Aviva Women's Tour British Cycling - Road UCI Women's World Tour

Aviva Women’s Tour 2016 | Stage One

 

Luxemburg National Champion Christine Majerus wins the opening Aviva Women’s Tour race into Norwich, as the Boel Dolmans train lead-her-out in the closing kilometers.

WT2016_Stage1_Overview

 

Aviva Women's Tour 2016 | Stage One Southwold to Norwich - 20Km
Aviva Women’s Tour 2016 | Stage One Southwold to Norwich – 20Km
Stage One, June 15th 2016 Southwold to Norwich 132Kms.

 

Luxemburg National Champion Christine Majerus wins the opening race into Norwich, as the Boel Dolmans train lead-out in the closing kilometers.

 

After a riveting final twenty-five kilometers away that saw Cylance Pro Cycling’s Alison Tetrick almost clinch the victory, only to be caught with-in sight of the finish line. The scene has been set for the next four-days-of-racing as the Aviva Women’s Tour returns for a third successive year.

 

Ninety-One girls took the start in Southwold, before setting out on an eighty-nine kilometer journey away from the coast in Sussex.

Aviva Women's Tour 2016 | Stage One Southwold to Norwich - 20Kms
Aviva Women’s Tour 2016 | Stage One Southwold to Norwich – 20Kms

The first action of the day came only twelve kilometers-in and the Strava Queen of the Mountains competition saw a big effort from IIona Hoeksma [Parkhotel Valkenburg] taking the first points towards the polka-dot jersey.

 

As the race settled in, the peloton lit-up on the run-in to the Chain Reaction Points Sprint in Beccles with Liv Plantur lifting the pace before been swallowed-up by the General Classification contenders of Vos, Elvin and Armitstead battling the time bonuses that could play a crutial roll later in the day in what has been described as the Sprinters Stage of the Tour.

Aviva Women's Tour 2016 | Stage One Southwold to Norwich - Alison Tetrick - Cylance Pro Cycling
Aviva Women’s Tour 2016 | Stage One Southwold to Norwich – Alison Tetrick – Cylance Pro Cycling

A crash soon after saw half-a-dozen girls caught-out and Tetrick who won the days combativity award was one of the riders involved.

 

A long drag up-to the Strava Queen of the Mountains second climb was led by Orica AIS, but another big push by Hoeksma sealed the first Jersey of the Tour in this first UCI Women’s World Tour event here in the United Kingdom.

Aviva Women's Tour 2016 | Stage One Southwold to Norwich - Getting Ready! Team GB
Aviva Women’s Tour 2016 | Stage One Southwold to Norwich – Getting Ready! Team GB

The second Chain Reaction Points contest came soon after the eighty-five kilometer marker and Leah Kirchmann [Liv Plantur] lined the peloton up on the run into Pulham Market. Christine Majerus first place over the finish line puts her in the Points Jersey, but Vos on equal points will wear the jersey for Stage Two from Atherstone tomorrow.

 

Tetrick set about her solo ride to into Norwich with around twenty-five kilometers remaining. Gaining around one-fifty-six over the peloton, at five kilometers the gap had dropped to one-twenty-one.  Tetrick still had sixty-seconds going under the flame-rogue and looked like the victory was hers for the taking.

 

Boels Dolmans had other ideas and a four-rider train wound up the chase with World Champion Lizzie Armitstead contributing their efforts for Majerus.

Aviva Women's Tour 2016 | Stage One Southwold to Norwich - First Yellow, Christine Majerus
Aviva Women’s Tour 2016 | Stage One Southwold to Norwich – First Yellow, Christine Majerus

A rather technical twisty finish kept Tetrick out of sight as she stood out-of-the-saddle giving every pedal stroke her maximum effort. The speed of delivery from the chasing teams saw Majerus, Vos and Bronzinni sweep by Tetrick with under one-hundred meters remaining and coming around the final drag-to corner Majerus powered to victory and into the Tours first Yellow Jersey.

 

After careful consideration overnight, the commissionaires awarded the same finish time to the first seventy-nine riders over the line. Emma Pooley, Lisa Brennauer and Gracie Elvin found themselves on the wrong side of the time gap.

Aviva Women's Tour 2016 Stage One Southwold to Norwich, Stage winner Christine MAJERUS Boels Dolmans Cycling team
Aviva Women’s Tour 2016 Stage One Southwold to Norwich, Stage winner Christine MAJERUS Boels Dolmans Cycling team

 

Christine Majerus – Stage One Yellow Jersey Holder – Post Race Reaction.

 

Press: Did you look at the finish before today stage.

 

Christine: We suspected it would come down to a sprint. We had a look at the course yesterday, it’s really technical.

 

That was the plan, to lead me down to the final corner and the girls did a perfect job. I didn’t have to do anything in the race, so I just saved my legs for those last three-hundred-meters. I’m happy I could finish the work off.

 

Press: What about the breakaway? Did that change your plans that Tetrick held on for so long at the end? Were you concerned you weren’t going to catch her back?

 

Christine: I have to admit I didn’t really think about it. I was so focused on staying in the group in a good position. So when we turned left I wasn’t sure whether we had caught her back. I couldn’t see her coming up.

 

So yeh, it was a brave move, all credit to her.

 

It was going really fast in the final ten. I’m happy we could bring her back, but I wasn’t concerned.

