Joy for Barker and disappointment for Pooley in the women's time trial

Joy for Barker and disappointment for Pooley in the women's time trial

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Tuesday 18 September 2012
Report: Scott Hobro and Eddie Allen

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It was a day of mixed fortunes for Great Britain's women in the individual time trials, as Elinor Barker took gold in the Junior event, while 2011 bronze medallist Emma Pooley was edged out of the medals in a dramatic elite women's event.

Above: Disappointment for Pooley in the Elite Women's ITT.

Emma Pooley finished an agonising fourth, as reigning world champion Judith Arndt of Germany retained her title with a stunning performance on the 24.3km Limburg course.

The course featured two classic ‘bergs’, leading many to tout born climber Pooley as an odds-on favourite but it wasn’t to be on the day, with Pooley stopping the clock on 33:15.79 and slotting into behind then leader Evelyn Stevens of the USA, who’d ridden out of her skin earlier in the competition.

It was a tight scrap for podium positions from the first intermediate split, with Pooley marginally faster than Stevens at the first check. However Pooley’s advantage slipped by the second split and the Great Britain rider had it all to do as she approached the bottom of the steep Cauberg climb.

Pooley was the third last rider to go and behind her world champion Arndt and 2011 silver medallist Linda Villumsen were posting strong opening sectors. Climbing specialist Pooley hit the bottom of the famous Amstel Gold climb visibly faster than the opposition but was unable to wipe away the advantage that her rivals had accrued on the undulating plateau that characterised the midsection of the course.

Villumsen, starting after Pooley looked like she’d blown on the ‘berg but appearances were deceptive, as the Kiwi got back into her rhythm in the final 1.8kms to the finish, crossing the line in second and pushing Pooley into bronze medal position.

Hopes of a GB medal faded completely as Arndt powered up the Cauberg in a big gear, the German rider in her last World Championships and clearly determined to go out with a bang. Arndt’s earlier split times had been a cut above the rest, six seconds ahead of Pooley at the first split and 10 ahead of Steven’s at the second. The German star hammered home her advantage in the final third, stopping the clock on 32:26.46, the only rider to go under 33 minutes and claim back to back ITT world titles, with a delighted Evelyn Stevens taking silver ahead of Villumsen in Bronze.

Great Britain’s Wendy Houvenaghel entered the event on good form, after a win in the Chrono Champenois in France on Sept 9, and posted a 34:43.97, good enough for 4th at the time, the Londonderry born rider eventually dropping to 14th.

If it was disappointed for Pooley in the Elite event, it was joy earlier in the day for Great Britain’s Elinor Barker, who capped off a terrific year by taking the Junior Individual Time Trial world title.

The British Cycling Olympic Development Programme rider was the second to last to go out on the 15.6km course and led at both intermediate time checks, eventually finishing in 22:26.29 - 35 seconds clear of second place Cecile Uttrup Ludwig of Denmark.

Despite less than ideal conditions along the windswept and rainy course, Barker was in control from the start, 12 seconds clear of Ludwig at the first intermediate time check. She showed no signs of tiring and at the second check was 13 seconds up before showing her class as she stormed through the final section to take the gold medal.

For Barker - Great Britain’s only representative in the junior women’s time-trial - the gold follows the silver she won in the same event in Copenhagen last year and caps a superb 12 months which has seen her crowned European junior women's individual pursuit champion before she picked up a silver in the omnium and individual pursuit as well as a bronze in the team pursuit at the junior world track championships in New Zealand in August.

