Elizabeth Armitstead seals triumph for Garmin-Cervelo in final stage of Thuringia Tour
Garmin-Cervelo team’s Elizabeth Armitstead won the sixth and final stage of Internationale Thuringen Rundfahrt der Frauen 2011 in Altenburg on Sunday, July 24. Emma Johansson maintained her overall leader’s yellow jersey.
The 22-year-old British world champion Armitstead covered the distance of 100 kilometres with the timing of 2 hours, 30 minutes and 22 seconds.
Judith Arndt of HTC-Highroad women was runner-up with same timing of Armitstead. Natalia Boyarskaya of Russian Federation was in third place with difference of 5 seconds.
Hanka Kupfernagel (Horizon Fitness RT), Elke Gebhardt (Germany) and Trixi Worrack (AA Drink - Leontien.nl Cycling Team) were in fourth, fifth and sixth place respectively.
The race leader Emma Johansson was in ninth place ahead of Daphny Van den Brand and Nathalie Lamborelle.
With a few kilometres to go, the group of three cyclists made their first breakaway including, Ina Yoko Teutenberg (HTC Highroad Women), Emma Johansson (Hitec Products – UCK) and Chloe Hosking (HTC Highroad Women). All of them managed to gain a prefect lead
and got away.
Johansson launched an attack but failed to hold her pace and Teutenberg took the first and second sprint. After few kilometres to go, all of them were caught by the peloton and new group is formed Claudia Hausler took the third sprint while Armitstead increase
her pace and cross the finish line ahead of other cyclists.
Johansson took the overall lead with the timing of 15 hours, 30 minutes and 44 seconds. Amber Neben was runner-up with 6 seconds and Shara Gillow finished third with 32 seconds behind Emma.
Emma said, "The women of Team High Road have chased me until the last kilometer, but I'm glad I could play them a trick with the sprints, The women of High Road have until the last mile with me hunting, but I'm glad I at the intermediate sprints could ridicule.”
Emma Pooley took the overall King of Mountain title with 22 points ahead of Svetlana Boubnenkova with 12 points. Trixi Worrack took the title of most aggressive rider standing ahead of Denise Ramsden.
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