WomensCycling.net

Home

2005 Archive (and earlier)

WCN quicklink >> Stage 1 Stage 1 Full Stage 2 Stage 2 Full Stage 3 Stage 3 Full Stage 4 Stage 4 Full

Stage 5 Stage 5 Full Stage 6 Stage 6 Full Stage 7A Stage 7 A Full Stage 7B Stage 7B Full

Stage 8 Stage 8 Full Stage 9 Stage 9 Full Stage 10 Stage 10 Full

On this page >> Write-up Comments Results General Classification Photos

Tour de l'Aude

Stage 9

Axat - Station de ski Majanes Donezan, 98km

Race Website

Race Writeup

This was the hardest stage of the race - 98km and a lot of them uphill. There were 2 'hors category' climbs and a lot of rolling countryside in-between. The ride from Axat to Majanes Donezan took a picturesque course through beautiful Pyrenean valleys and villages. There was a strong headwind again today, just to add to the rider's challenge.

The attacks came early, with Trixi Worrack (Nurnberger) making an early attempt to get away, but the Buitenpoort-Flexpoint pair of Amber Neben and Susanne Ljungskog went after her. They put in a big effort at the foot of the first HC climb (Col du Garaval) and went away together. By the summit, they were away by over a minute, a gap which they maintained to the finish.

At the finish, there was a double celebration; Neben raised a celebratory fist as she became the new race leader and Ljunskog took the stage with a punch in the air.

The race was blown apart, Judith Arndt (T-Mobile), Claudia Hauser (Nurnberger), Priska Doppmann (Univega), Edita Puckinskaite (Nobili), and jersey leaders, Svetlana Bubnenkova (Colnago Fenixs) (mountains) and Madeleine Sandig (Buitenpoort-Flexpoint) (young rider) were the only to manage a finsih within 10 minutes of the leading pair.

Edwige Pitel (Bianchi Aliverti) finished next, she is going to be sore overnight. A fall on some train tracks very early in the stage meant that she has grazed much of the skin from her right thigh. Those remaining in the race finished in small groups.

Back to Top

Post Race Comments

When asked whether it is possible to defend the yellow jersey on the final stage on Sunday, Amber Neben replied "Its possible, but its going to be difficult." Neben took over the race lead today and could be back-to-back winner of the Tour overall, depending upon the result of Stage 10.

Back to Top

Results - Top 10 - click here to see full result

Position	Surname	Name	Team	E = U23	Time / Gap	Bonus
1	LJUNGSKOG	Susanne	BFL		3h 17' 37"	10"
2	NEBEN	Amber	BFL		same	6”
3	WORRACK	Trixi	NUR		1’ 12”	4"
4	PUCINSKAITE	Edita	NMC		3’ 1”
5	DOPPMANN	Priska	UPT		same
6	HAUSLER	Claudia	NUR	E	3’ 26”
7	ARNDT	Judith	TMP		3’ 51”
8	SANDIG	Madeleine	BFL	E	4’ 49”
9	BUBNENKOVA	Svetlana	FEN		same
10	PITEL	Edwige	ALI		10’ 0”

Back to Top

General Classification Top 10 - click here to see full GC

Position	Surname	Name	Team	E = U23	Time / Gap
1	NEBEN	Amber	BFL		21 h 7’ 5”
2	LJUNGSKOG	Susanne	BFL		00’ 14”
3	WORRACK	Trixi	NUR		01’ 25”
4	DOPPMANN	Priska	UPT		02’ 13”
5	PUCINSKAITE	Edita	NMC		02’ 36”
6	SANDIG	Madeleine	BFL	E	03’ 47”
7	ARNDT	Judith	TMP		04’ 29”
8	HAUSLER	Claudia	NUR	E	04’ 59”
9	BUBNENKOVA	Svetlana	FEN		05’ 51”
10	SALVETAT	Maryline	FRA		09’ 09”

Back to Top

Photos Click on any image to enlarge >>

Back to Top

Want to contact WomensCycling.net?

The WomensCycling.net email address is

To contact the webmaster, the address is :

Type this address into the "To" line of a new email message in your email programme.

The WomensCycling.net email address is displayed as a graphic in order to reduce the amount of 'spam' email received from programmes which 'crawl' the internet for sites with addresses displayed in text and then overwhelm that address with junk, or even forge the address in junk messages that they generate and send to others. Sorry for any inconvenience this approach causes you.