09/06/2004 DURANGO EMAKUMEN SARIA - Vince Joanne Somarriba Da giovedì Emakumen Bira (Basque Women's Tour) The women's peloton arrived in Durango, Pais Vasco today to contest the Durango Emakumeen Saria, the one day classic that traditionally precedes the Emakumen Bira (Basque Women's Tour) beginning Thursday. And just to show the visitors whose home it is, Bizkaia Panda's Joanne Somarriba soloed home into the main drag of Fray Juan Zumarraga Kale to take the victory twenty four seconds ahead of her nearest chaser, another veteran champion of the women's peloton, Jolanta Polikeviciute. Somarriba managed to dislodge her main rivals over the two Cat. 2 climbs that dominated the latter part of the race profile. The first climb of Montekalbo saw Spanish state champion and local Durango hero, Eneritz Iturriaga, out of the saddle driving at high speed a small group of contenders up the 10% ramps. On her wheel was Somarriba and Iturriaga's teammate Fabiana Luperini tucked in behind her. Iturriaga closed down the day's early break away pair of Janildes Silva Fernandes (USC) and Martina Corrazza (LGF). As the capture was sealed Somarriba attacked during the final kilometre and it was Luperini who initially hunted her down. Coming home over Muniketagane, which has within its ascent even steeper ramps (both climbs are 6-7 kms long), Somarriba managed to leave her opponents behind by the top. Iturriaga crashed on the descent; it was her first race back after a distaerous accident in the Vuelta a Castille Leon, but she was back on the bike and in the hunt during the final 5 kms on the way home to the finish. But in the end no one could find Somarriba's wheel again. After the race the Tour de France winner said it was good to be racing at home and that she was looking forward to Thursday's start of the Bira, a race that she has always watched since she was young and in which she hopes to do well. Her main focus for the year, however, remains the Athens Olympics in August. Australians Kate Bates and Emma James finished a respectable 3.29 behind in the peloton on a hot day which saw out of the 84 starters, 20 abandons and 19 riders finishing outside the time limit. For Bates the hilly Basque course was a long way from the track racing she has been concentrating on in recent months. But both she and Emma were looking forward to the challenging Bira later in the week. (Martin Hardie - www.cyclingnews.it) Results 1 Joane Somarriba Arrola (Spa) Bizkaia-Panda Soft-Durango - km 113 3.07.35 2 Jolanta Polikeviciute (Ltu) USC Chirio Forno D'Asolo 0.24 3 Edita Pucinskaite (Ltu) S.C. Michela Fanini Record Rox 0.45 4 Valentina Polkhanova (Rus) Nobili Rubinetterie-Guerciotti 0.57 5 Eneritz Iturriaga (Spa) Team Let's Go Finland 1.45 6 Nicole Brändli (Swi) S.C. Michela Fanini Record Rox 7 Fabiana Luperini (Ita) Team Let's Go Finland 1.47 8 Marianna Lorenzoni (Ita) Team Aliverti-Bianchi-Kookai 1.49 9 Rosa María Bravo Soba (Spa) Gruas Tinlohi 2.44 10 Sandrine Marcuz Moreau (Fra) Midi-Pyrenees 20 Iryna Chuzhynova (Ukr) Safi-Pasta Zara/Debabarrena 3.29 29 Gessica Turato (Ita) Safi-Pasta Zara/Debabarrena 3.55 34 Erika Vilunaite (Ltu) Safi-Pasta Zara/Debabarrena 8.09 38 Nekane Lasa Agirre (Spa) Safi-Pasta Zara/Debabarrena