07/06/2004 EKO TOUR: Tre su tre di Giorgia Bronzini WACHOVIA LIBERTY CLASSIC: Rossner a segno, Schleicher è decima. WORLD CUP MTB: Gunn-Rita Dahle inarrestabile, è tris di Coppa. Uno-due e come non bastasse anche tre di Giorgia Bronzini all’Eko Tour in Polonia terminato con il trionfo della nazionale italiana e la vittoria finale di Tatiana Guderzo. In gara anche Noemi Cantele, Tania Belvederesi e Silvia Parietti. La plurititolata piacentina ha fatto sue le prime tre frazioni salendo così a quota 5 successi stagionali. Il bilancio per la squadra azzurra guidata da Rosario Fina è dunque a dir poco strepitoso con quattro tappe vinte in cinque tappe: tre di Giorgia Bronzini e una della Guderzo. ''Dire che sono contento è poco – ha dichiarato il tecnico ina – come ho già detto anche alle ragazze, sono estremamente soddisfatto di come si sono comportate in gara. Avevo chiesto loro di essere in forma per il mese di giugno, per consentirmi di fare le giuste valutazioni in vista della scelta olimpica (che sarà definitiva dopo la Settimana Tricolore). Le ho trovate non solo ben preparate, ma anche molto affiatate: sono riuscite a stupirmi per come hanno lavorato in squadra. Davvero un risultato ottimo per tutte loro ''. Stage 5 - June 9 1 Tatiana Guderzo (Ita) 3.07.18 2 Maja Wloszczowska (Pol) Polish National MTB Team 0.12 3 Bogumila Matusiak (Pol) MKS Start Peugeot Lublin 2.57 4 Magdalena Sadlecka (Pol) Polish National MTB Team 3.01 5 Birgit Sollner (Ger) 3.11 Final general classification 1 Tatiana Guderzo (Ita) 12.56.26 2 Maja Wloszczowska (Pol) Polish National MTB Team 1.10 3 Bogumila Matusiak (Pol) MKS Start Peugeot Lublin 2.52 4 Charlotte Becker (Ger) 3.30 5 Natalia Bojarska (Rus) 4.02 6 Birgit Hollmann (Ger) 4.13 7 Zinaida Stachurska (Blr) 4.13 8 Birgit Sollner (Ger) 4.28 9 Anke Wichmann (Ger) 4.36 10 Magdalena Sadlecka (Pol) Polish National MTB Team 4.40 Stage 4 - June 8: 118,8 km Results 1 Giorgia Bronzini (Ita) 2 Zinaida Stahurskaia (Blr) 3 Tanja Hennes (Ger) General classification after stage 4 1 Anke Wichmann (Ger) Team Toyota 9.49.01 2 Bogumila Matusiak (Pol) Start Peugeot Lublin 0.03 3 Charlotte Becker (Ger) 0.06 4 Tatiana Guderzo (Ita) 0.12 5 Natalia Bojarska (Rus) 0.48 6 Birgit Hollmann (Ger) 0.49 Stage 2 - June 6: Piotrków Trybunalski - Piotrków Trybunalski, 118 km 1 Giorgia Bronzini (Ita) 2 Tanja Hennes (Ger) 3 Tania Belvederesi (Ita) 4 Zinaida Stahurskaia (Blr) 5 Sarah Duster (Ger) Stage 1 - June 5: Wloclawek - Wloclawek, 130 km 1 Giorgia Bronzini (Ita) 2 Tanja Hennes (Ger) 3 Wolha Chajewa (Blr) 4 Zinaida Stahurskaia (Blr) 5 Sarah Duster (Ger) PHILADELPHIA - Petra Rossner owes a lot to her teammate Judith Arndt. After a rather uneventful first three laps of the women's Wachovia Liberty Classic, Rona's Katrina Grove launched an attack the last time up Lemon Hill. Almost immediately, Rossner's faithful lieutenant Judith Arndt jumped on Grove's wheel. Up and around Lemon Hill, Arndt stuck on the Rona rider like glue, breathing down her neck and not letting her out of sight. "Historically, that's where a break will go in the end," Grove explained. "That's where Lyne attacked last year. You give it a chance, because what have you got to lose? At that point, it wasn't about (Arndt) being on my wheel, it's about the pack being [behind us]. I wasn't thinking about dropping Judith, I was just hoping about keeping the pack off. When asked about seeing Judith Arndt stuck to her rear wheel, Grove replied, "I thought, 'Oh great! (laughs) Maybe, just maybe, SHE wants to win this year! So maybe... (laughs).' No, she was just waiting for the group to come so she could just do one hard pull for Petra." Down onto the finishing straight, the Nürnberger-led peloton drove the pace and finally swallowed up Grove and Arndt. But Arndt's work was not finished. "Judith (pronounced you-dit), get on the front," radioed Rossner. "By the time we were on Logan Circle, and I jumped from the back to Judith's wheel and I told her to give it all." And on the front Arndt went, giving it full gas around Logan circle and finally pulling off with 250 meters to go. Then it was