Strade Bianche 2019 [LAST 15 KM + Ceremony Awards] (woman)

March 09, 2019

Strade Bianche 2019 – Siena – Siena : 136 km

This year’s Strade Bianche is only the 14th edition of the men’s race, but the spectacular racing, the stunning route and the obvious pleasure the riders get from racing on the dirt tracks across the hills of Tuscany have lead to suggestions that Strade Bianche is already the sixth Monument of the season. Race organiser RCS Sport have dubbed Strade Bianche ‘Europe’s southernmost northern Classic’.

Annemiek van Vleuten (Mitchelton-Scott) ended the 2018 season with a fractured knee cap but confirmed she is already back to her best with a solo victory at Strade Bianche, the first race of the UCI Women’s WorldTour, on Saturday.

The time trial world champion attacked alone on the final, steep section of dirt road and time trialled to victory as her rivals hesitated in their chase.

She opened a 45-second lead and held it on the steep final climb of Via Santa Caterina up to central Siena, celebrating her solo win in the Piazza il Campo. Annika Langvad (Boels Dolmans) finished second at 37 seconds, with Katarzyna Niewiadoma Canyon-SRAM third at 40 seconds.

World champion Anna van der Breggen was distanced from the big-name group that tried to chase van Vleuten on the final climb and finished ninth at 1:28.

125 riders from 21 teams set out on the 136km course starting and finishing in Siena. The main difficulties were the eight sectors of the gravel roads that gave the race its name. Ranging in length from 800 metres to 9.5km, a total of 31.6km were to be raced on the eponymous strade bianche.

A first break of four riders formed after 16km, but they were caught again on the second gravel sector.

Team Sunweb and CCC-Liv took charge of the peloton early in the race. On the fourth sector, the peloton split for the first time, but came back together on the asphalt. It was on sector five, the longest at 9.5km and starting with 67.5km to go, that the race started in earnest. Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig (Bigla) had to chase back after a puncture, and Amanda Spratt (Mitchelton-Scott) crashed and had to abandon the race.

Several attacks led to splits in the peloton but, in the end, a group of about 35 riders left the sector together, with additional riders coming back from behind. There were 25 kilometres to the sixth sector – but this didn’t stop riders from attacking. A group of 12 briefly got clear and, although their attack did not last long, another split led to a front group of 23 riders.

A move by Karol-Ann Canuel (Boels Dolmans), Hannah Barnes (Canyon-SRAM), Jeanne Korevaar (CCC-Liv), Julie van de Velde (Lotto Soudal Ladies), Audrey Cordon-Ragot (Trek-Segafredo), and Lucinda Brand (Team Sunweb) built a gap of 24 seconds before being reeled in with 33km to go.

The next attack came from Canuel, Elena Cecchini (Canyon-SRAM), and Tayler Wiles (Trek-Segafredo). The trio was caught on the sixth gravel sector, and then a group of 11 went clear on the seventh sector ending with 17km to go. The race would be decided between world champion Anna van der Breggen, Chantal Blaak, Langvad (all Boels Dolmans), Ludwig, Niewiadoma, Marianne Vos (CCC-Liv), Ashleigh Moolman-Pasio (CCC-Liv), Van Vleuten, Janneke Ensing (Team Sunweb), Marta Bastianelli (Team Virtu Cycling), and Ruth Winder (Trek-Segafredo).

Those 11 traded attacks continuously, though nobody would get a gap until Blaak and Ensing made a move with 13.5km to go, just before the start of the final gravel sector. Blaak left Ensing behind but faltered on the 18 per cent climb and was caught by Van Vleuten, who continued on her own. Vos and Niewiadoma tried to follow the Dutchwoman but could not close the gap.

Showing why she is the reigning ITT world champion, Van Vleuten added to her advantage on the following kilometres and could enter the final kilometre 46 seconds ahead of the chase group. In the end, she could celebrate on the Piazza del Campo as she soloed to victory just over five months after fracturing her knee in the Innsbruck World Championships Road Race.

Further behind, nine riders came onto the final climb up the steep Via Santa Caterina together. After a strong surge by Niewiadoma, it was Langvad who reached the corner at the top first and finished second in her first-ever Women’s WorldTour race. The Polish rider rounded out the podium.

With her win, Van Vleuten takes the lead in the UCI Women’s WorldTour ranking, picking up where she left off after having won the classification in 2018.

