Columbia-Highroad's Linda Villumsen takes the Tour de l’Aude Féminin prologue
Columbia-Highroad's Linda Villumsen won Friday's prologue at the Tour de l’Aude Féminin, the most prestigious stage race in the world of professional women’s cycling.
Villumsen, the Danish national time trial champ, won the 3.9 km prologue through the French town of Gruissan in 4:52.22. American Kristin Armstrong (Cervelo) and Amber Neben (Nürnberger Versicherung) were fourth and sixth, both three seconds behind Villumsen and separated by a fraction of a second. Sandwiched between was Columbia's Ina Teutenberg in fifth.
Published May 15, 2009 04:44PM
Armstrong, Neben are three seconds back at the 10-day stage race.
Columbia-Highroad’s Linda Villumsen won Friday’s prologue at the Tour de l’Aude Féminin, the most prestigious stage race in the world of professional women’s cycling.
Villumsen, the Danish national time trial champ, won the 3.9 km prologue through the French town of Gruissan in 4:52.22. American Kristin Armstrong (Cervelo) and Amber Neben (Nürnberger Versicherung) were fourth and sixth, both three seconds behind Villumsen and separated by a fraction of a second. Sandwiched between was Columbia’s Ina Teutenberg in fifth.
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“I only knew I’d gotten the best time when I saw a couple of race officials chasing after me when I’d crossed the finish line,” Villumsen said. “I was quite surprised they told me I was the fastest, because I’d wanted to do well but I’ve only ever won one prologue before. Normally I always seemed to finish somewhere in the top five without ever winning, so I told the race officials to check their times again. But when they insisted, I had to believe them!”
A race with history
The ten-day race runs through May 24 and includes 860 total kilometers of racing.
The racecourse winds through the mountainous region of Southern France, and includes climbs in the Pyrenees and along the Mediterranean coast.
The 2009 edition marks the 25th anniversary of the race, which was first won in 1985 by American Jeanette Parks. The winner’s list at l’Aude reads like a who’s who of professional women’s cycling over the last quarter century: the ageless Jeannie Longo won the 1988 and 1993 editions; Dutch star Leontien Van Moorsel took top honors in 1991; Canada’s Lyne Bessette won in 1999 and 2001; Judith Arndt in 2002 and 2003; and Susanne Ljungskog scored back-to-back wins in 2007 and 2008.
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The race has also been kind to North Americans. Americans Phyllis Hines and Julie Young won in 1986 and 1992, and Canada’s Linda Jackson, now director of the California-based Tibco women’s squad, won in 1997.
The most recent North American champion is Neben, who took the overall in 2005 and 2006. Neben, the current world time trial champion, took the 2005 edition by just one second ahead of German Trixi Worrack.
Neben is back this year, riding alongside Worrack on the German Nürnberger Versicherung team. The team’s primary goal will be to dethrone Ljungskog, who in 2008 traded the yellow jersey with Arndt before taking a decisive win on the race’s climb-filled queen stage. This year Ljungskog heads up the Flexpoint squad.
Arndt is not at at the 2009 edition. The Columbia-Highroad strongwoman has suffered a string of injuries this year including ones resulting from a collision with a car. Columbia will look to riding stars Chantal Beltman and Emilia Fahlin.
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Armstrong, the 2008 Olympic time trial champion, is also a favorite to challenge for the victory. Armstrong finished third at the 2005 edition; however she has proven to be on great form this year. Riding without teammates, Armstrong handily won New Mexico’s Tour of the Gila, winning three of the race’s four stages and breaking Longo’s long-standing time trial record by almost two minutes. And most recently she took her first-ever World Cup victory at Switzerland’s Tour de Berne.
Armstrong will headline the Cervelo TestTeam alongside British rider Emma Pooley.
Other North Americans competing in the race are Canadians Moriah MacGregor, Julie Beveridge, Carrie Cartmill, Heather Logan, Sarah Stewart and Jenny Trew (all Canadian National Team), Audrey Lemieux and Joelle Numainville (both ESGL93-GSD Gestion).