Results

Elite Women's Individual Time Trial

1 Judith Arndt (Germany) 0:32:26.46
2 Evelyn Stevens (United States) 0:00:33.77
3 Linda Melanie Villumsen (New Zealand) 0:00:40.57
4 Emma Pooley (Great Britain) 0:00:49.33
5 Eleonora Van Dijk (Netherlands) 0:00:54.01
6 Ina Teutenberg (Germany) 0:01:33.74
7 Amber Neben (United States) 0:01:43.42
8 Trixi Worrack (Germany) 0:01:44.56
9 Martina Sablikova (Czech Republic) 0:01:59.44
10 Shara Gillow (Australia) 0:01:59.75
11 Anna Van Der Breggen (Netherlands) 0:02:08.05
12 Emma Johansson (Sweden) 0:02:13.39
13 Tatiana Antoshina (Russian Federation) 0:02:16.07
14 Wendy Houvenaghel (Great Britain) 0:02:17.51
15 Elisa Longo Borghini (Italy) 0:02:20.52
16 Carmen Small (United States) 0:02:29.07
17 Natalya Boyarskaya (Russian Federation) 0:02:31.84
18 Audrey Cordon (France) 0:02:47.20
19 Edwige Pitel (France) 0:02:51.65
20 Patricia Schwager (Switzerland) 0:02:52.57
21 Joelle Numainville (Canada) 0:02:54.72
22 Rhae-Christie Shaw (Canada) 0:03:03.04
23 Martina Ritter (Austria) 0:03:04.78
24 Tjasa Rutar (Slovenia) 0:03:15.50
25 Cecilie Gotaas Johnsen (Norway) 0:03:19.76
26 Clemilda Fernandes Silva (Brazil) 0:03:19.78
27 Eugenia Bujak (Poland) 0:03:20.92
28 Rossella Ratto (Italy) 0:03:29.24
29 Sari Saarelainen (Finland) 0:03:29.62
30 Serika Guluma Ortiz (Colombia) 0:03:39.10
31 Anna Sanchis Chafer (Spain) 0:03:39.24
32 Olena Pavlukhina (Ukraine) 0:03:45.10
33 Olivia Dillon (Ireland) 0:03:46.87
34 Katarzyna Sosna (Lithuania) 0:03:54.13
35 Anna Nagirna (Ukraine) 0:03:55.76
36 Jarmila Machacova (Czech Republic) 0:04:08.18
37 Martyna Klekot (Poland) 0:04:18.81
38 Veronica Leal Balderas (Mexico) 0:04:26.21
39 Aleksandra Sosenko (Lithuania) 0:04:33.76
40 Kathryn Bertine (St Kitts & Nevis) 0:04:34.95
41 Mia Radotic (Croatia) 0:05:06.63
42 Semra Yetis (Turkey) 0:08:10.33

Junior Women's Individual Time Trial

1 Elinor Barker (Great Britain) 0:22:26.29
2 Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig (Denmark) 0:00:35.87
3 Demi De Jong (Netherlands) 0:01:03.13
4 Emily Roper (Australia) 0:01:08.18
5 Ramona Forchini (Switzerland) 0:01:10.42
6 Eva Mottet (France) 0:01:11.59
7 Christina Siggaard (Denmark) 0:01:13.26
8 Corinna Lechner (Germany) 0:01:13.35
9 Nicky Zijlaard (Netherlands) 0:01:14.84
10 Lourdes Oyarbide Jimenez (Spain) 0:01:15.26
11 Lotte Kopecky (Belgium) 0:01:19.07
12 Corine Van Der Zijden (Netherlands) 0:01:22.74
13 Stella Riverditi (Italy) 0:01:23.16
14 Alicja Ratajczak (Poland) 0:01:26.56
15 Anastasiia Iakovenko (Russian Federation) 0:01:26.80
16 Dana Lodewyks (Belgium) 0:01:27.46
17 Georgia Baker (Australia) 0:01:28.47
18 Addyson Albershardt (United States of America) 0:01:29.23
19 Allison Rice (Australia) 0:01:32.00
20 Katarzyna Niewiadoma (Poland) 0:01:32.71
21 Grace Alexander (United States of America) 0:01:36.64
22 Gulnaz Badykova (Russian Federation) 0:01:38.99
23 Hanna Helamb (Sweden) 0:01:39.13
24 Anna Knauer (Germany) 0:01:39.49
25 Milda Jankauskaite (Lithuania) 0:01:41.15
26 Simona Bortolotti (Italy) 0:01:43.73
27 Alexandra Nessmar (Sweden) 0:01:47.07
28 Yao Pang (Hong Kong, China) 0:01:55.35
29 Manon Bourdiaux (France) 0:01:56.35
30 Zavinta Titenyte (Lithuania) 0:01:57.71
31 Heidi Dalton (South Africa) 0:02:07.04
32 Sheyla Gutierrez Ruiz (Spain) 0:02:08.26
33 Claudia Buitrago Calderon (Colombia) 0:02:13.16
34 Katsiaryna Piatrouskaya (Belarus) 0:02:21.25
35 Erika Varela Huerta (Mexico) 0:02:22.63
36 Antonela Ferencic (Croatia) 0:02:34.07
37 Allyson Gillard (Canada) 0:03:06.37
38 Aliaksandra Kazlova (Belarus) 0:03:22.49
39 Olga Shekel (Ukraine) 0:03:36.91
40 Saskia Kowalchuk (Canada) 0:04:47.56