 

Press: How did you feel when you crossed that line?

 

Christine: A big relief because it was pressure today being the leader for the last three-hundred meters. I have the best cyclists in the World riding for me today, so I have to win, there’s no excuse. It’s a big relief and I’m really, really happy to come back and have this Jersey again.

 

Press: What does the Women’s Tour mean for your-self in this Calendar winning stage one. How good is that going forward.

 

Christine: Yeh, this is one of the biggest races in the calendar this year and it’s moved up to World Tour. So this is actually my World Tour win which makes it better. We are really motivated to keep going and winning.

 

Alison Tetrick: I was able to make a bold move with around twenty-five kilometres to go, and you go as hard as you can!

 

You never believe you can win until you cross the line, but oh-man with ten metres to go – at that moment – I believed I could win. But to get past there was tough, but it was super exciting.

 

Hear Christine Majerus talking to the press on CyclingShorts in full.

Hear Alison Tetrick talking to the press on CyclingShorts in full.

 

Aviva Women's Tour 2016 | Stage One Southwold to Norwich - ParkHotel Valkenburgh RT
Aviva Women’s Tour 2016 | Stage One Southwold to Norwich – ParkHotel Valkenburgh RT

 

Roll of Honor for Stage One

 

Stage winner 26 MAJERUS Christine Boels Dolmans Cyclingteam LUX

Combativity award 126 TETRICK Alison Cylance Pro Cycling USA

 

General classification Aviva

26 MAJERUS Christine Boels Dolmans Cyclingteam LUX

 

Points Chain Reaction Cycles

26 MAJERUS Christine Boels Dolmans Cyclingteam LUX

 

Queen of the mountain Strava

103 HOEKSMA Ilona Parkhotel Valkenburg Continental Team NED

 

Best British Adnams

21 ARMITSTEAD Elizabeth Boels Dolmans Cyclingteam GBR

 

Best young Stoke-onTrent European City of Sports

43 MACKAIJ Floortje Team Liv – Plantur NED

 

Best Team Aviva

Raboliv WomencyclingteamRBW

 

Overall leader – Yellow Aviva

26 MAJERUS Christine Boels Dolmans Cyclingteam LUX

 

Points – Blue and white Chain Reaction Cycles

91 VOS Marianne Raboliv Womencyclingteam NED

 

Queen of the Mountain – Polka Strava

103 HOEKSMA Ilona Parkhotel Valkenburg Continental Team NED

Aviva Women's Tour 2016 Stage One, Best British Adnams Lizzy ARMITSTEAD Boels Dolmans Cycling team
Aviva Women’s Tour 2016 Stage One, Best British Adnams Lizzy ARMITSTEAD Boels Dolmans Cycling team

Best British –  Cyan and pink Adnams

21 ARMITSTEAD Elizabeth Boels Dolmans Cyclingteam GBR

 

Best Young – White Stoke-on-Trent European City of Sport

43 MACKAIJ Floortje Team Liv – Plantur

Aviva Women's Tour 2016 | Stage One Southwold to Norwich - Spotlight on World Champion Lizzie Armitstead
Aviva Women’s Tour 2016 | Stage One Southwold to Norwich – Spotlight on World Champion Lizzie Armitstead

Stage One Top Twenty

 

1 26 MAJERUS Christine 00″ DLT LUX B:10″

2 91 VOS Marianne ‘ ‘ RBW NED B:09″

3 13 BRONZINI Giorgia ‘ ‘ WHT ITA B:04″

4 31 BASTIANELLI Marta ‘ ‘ ALE ITA

5 81 LEPISTÖ Lotta ‘ ‘ CBT FIN

6 42 KIRCHMANN Leah ‘ ‘ TLP CAN B:03″

7 92 BRAND Lucinda ‘ ‘ RBW NED

8 126 TETRICK Alison ‘ ‘ CPC USA

9 15 LONGO BORGHINI Elisa ‘ ‘ WHT ITA

10 43 *MACKAIJ Floortje ‘ ‘ TLP NED

11 36 TREVISI Anna ‘ ‘ ALE ITA

12 103 HOEKSMA Ilona ‘ ‘ PHV NED

13 116 RADOTIC Mia ‘ ‘ BTC CRO

14 16 PIETERS Amy ‘ ‘ WHT NED

15 11 JOHANSSON Emma ‘ ‘ WHT SWE

16 12 D’HOORE Jolien ‘ ‘ WHT BEL

17 5 CROMWELL Tiffany ‘ ‘ LPR AUS

18 21 ARMITSTEAD Elizabeth ‘ ‘ DLT GBR B:01″

19 121 *RATTO Rossella ‘ ‘ CPC ITA

20 111 BUJAK Eugenia ‘ ‘

Aviva Women's Tour 2016 | Stage One Southwold to Norwich - Boels Dolmans Cycling Team
Aviva Women’s Tour 2016 | Stage One Southwold to Norwich – Boels Dolmans Cycling Team

 

Aviva Women's Tour 2016 | Stage One Southwold to Norwich - Canyon SRAM
Aviva Women’s Tour 2016 | Stage One Southwold to Norwich – Canyon SRAM

 

Aviva Women's Tour 2016 | Stage One Southwold to Norwich - Team GB
Aviva Women’s Tour 2016 | Stage One Southwold to Norwich – Team GB

 

 

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