2015 Philadelphia Int. Cycling Classic, June 7 1.2/WRWC

[Libertine Seguros]

What the actual hell? A handful of dropped riders wound up going into the péloton riding backwards on the course to get back to their team buses. Dangerous as hell and, as we now know thanks to Porte & Clarke, completely against the rules.

 

[BigMac]

Re:

Worst of all, they were being escorted by a race car?

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Tiffany Cromwell attacks now, Emilie Møberg following. Things start to get serious from here on in, I think.

 

[BigMac]

High pace!

 

[Hugo Koblet]

Wasn't this 1.HC not long ago?

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Re:

Wasn't this 1.HC not long ago?

Yes, until 2012. It was 1.2 in 2013, 1.1 last year, and now back to 1.2.

Women's race hotting up now, group is shrunk down, only around 20 in the front group now, Guarnier attacking in the national champion's kit. Trying to see if Bronzini or Rivera has made the group. Armitstead is in there, very quiet thus far.

Edit: looks like Rivera has. Think we've spotted Bronzini in there, but can't see the rainbow stripes on the jersey so not sure. Charlotte Becker going for the "attacking didn't work the first 18 times, they won't be expecting a 19th!" approach. And it seems like it might have a chance of working this time, the group behind looked at each other until she's got out of their sight.

 

[BigMac]

Nice effort from Becker, can she do it.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Also gives Bjørnsrud and Møberg a free ride in the group. Boels not wanting to chase. Wiggle probably need to do some work, but don't want to burn either Bronzini or Armitstead as a match. Kirsten Wild running interference. Becker's not a great climber but she can get a defendable gap before the Wall if Hitec block this one up enough. Doesn't look like she will though.

 

[BigMac]

Ye, the pack coming in fast. Alé Cipollini puts one in the front. That's Dalia Muccioli.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Re:

Ye, the pack coming in fast.

Gonna be a (Men's) Flèche Wallonne style sprint up the Manayunk Wall, looks like. Muccioli the latest to try from before the wall, around 3k out. She won the nationals on a similar circuit in 2013, and last year she was 4th in the Giro dell'Emilia, although the field wasn't all that strong there - shows she's not to be taken that lightly though.

 

[BigMac]

Re: Re:

Ye, the pack coming in fast.

Gonna be a (Men's) Flèche Wallonne style sprint up the Manayunk Wall, looks like.

Let's see, it would be a pity. Dalia has a nice gap.

edit: They're again approaching.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Re: Re:

Muccioli is a pure climber, too much work on the flat before the Wall for her. Majerus now leading out a Boels train of pain (!?!?). My commentary stream announced "*** is about to get real" (in those words).

Right, here we go!

Coryn Rivera still there on the climb, very very impressive and unexpected. Going to get swamped, I think. Total chaos on my stream unfortunately. Just a bit of a mess but the last few metres cleared up. Lizzie Armitstead wins, ahead of ELB and Amialiusik. She's really improved her punch in the last two years, this (and Flèche of course) would have been out of her remit a while ago.

 

[BigMac]

Re: Re:

Muccioli is a pure climber, too much work on the flat before the Wall for her. Majerus now leading out a Boels train of pain (!?!?). My commentary stream announced "**** is about to get real" (in those words).

Really? haha

ps: Tayler Wiles is mounstrous.

And we hit the wall!

 

[Jancouver]

Reminder: itrs live now at http://live.philadelphiainternationalcyclingclassic.com/

 

[BigMac]

Armitstead takes it, what a drag!





Libertine?

 

[BigMac]

Christine Majerus with a key ride for Lizzie.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Hitec did a lot of work for very little reward at the end there, although without a couple of their biggest names in the race they were banking on something happening with the Becker attack I think. Armitstead is in good form, assume that the Tour of Britain is where she's headed now (would seem far more appropriate for her as a rider and sponsors than the Emakumeen Bira or the Giro del Trentino)

 

[Libertine Seguros]

1 Lizzie Armitstead (Boels-Dolmans) GBR
2 Elisa Longo Borghini (Wiggle-Honda) ITA
3 Alena Amialiusik (Velocio-SRAM) BLR
4 Shelley Olds (Bigla) USA
5 Coryn Rivera (United Healthcare) USA
6 Evelyn Stevens (Boels-Dolmans) USA
7 Leah Kirchmann (Optum p/b Kelly Benefit Strategies) CAN
8 Lex Albrecht (Optum p/b Kelly Benefit Strategies) CAN
9 Maria Giulia Confalonieri (Alé-Cipollini) ITA
10 Brianna Walle (Optum p/b Kelly Benefit Strategies) USA
11 Joëlle Numainville (Bigla) CAN
12 Eugenia Bujak (BTC City Ljubljana) POL
13 Lauren Stephens (Team TIBCO-SVB) USA
14 Megan Guarnier (Boels-Dolmans) USA
15 Lauren Rauck Komanski (Team Twenty16 p/b Sho-Air) USA

 

[BigMac]

Well, good races. Hope the ladie's race keeps it's status and the men step up a bit.

 

[mikeNphilly]

Had a blast watching both races, and even got a couple of laps in myself this morning in the Bicycling Open. Glad you guys got to watch on streaming video. They had a jumbo tron at Lemon Hill, so people could watch(that was missing over the years). Crowds were large and cheered both races on. The Wall was its usual great place to watch, and Lemon Hill was fantastic, and get better every year. The convoy even dropped 5 cases of beer off that they had ran up to get, to restock one of the tents.
I had forgotten Horner was in this, but was hoping Carpenter would do well, he got the Sprint "jersey" and was working hard all day, local guy and all.
I really hope the Women's race stays at the status, and hopefully the men's race climbs back to the status it had, which takes nothing away from the effort of the riders of today.