Results :
1 Annemiek Van Vleuten (Ned) Mitchelton Scott 3:48:49
2 Annika Langvad (Den) Boels Dolmans Cyclingteam 0:00:37
3 Katarzyna Niewiadoma (Pol) Canyon-Sram Racing 0:00:40
4 Marta Bastianelli (Ita) Team Virtu Cycling 0:00:44
5 Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig (Den) Bigla
6 Ashleigh Moolman-Pasio (RSA) Ccc-Liv 0:00:51
7 Marianne Vos (Ned) Ccc-Liv 0:00:52
8 Janneke Ensing (Ned) Team Sunweb 0:00:54
9 Anna Van Der Breggen (Ned) Boels Dolmans Cyclingteam 0:01:28
10 Chantal Blaak (Ned) Boels Dolmans Cyclingteam 0:01:50
11 Ruth Winder (USA) Trek-Segafredo 0:02:50
12 Tatiana Guderzo (Ita) Bepink 0:03:33
13 Eri Yonamine (Jpn) Ale Cipollini
14 Soraya Paladin (Ita) Ale Cipollini 0:03:35
15 Aude Biannic (Fra) Movistar Team Women 0:03:36
16 Ellen Van Dijk (Ned) Trek-Segafredo
17 Leah Thomas (USA) Bigla 0:03:38
18 Shara Gillow (Aus) Fdj Nouvelle-Aquitaine Futuroscope 0:03:39
19 Jeanne Korevaar (Ned) Ccc-Liv 0:03:41
20 Audrey Cordon Ragot (Fra) Trek-Segafredo
21 Alena Amialiusik (Blr) Canyon-Sram Racing 0:03:44
22 Julie Van De Velde (Bel) Lotto Soudal Ladies
23 Clara Koppenburg (Ger) Wnt Rotor Pro Cycling Team
24 Anastasiia Chursina (Rus) Btc City Ljubljana 0:03:47
25 Lucy Kennedy (Aus) Mitchelton Scott 0:03:50
26 Michela Balducci (Ita) Aromitalia-Basso Bikes-Vaiano
27 Rasa Leleivyte (Ltu) Aromitalia-Basso Bikes-Vaiano 0:03:53
28 Claudia Koster (Ned) Wnt Rotor Pro Cycling Team 0:04:08
29 Lucinda Brand (Ned) Team Sunweb 0:04:17
30 Rachel Neylan (Aus) Team Virtu Cycling 0:04:19
31 Anouska Koster (Ned) Team Virtu Cycling 0:04:34
32 Romy Kasper (Ger) Ale Cipollini 0:04:45
33 Malgorzata Jasinska (Pol) Movistar Team Women
34 Karol-Ann Canuel (Can) Boels Dolmans Cyclingteam 0:04:49
35 Jip Van Den Bos (Ned) Boels Dolmans Cyclingteam 0:04:58
36 Evita Muzic (Fra) Fdj Nouvelle-Aquitaine Futuroscope 0:05:19
37 Tayler Wiles (USA) Trek-Segafredo 0:05:22
38 Liane Lippert (Ger) Team Sunweb
39 Hannah Barnes (GBr) Canyon-Sram Racing
40 Marta Cavalli (Ita) Valcar Cylance Cycling 0:06:22
41 Riejanne Markus (Ned) Ccc-Liv 0:07:30
42 Tiffany Cromwell (Aus) Canyon-Sram Racing
43 Elena Cecchini (Ita) Canyon-Sram Racing 0:09:33
44 Paulien Rooijakkers (Ned) Ccc-Liv 0:09:36
45 Alicia Gonzalez Blanco (Spa) Movistar Team Women 0:09:41
46 Erica Magnaldi (Ita) Wnt Rotor Pro Cycling Team 0:10:08
47 Alison Jackson (Can) Team Tibco-Silicon Valley Bank
48 Elise Chabbey (Swi) Bigla 0:11:59
49 Sofia Bertizzolo (Ita) Team Virtu Cycling 0:12:55
50 Juliette Labous (Fra) Team Sunweb
51 Katia Ragusa (Ita) Bepink 0:13:00
52 Grace Brown (Aus) Mitchelton Scott
53 Leah Kirchmann (Can) Team Sunweb
54 Eugenia Bujak (Slo) Btc City Ljubljana 0:13:04
55 Lara Vieceli (Ita) Wnt Rotor Pro Cycling Team 0:13:05
56 Sofia Beggin (Ita) Aromitalia-Basso Bikes-Vaiano 0:13:20
57 Jessica Allen (Aus) Mitchelton Scott
58 Barbara Guarischi (Ita) Team Virtu Cycling 0:13:46
59 Greta Richioud (Fra) Fdj Nouvelle-Aquitaine Futuroscope 0:15:00
60 Coryn Rivera (USA) Team Sunweb
OTL Diana Carolina Peñuela Martinez (Col) Ale Cipollini
