Lizzy Armitstead claimed her first World Cup victory in the opening round at the 2014 Ronde van Drenthe today.
The British champion attacked from a chase group, and then proceeded to bridge himself the the lone leader Anna van der Breggen. From there, the British rider succeeded in out smarting the young Dutch rider in the two-woman sprint finish. Shelley Olds followed up from the chase group to take third place.
Van der Breggen, along with her teammate, Iris Slappendel, managed to escapee during the penultimate lap – subsequently building up a lead of almost a minute. Moreover, the duo was able to slightly increase their lead as a result of the field being briefly led off course.
However, this mishap only served to further the chase group’s determination to hunt down the two Rabo-Liv escapees – as they approached the final climb of the VAM-berg.
At the point, Van der Breggen decided to jettison Slappendel as they started the climb. Meanwhile, Armitstead attacked from the chase group, subsequently catching and passing Slappendel.
Armistead kept the pressure on and finally joined Van der Breggen inside the final 10 kilometers. From that point, the two riders worked in unison until the final 500 meters, when Armistead proceeded to wear her rival down by "stranding" her at the front. The tactic worked perfectly, as Armitstead surged in the final 200 meters to easily seize the win.
Top 10 Finishers
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