Road World Cup 2009

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Marianne Vos (DSB Bank) followed up her 2007 series victory by taking the 2009 World Cup Champion title in Nurnberg on Sunday. The Dutchwoman started the race as series leader with a slim, 12 point, margin over second placed Emma Johansson (Red Sun Cycling). She finished sixth in the race, ahead of Johansson and secured the overall victory, Johansson was second. Race honours went to Kirsten Wild (Cervelo Test Team), who also took third place overall in the World Cup.

The race was relatively sedate throughout the ten 12.9 kilometre laps of the city streets circuit in Germany. There was some last-third activity, with Equipe Nurnberger and DSB Bank making some attacking moves, but the race seemed destined to come down to a sprint.

With the team title already decided, Cervelo Test Team, the 2009 title winners decided to target the individual win in the final round. They were trying for their fifth World Cup victory of the year.

There were attacks coming thick and fast in the closing 30 kilometres, it was a tough job for any of the teams to keep control of the race. As the race made its way back into the city streets, with the unique technical aspects which city circuits bring; tram tracks, narrow sections, sharp corners, first Equipe Nurnberger, then Team Columbia-HTC took to the front to try to set up their various sprinters. However, with 600 metres to go, German lead-out specialist, Sarah Duester began to lead out Cervelo Test Team. Their nominated rider and the eventual race winner, Kirsten Wild admitted that she thought it was too early, but the die had been cast. The finale had been unleashed.

A charge through the final, narrow bend at just a few hundred metres to go saw Wild emerging at the front. She never looked troubled coming to the line and was able to sit up and give a victory salute as she crossed the finish line. She beat Rochelle Gilmore (Lotto Belisol) by almost a length, whilst Ina-Yoko Teutenberg (Team Columbia-HTC) beat fourth-placed Kirsty Broun (Australia) a couple of lengths behind the winner. Suzanne de Goede (Equipe Nurnberger) was fifth.

Marianne Vos (DSB Bank) sprinted hard to the line. She knew that to be absolutely sure of the World Cup series win, she would have to finish in front of Emma Johansson and she made sure of that by finishing sixth. Johansson (Red Sun Cycling) was thirteenth, which gave her second place behind Vos. Despite the race win by Wild and despite starting the day in third place overall, Kirsten Wild (Cervelo Test Team) could not numerically catch either of the pair, even with her win.

This was the closest fought World Cup competition for several years. The lead changed hands several times. Both Marianne Vos (DSB Bank) and Emma Johansson (Red Sun Cycling) professed that they like the jersey and both were obviously keen to win it as Champion. In the closing rounds of the competition, they swapped leadership and competed hard to regain the top spot. It was an exciting series, which exhibited the thrilling and tactical racing which the women and their teams have displayed throughout the year.