Netherlands' Markerink powers to juniors' win

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By Kip Mikler, VeloNews editor

Photo: Graham Watson

With a powerful finishing kick disguised by her small build, 17-year-old Loes Markerink of the Netherlands won Friday’s junior women’s road race, adding a gold medal to the silver that she collected in Monday’s time trial. Markerink survived several crashes, 12 trips up Hamilton’s steep Niagara Escarpment, and a flurry of last-lap attacks to become the first double medal winner at the 2003 world road championships.

“This race was very hard,” Markerink said of the six-lap, 73.8km race through the streets of Hamilton, Ontario. “In Holland there are no hills. For me, this was different.”

Markerink snaked her way around Russian Irina Tolmacheva and powered up the right side of Main Street to win the final sprint contested by a group of 11 survivors at the end of the race.

With three days of time trials competition completed, the junior women’s field was the first to race on Hamilton’s tough road course Friday morning. Cool temperatures and fog hungg over the escarpment overlooking downtown, as the field got off to a nervous start.

“I did the Canadian nationals [here] and there were some big crashes, so I made sure I was at the front on the first lap,” said Larssyn Staley, one of two Americans to start the race. “I heard lots of crashes behind me.”

With two climbs per lap — the shorter Beckett Street climb, and the long, open Claremont climb — in a circuit of just 12.4km, there was little time to rest. The German team applied early pressure at the front of the 58-rider field, causing riders to start dropping off the back almost immediately.

“There’s not much time between the climbs,” said Staley, who struggled in the hills but battled back to the main field several times to eventually finish 30th, 6:54 behind Markerink’s winning time of 2:05:39.

After three of six laps, with the sun starting to burn off the morning fog, dozens of riders had been shed from the main field. The German team still had all four of its starters in the lead group, though, and was setting the tempo on the climbs.

“The tactics of the German team were to have an aggressive race,” said Sabine Fischer, who would go on to finish third in the final sprint. Fischer’s bronze medal brought Germany’s medal count to five, one ahead of the Netherlands and Russian, which each had four after the junior women’s road race.

Also looking aggressive at the midway point of the race was the Australian team, which had three riders in the mix, as well as Tolmacheva, who had tried several attacks. Home favorite Audrey Lemieux of Canada was also in the lead group and made a breakaway attempt at the top of the Claremont climb on the third lap.

On the fifth lap, two riders, Valentina Gavrilova of Russia and Elisabeth Brandau of Germany, attacked on the climb to put an 8-second gap over the lead group, now down to 28 riders. The field momentarily let up coming through downtown Hamilton to start the final 12.4km lap, and Gavrilova and Brandau increased their cushion to 30 seconds halfway up the Beckett Drive climb.

The Aussies weren’t willing to let the two go, however, and the team began its chase, stringing out the field. As the group came over the top of the escarpment and made the left-hand turn onto Fennel Avenue, the two breakaways had been caught and the main group split into three.

Lemieux, the top North American hope at that point, put in an effort on the first climb to catch the break, but when the other attacks came over the top, she was unable to respond.

“Maybe that was a little bit of an error,” Lemieux said. “After the first hill I was dropped a little bit. I tried to catch back but I couldn’t. At the second hill there were lots of attacks again.”

When the remaining contenders hit the final climb of Claremont with 4km to go, Tolmacheva made a move over the top and was followed by Aussie Kate Nichols. The chasers made a frantic attempt to catch the two on the final descent of James Mountain Road, heading toward the finishing stretch on Main Street.

Coming around the left-hand turn onto Main Street, the lead group, now down to 11, was led by Tolmacheva. Markerink came around on the right side of the road and powered away in a long sprint.

Photo: Graham Watson

“There were two ahead of me and I caught them in the corner, and then I just sprinted,” Markerink said with a smile. “It worked, I won.”

After coming across second for the silver, Tolmacheva crashed, cutting her chin on the pavement. The Russian was patched up by medics, and she was able to go to the podium to except her silver medal.

Lemieux went on to finish 19th, the top performance by a North American.

Photo Gallery

Results

1. Loes Markerink (Nl), 73.8km in 2:05:39

2. Irina Tolmacheva (Rus)

3. Sabine Fischer (G)

4. Knöpfle Bianca (G)

5. Laura Bozzolo (I)

6. Candice Sullivan (Aus)

7. Karolina Konieczna (Pol)

8. Stephanie Williams (Aus)

9. Kate Nichols (Aus)

10. Monika Furrer (Swi), all s.t.

11. Loes Sels (B), at 0:32

12. Inga Cilvinaite (Lit)

13. Sara Peeters (B)

14. Ekaterina Tretyakova (Rus)

15. Iryna Shpilyova (Ukr)

16. Claudia Haeusler (G)

17. Daiva Tuslaite (Lit)

18. Laura Telle (Lat)

19. Audrey Lemieux (Can)

20. Mermillod Eugènie (F)

21. Valentina Gavrilova (Rus)

22. Elisabeth Brandau (G), all s.t.

23. Joan Boskamp (Nl), at 0:36

24. Yolandi Du Toit (RSA), 1:35

25. Emmanuelle Merlot (F), 2:51

26. Ly Paat (Est)

27. Nadja Bachmann (Swi)

28. Jennifer Hohl (Swi), 1:20

29. Alna Burato (F)

30. Larssyn Staley (USA)

31. Milda Galdikaite (Lit)

32. Magdalena Zamolska (Pol)

33. Aude Pollet (F)

34. Svetlana Pauliukaite (Lit)

35. Martina Faccin (I)

36. Marta Jimenez Jimenez (Sp)

37. Moniek Rotmensen (Nl)

38. Francesca Andina (I), 2:27

39. Natalya Figurskaya (Ukr), 1:56

40. Anna Tratnyek (Can), 1:07

41. Debora Galvez Lopez (Sp)

42. Normak Kata-liina (Est)