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Tour de l'Aude 2009

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Preview 2009 Tour de l'Aude

Preview

The first of the 'big tours' of the 2009 season, gets under way on Friday in southeast France. The Tour de l'Aude is a tough stage race and tests the mental stamina of the teams, their ability to work together and the mid-season fitness of the riders. 

Team Flexpoint have a strong team and will be looking to defend the 2008 title of Susanne Ljunskog (then riding for Menikini) and she will be looking to win the event for a third time in a row. A notable challenger who is missing is Judith Arndt (Team Columbia Highroad Women). Arndt is still recovering from a broken wrist sustained in her first race back after breaking her collar bone before the season started. Team Columbia do have a strong team and their formidable sprinter, Ina Yoko Teutenberg, if she wins a stage in 2009, will become the winner of the most ever stages in Aude's history. In 2008 she equalled the all-time number of stage wins, previously held alone by (retired) compatriot, Petra Roßner. The record currently stands at 15 stage wins each.  Teutenberg typically wins at least one stage, so 2009 could be a year for rewriting the records. Teutenberg seems to like the hard rolling roads and long breaks and regularly features in a small breakaway which usually results in her winning the stage. She also features in the sprint finishes on the realitvely flatter stages. Luise Keller won the Route de France last year and was only held back in the 2008 edition of Aude by a crash where she injured her knee.

Nicole Cooke (Vision 1 Racing) returns to the event. Cooke has a team that could work well for her. In the past Cooke has been able to get result without a strong team, so with Vision 1 will be a rider to watch. Vikki Whitelaw has raced Aude in National colours in the past (Australia) and gained a podium place in 2008 in the mountains, where she won a stage.

Sharon Laws return to race with the Great Britain team and could factor in the mountain stages, where she performed so well in 2008. 

This year's event probably holds the best potential for a big win for Equipe Nurnberg, they have a strong team and Trixi Worrack (who has stage wins in Aude in the past and was third in 2008) and former winner overall, Amber Neben, have shown good early season form. Most recently, Worrack was third, winning the bunch sprint in the hilly Tour De Berne World Cup (a week before the start in Aude). 

Cervelo Test Team have publically targeted this race in their calendar. They have some strong time triallists and solid stage performers. Kristin Armstrong should feature in the top of the field, whilst Emma Pooley will be looking to exorcise the demons of her relatively poor performance in 2008. Claudia Hausler is a strong climber and performs well in the longer stage races. Carla Ryan is included in the provisional start list, but a team media release (13 May 2009) indicates that she is still recovering from her broken jaw and subsequent surgery from the crash in Gelderland in late April and will not start.

Bigla have a few strong riders, Noëmi Cantele is fit and racing well at the moment, whilst team-mate, Nicole Brandli is a known strength in the longer stage races and is a reknowned climber.  

Marianne Vos (DSB Bank) can never be underestimated, Vos has some strength in the DSB Bank team to support her, Angela Hennig, Liesbeth DeVocht and Tina Liebig can all perform in their own right too . 

Lotto-Belisol Ladies Team may feature in some of the shorter stages if they can pull together. They have some young talented riders, in particular the British track star Lizzy Armitstead to ride alongside Grace Verbeke and Rochelle Gilmore.

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