all Rossner, a straight line to the finish. The six time champion had no doubts from that point on. When asked whether or not she thought about letting Arndt have the win to herself after going with the break, Rossner replied, "It was brilliant when she went, and I was like, 'Go, just go... you can kick her ass in the sprint!' But she was like, we better save it." Arndt made her intentions very clear. "I was just hoping that the bunch came back because I wanted Petra to win. She's the star in this race and we work all for her." The highest placed under-23 rider was Quark's Sarah Uhl, who said she still has things to learn riding in a world class peloton. "It was a brawl out there. It's all about patience. You have to choose your wheel wisely, and I kind of gave up a little bit. I was on Petra and somehow abandoned it and it wasn't the wisest choice. But I have some more years to learn how to do it right." When Uhl gave up the golden wheel, Victory Brewing's Gina Grain was on the spot. "In the final sprint I focused on keeping my position and grabbed Petra's wheel - I knew that was a good wheel to have. Petra went and I just couldn't come around here. It's still a big result for me." One of the American favourites, Tina Mayolo-Pic had a rougher time getting to the head of the pack today, settling for teammate Laura Van Gilder's third place. "It was good, it was hard. This sprint is always weird because people are diving everywhere and breaks are going. But Laura finished it off at the end. I got bad position through Lemon Hill and chased all the way through the feed zone. Rossner was extra sentimental about winning today. She announced today that she is retiring from racing at the end of this year. "It was wonderful teamwork, as usual, I just finished it off and I am very happy about it. Especially because it was my last time." (report by Mark Zalewski) Results - June 6: Philadelphia 14.4 mile circuit, 57.6 miles/90.56km 1 Petra Rossner (Ger) Nurnberger 2 Gina Grain (Can) Victory Brewing 3 Laura Van Gilder (USA) Genesis Scuba FFcc 4 Becky Conzelman (USA) Spin Cycles Duke Sports Medicine 5 Laura Yoisten (Can) Canadian National Team 6 Sarah Uhl (USA) Team Quark 7 Anita Valen (Nor) Team S.A.T.S. 8 Alison Wright (Aus) Nobili Rubinetteri Guerciotti 9 Joanne Kiesanowski (NZl) Colavita Olive Oil 10 Regina Schleicher (Ger) Safi Pasta Zara Manhattan WORLD CUP MOUNTAIN BIKE Thousands of mountain bike fans made it up to the Highlands of Scotland this weekend for the third XC World Cup of the year and the opening round of the downhill and four-cross events. The first triple-header of the year took place in the shadow of Ben Nevis, Britain's highest mountain and considering the distance of Fort William from the rest of the UK, the thousands of fans lining the course was a great indication that mountain bike racing is still alive and well in the UK. Gunn-Rita makes it three for three Gunn-Rita Dahle secured her third win of three World Cup races this year at Fort William. On a very tough, technical (but dry) course, she led from the start and never really looked in any danger of losing her lead. The only real danger would have been from a puncture or a fall on the technical bits of the course - of which there were many. The course has been added to since last year - a popular course with the 'real' mountain bike racers but not so popular among the less technically gifted. While her lead was never really in danger, behind her there was a bunch of Canadians battling it out, with Marie-Helene Premont coming in second at 1'46 and a sprint for third, which saw Kiara Bisaro pipping Alison Sydor for the line. Gunn-Rita's nearest rival in the overall points, Irinia Kalentiva was fifth. This leaves Gunn-Rita in a confident first place in the UCI rankings. (report by Chipps Chippendale in Fort William - www.cyclingnews.com) 1 Gunn-Rita Dahle (Nor) Multivan Merida Biking Team 2 Marie-Helene Premont (Can) 1.46 3 Kiara Bisaro (Can) 4 Alison Sydor (Can) 5 Irina Kalentieva (Rus) Multivan Merida Biking Team Gunn-Rita Dahle (Multivan Merida Biking Team) Photo ©: Chipps Chippendale