August 22, 2014 (Switzerland) – Specialized-Lululemon have won the UCI Women Road World Cup team time trial in Vårgårda in an impressive manner. The American team beat Rabo-Liv by one minute and 21 seconds. Boels-Dolmans were third at two minutes and 33 seconds.

Evelyn Stevens, Trixi Worrack, Lisa Brennauer and Carmen Small were already part of the team that won the Vårgårda event in 2013. Chantal Blaak and Karol-Ann Canuel joined the team this season.

“They are not new to the team,” Stevens commented with a smile. “They fit right in and they did great. A big thanks goes out to everyone: our staff, our equipment sponsors, everyone.”

Rabo-Liv were not content with the performance they put on. In 2013 they only gave in 38 seconds on Specialized-Lululemon. This year the margin of Marianne Vos, Annemiek van Vleuten, Thalita de Jong, Roxane Knetemann, Anna van der Breggen and Lucinda Brand more than doubled.

“We have to see where we can improve,” said Dutch Time Trial Champion Annemiek van Vleuten. “We lost almost a minute on Specialized-Lululemon after 16 kilometres only. We didn’t have the strongest team out here. Pauline Ferrand Prévot for example isn’t here and she is pretty fast too.“

The 42,5 kilometre team time trial took place in pouring rain and cold circumstances. Most of the 15 teams faced the same cicrcumstances though the last three teams to start did so in a torrential downpour. Later on in the race the rain eased up but teams were still cautiously taking the turns on the wet roads.

The winning team set off at 6pm sharp. After 16,4 kilometres of straight roads to Herrljunga, Specialized-Lululemon already put in 50 seconds on Rabo-Liv. And the differences would only mount as USA time trial silver and bronze medal winners Stevens and Small, German Champion Brennauer, Worrack, Blaak and Canuel went full throttle back to Vårgårda.

At the second split time, after 31,9 kilometres, the leaders had only taken eight seconds more on Rabo-Liv but almost two minutes on Boels-Dolmans already.

Specialized-Lululemon dealt the final blow in the last 10,6 kilometres which took place on the same circuit as Sunday’s road race: a technical final loop with a 500 metre climb and many turns on wet surface.

“We didn’t go full gas through the turns, Carmen Small commented. But the American title contenders didn’t have to. In the fastest time ever ridden on the Vårgårda team time trial course they took their third consecutive title. With a bigger margin on the competition than ever before the third world title in Ponferrada next months seems like a formality.

Lizzie Armitstead with Time Trial World Champion Ellen van Dijk, Luxembourg Champion Christine Majerus, Romy Kasper, Megan Guarnier and Kasia Pawlowska came in third. Armitstead keeps the leader’s jersey in the UCI Women Road World Cup. She extends her lead on Emma Johansson of Orica-AIS, who finished fourth, by five points to 130 points with two races to go.

Results

1.    Specialized – Lululemon    (USA)    52:12.3
Trixi Worrack    (USA)
Evelyn Stevens    (USA)
Karol-Ann Canuel    (USA)
Lisa Brennauer    (USA)
Chantal Blaak    (USA)

2.    Rabo Liv Women Cycling Team    (NED)    1:21.0
Marianne Vos    (NED)
Thalita De Jong    (NED)
Annemiek Van Vleuten    (NED)
Anna Van Der Breggen    (NED)

3.    Boels Dolmans Cycling Team    (NED)    2:33.2
Elizabeth Armitstead    (NED)
Christine Majerus    (NED)
Megan Guarnier    (NED)
Eleonora Van Dijk    (NED)

4.    Orica – Ais    (AUS)    2:51.0
Emma Johansson    (AUS)
Melissa Hoskins    (AUS)
Valentina Scandolara    (AUS)
Shara Gillow    (AUS)

5.    Bigla Cycling Team    (SUI)    3:54.6
Lotta Lepistö    (SUI)
Jacqueline Hahn    (SUI)
Vera Koedooder    (SUI)
Elke Gebhardt    (SUI)
Taryn Heather    (SUI)

6.    Estado De Mexico Faren    (MEX)    4:11.4
Elena Cecchini    (MEX)
Arianna Fidanza    (MEX)
Rossella Ratto    (MEX)
Maria Giulia Confalonieri    (MEX)

7.    Team Giant-Shimano    (NED)    4:18.8
Kirsten Wild    (NED)
Floortje Mackaij    (NED)
Sara Mustonen    (NED)
Claudia Häusler    (NED)

8.    Rusvelo    (RUS)    5:05.4
Alexandra Burchenkova    (RUS)
Oxana Kozonchuk    (RUS)
Anastasiya Chulkova    (RUS)
Elena Kuchinskaya    (RUS)

9.    Hitec Products    (NOR)    5:22.5
Julie Leth    (NOR)
Cecilie Gotaas Johnsen    (NOR)
Sara Olsson    (NOR)
Miriam Bjørnsrud    (NOR)
Emilie Moberg    (NOR)

10.    Tibco / To The Top    (USA)    5:45.2
Lauren Stephens    (USA)
Jasmin Glaesser    (USA)
Joanne Kiesanowski    (USA)
Amanda Miller    (USA)

11.    Parkhotel Valkenburg Continental Team    (NED)    6:47.3
Monique Van De Ree    (NED)
Rozanne Slik    (NED)
Natalie Van Gogh    (NED)
Pauliena Rooijakkers    (NED)

12.    Btc City Ljubljana    (SLO)    7:00.7
Eugenia Bujak    (SLO)
Mia Radotic    (SLO)
Polona Batagelj    (SLO)
Martina Ritter    (SLO)
Ursa Pintar    (SLO)

13.    Team Rytger    (DEN)    8:26.0
Kamilla Sofie Valin    (DEN)
Kelly Markus    (DEN)
Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig    (DEN)
Henriette Woering    (DEN)

14.    Astana Bepink Womens Team    (ITA)    9:00.5
Susanna Zorzi    (ITA)
Kseniia Dobrynina    (ITA)
Marzhan Baitleuova    (ITA)
Alice Maria Arzuffi    (ITA)

15.    Servetto Footon    (ITA)    9:30.3
Sari Saarelainen    (ITA)
Natalia Boyarskaya    (ITA)
Marina Likhanova    (ITA)
Anna Potokina    (ITA)