Charlotte Becker wins final stage as Megan Guarnier takes overall lead in Giro della Toscana 2011
HTC Highroad Women Team’s Charlotte Becker outpaced the three-woman breakaway on the final stage of Premondiale Giro Toscana Int. Femminile 2011 on Sunday, September 18. Megan Guarnier was the first American cyclists to win the pre-World stage race and take
the overall leader’s jersey.
The race started in Lucca and ended in Firenze. The 28-year-old Becker took a total of 2 hours, 20 minutes and 18 seconds to cover the distance of 110 kilometres. Svetlana Boubnenkova of Russian Federation was runner-up with the same timing of Sprinter.
MCipollini-Giambenini Team’s Fabiana Luperini, the five-time Giro d’Italia winner finished third with a difference of 2 seconds while Giorgia Bronzini was in fourth spot with 26 seconds behind Becker.
HTC-Highroad’s sports director Ronny Lauke said, "We knew we had to get a girl in the break. There were a lot of attacks, ongoing through the whole stage today.”
In the beginning of the stage, the peloton worked together and Amber Pierce (Diadora-Pasta Zara) was the only cyclist who launched an attack. With 33 kilometres to go, the two cyclists were able to get away including Petra Dijkman (Dolmans Landscaping) and
Silvia Valsecchi (Top Girls-Fassa Bortolo) but they failed to gain a lead over the peloton. Although, both of them managed to stay away, Dijkman took the first climb of the stage.
With few kilometres to go, Bubnenkova launched an attacked and took maximum points in the second climb ahead of Fabiana Luperini. However, in the final kilometres, the German cyclist increased her pace and crossed the final line ahead of other riders.
Lauke explained, "At eleven kilometers to go, Charlotte took off with two other riders and outsprinted them. It was a great win to watch."
Previously, Becker took the first place in GP Ciudad de Valladolid and National Road Race Championships in 2010. She also secured first spot in Holland Ladies Tour in 2008.
Megan Guarnier finished safely in the overall standing with a time of 13 hours, 38 minutes and 59 seconds while Claudia Hausler was in second spot at 50 seconds adrift. Rasa Leleivyte (Vaiano Solaristech) finished third with a difference of 1 minute and
32 seconds.
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