OTL Danielle Christmas (GBr) Lotto Soudal Ladies
OTL Victorie Guilman (Fra) Fdj Nouvelle-Aquitaine Futuroscope
OTL Paula Andrea Patiño Bedoya (Col) Movistar Team Women
OTL Sara Penton (Swe) Team Virtu Cycling
OTL Agnieszka Skalniak (Pol) Ccc-Liv
OTL Mikayla Harvey (NZl) Bigla
OTL Debora Silvestri (Ita) Eurotarget-Bianchi-Vittoria
OTL Anna Potokina (Rus) Servetto-Piumate-Beltrami Tsa
OTL Jelena Eric (Srb) Ale Cipollini
OTL Hannah Ludwig (Ger) Canyon-Sram Racing
OTL Maria Vittoria Sperotto (Ita) Bigla
OTL Annelies Dom (Bel) Lotto Soudal Ladies
OTL Gloria Rodriguez Sanchez (Spa) Movistar Team Women
OTL Lourdes Oyarbide Jimenez (Spa) Movistar Team Women
OTL Christine Majerus (Lux) Boels Dolmans Cyclingteam
OTL Rozanne Slik (Ned) Team Tibco-Silicon Valley Bank
OTL Greta Marturano (Ita) Top Girls Fassa Bortolo
OTL Laura Tomasi (Ita) Top Girls Fassa Bortolo
OTL Anna Plichta (Pol) Trek-Segafredo
OTL Lauretta Hanson (Aus) Trek-Segafredo
OTL Nicole Hanselmann (Swi) Bigla
OTL Letizia Borghesi (Ita) Aromitalia-Basso Bikes-Vaiano
DNF Georgia Williams (NZl) Mitchelton Scott
DNF Nadia Quagliotto (Ita) Ale Cipollini
DNF Carmela Cipriani (Ita) Aromitalia-Basso Bikes-Vaiano
DNF Giulia Marchesini (Ita) Aromitalia-Basso Bikes-Vaiano
DNF Tereza Medvedova (Svk) Bepink
DNF Chiara Perini (Ita) Bepink
DNF Silvia Zanardi (Ita) Bepink
DNF Vania Canvelli (Ita) Bepink
DNF Hanna Nilsson (Swe) Btc City Ljubljana
DNF Maaike Boogaard (Ned) Btc City Ljubljana
DNF Urška Žigart (Slo) Btc City Ljubljana
DNF Anja Longyka (Slo) Btc City Ljubljana
DNF Elena Franchi (Ita) Eurotarget-Bianchi-Vittoria
DNF Alice Gasparini (Ita) Eurotarget-Bianchi-Vittoria
DNF Lisa Morzenti (Ita) Eurotarget-Bianchi-Vittoria
DNF Beatrice Rossato (Ita) Eurotarget-Bianchi-Vittoria
DNF Charlotte Bravard (Fra) Fdj Nouvelle-Aquitaine Futuroscope
DNF Maëlle Grossetete (Fra) Fdj Nouvelle-Aquitaine Futuroscope
DNF Demi De Jong (Ned) Lotto Soudal Ladies
DNF Marie Dessart (Bel) Lotto Soudal Ladies
DNF Puck Moonen (Ned) Lotto Soudal Ladies
DNF Amanda Spratt (Aus) Mitchelton Scott
DNF Sara Casasola (Ita) Servetto-Piumate-Beltrami Tsa
DNF Markéta Hájková (Cze) Servetto-Piumate-Beltrami Tsa
DNF Kseniia Dobrynina (Rus) Servetto-Piumate-Beltrami Tsa
DNF Mónika Király (Hun) Servetto-Piumate-Beltrami Tsa
DNF Yevgeniya Vysotska (Ukr) Servetto-Piumate-Beltrami Tsa
DNF Ingrid Drexel Clouthier (Mex) Team Tibco-Silicon Valley Bank
DNF Nina Kessler (Ned) Team Tibco-Silicon Valley Bank
DNF Kendall Ryan (USA) Team Tibco-Silicon Valley Bank
DNF Elisa Dalla Valle (Ita) Top Girls Fassa Bortolo
DNF Elena Leonardi (Ita) Top Girls Fassa Bortolo
DNF Maja Perinovic (Cro) Top Girls Fassa Bortolo
DNF Martina Stefani (Ita) Top Girls Fassa Bortolo
DNF Maria Giulia Confalonieri (Ita) Valcar Cylance Cycling
DNF Vittoria Guazzini (Ita) Valcar Cylance Cycling
DNF Asja Paladin (Ita) Valcar Cylance Cycling
DNF Silvia Persico (Ita) Valcar Cylance Cycling
DNF Ilaria Sanguineti (Ita) Valcar Cylance Cycling
DNF Gabrielle Pilote-Fortin (Can) Wnt Rotor Pro Cycling Team
DNF Sarah Rijkes (Aut) Wnt Rotor Pro Cycling Team