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High Road's Judith Arndt wins women's Tour of Flanders
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German ace Judith Arndt out-kicked American Kristin Armstrong to win the women’s Tour of Flanders, the third round of the 2008 UCI women’s World Cup. It was the fourth career World Cup victory for Arndt, the silver medalist from the 2004 Olympics, and the first for her team under its new High Road label.
“It was a perfect victory; a perfect day for us,” said Arndt. “It was a team victory.”
Indeed, the U.S. squad spent most of the day with two riders, Chantal Beltman and Luise Keller, in the day’s seven-woman breakaway. They were joined by Noemi Cantele (Bigla), Sarah Duster (Cervelo-Lifeforce), Giorgia Bronzini (Italian National), Emma Johansson (PL-DS) and Marianne Vos (Rondhuls Thijs), the recently crowned world champion in the points race. The seven built a sizable lead, with more than a minute’s advantage still separating them from the peloton with 40km remaining.
The 110km women’s race follows much of the final 100 kilometers of the men’s Tour of Flanders, including the arm-rattling Paddestraat section of cobblestones and the Wolvenberg, Berendries and Muur-Kapelmuur climbs. The course leaves out the brutal Peterburg and Koppenburg cobbled climbs, often defining sectors in the men’s event.
The break was reabsorbed up the Murr-Kapelmuur, with roughly 18 surviving the course’s infamous climb, which comes just 20km from the finish. Armstrong’s Cervelo-Lifeforce team then took turns attacking. The American was the third team member to take a dig just after the day’s final climb, the Bosberg, and her move proved effective. Arndt bridged to the streaking American with 7km remaining and the stage was set for a sprint.
“I wanted to let her jump first and then close the gap, said Armstrong, who briefly stalled as the duo approached the finish line in Meerbeke, just outside of Ninove.
But Arndt proved the stronger of the two in the sprint; Armstrong was unable to come around the streaking German at the line.
The second-place finish marked a World Cup best for Armstrong, the 2006 UCI world time-trial champion. The Idaho native finished fifth at the 2003 Geelong World Cup, but had yet to land on the podium.
“It’s bittersweet. When you’re in a two-up sprint you always want to win,” Armstrong said. “It’s a good result for the team.”
