg 0:05:23
54 Diana Carolina Peñuela Martinez (Col) Ale Cipollini
55 Sheyla Gutierrez Ruiz (Spa) Movistar Team Women 0:05:24
56 Eri Yonamine (Jpn) Ale Cipollini 0:09:09
57 Sara Hedberg (Swe) Sweden 0:10:02
58 Vibeke Lystad (Nor) Norway 0:10:03
59 Agnieszka Skalniak (Pol) Ccc – Liv 0:10:42
60 Marta Lach (Pol) Ccc – Liv
61 Shannon Malseed (Aus) Team Tibco – Silicon Valley Bank
62 Birgitte Ravndal (Nor) Norway
63 Maëlle Grossetete (Fra) Fdj Nouvelle – Aquitaine Futuroscope
64 Jessica Allen (Aus) Mitchelton Scott
65 Marit Raaijmakers (Ned) Parkhotel Valkenburg
66 Alison Jackson (Can) Team Tibco – Silicon Valley Bank
67 Christine Majerus (Lux) Boels Dolmans Cyclingteam
68 Franziska Brauße (Ger) Wnt Rotor Pro Cycling Team 0:10:43
69 Alice Barnes (GBr) Canyon / /Sram Racing
70 Greta Richioud (Fra) Fdj Nouvelle – Aquitaine Futuroscope
71 Sharlotte Lucas (NZl) Team Tibco – Silicon Valley Bank
72 Vittoria Guazzini (Ita) Valcar Cylance Cycling
73 Alessia Vigilia (Ita) Valcar Cylance Cycling
74 Sara Olsson (Swe) Sweden
75 Audrey Cordon Ragot (Fra) Trek – Segafredo
76 Gloria Rodriguez Sanchez (Spa) Movistar Team Women 0:10:44
DNF Gracie Elvin (Aus) Mitchelton Scott
DNF Elisa Longo Borghini (Ita) Trek – Segafredo
DNF Trixi Worrack (Ger) Trek – Segafredo
DNF Elena Cecchini (Ita) Canyon / /Sram Racing
DNF Pernille Mathiesen (Den) Team Sunweb
DNF Sarah Rijkes (Aut) Wnt Rotor Pro Cycling Team
DNF Katarzyna Pawlowska (Pol) Team Virtu Cycling
DNF Mieke Kröger (Ger) Team Virtu Cycling
DNF Lourdes Oyarbide Jimenez (Spa) Movistar Team Women
DNF Leah Dixon (GBr) Team Tibco – Silicon Valley Bank
DNF Charlotte Becker (Ger) Fdj Nouvelle – Aquitaine Futuroscope
DNF Lauren Kitchen (Aus) Fdj Nouvelle – Aquitaine Futuroscope
DNF Maaike Boogaard (Ned) Btc City Ljubljana
DNF Hayley Simmonds (GBr) Btc City Ljubljana
DNF Hanna Nilsson (Swe) Btc City Ljubljana
DNF Sara Mustonen (Swe) Sweden
DNF Clara Lundmark (Swe) Sweden
DNF Nathalie Eklund (Swe) Sweden
DNF Emelie Røe Utvik (Nor) Norway
DNF Thale Sofie Kielland Bjerk (Nor) Norway
DNF Mie Bjørndal Ottestad (Nor) Norway