Crash ends Kiwi's Fleche Wallonne Feminine hopes

Apr 22nd, 10.  Jo Kiesanowski was one of two Kiwis competing in La Fleche Wallonne Feminine today.  While her team rode a great race their chances of podium success crashed alongside teammate Ruth Corset.

Cervelo Test Team's Emma Pooley won the 109km women's La Fleche Wallonne with an 8sec lead over her podium companions.

Kiesanowski's US based Team Tibco had high hopes of being on the podium but bad luck struck when their lead rider Ruth Corset crashed from the small front group as she passed over railroad tracks.  

Corset is the Australian National Road Champion, but she is well known to Kiwis as the two time Queen of the Mountain in the NZCT Women's Tour of New Zealand and as part of the former Jazz Apple New Zealand run team.

"It was a heartbreaking day for us," Kiesanowski told RoadCycling.co.nz.  "We were so confident in Ruth, so sure she would've been first or 2nd!! She was first over the Mur de Huy the first time, riding very strong."

Kiesanowski, who was in the lead group with Corset until 11km to go, said Ruth is fine with just a few good cuts to show for her tumble.

"Our team rode amazingly the whole race so we have a lot of confidence going into Sunday's Roeselare race and then into Tour d L'Aude. Even though it was such a disappointing race for us today we know there was nothing more we could've done! Just bad luck happens sometimes, we will have our chance!" she added.

The other Kiwi in the race was Linda Villumsen - she drove from Milan for the race. Her HTC Columbia team worked hard throughout the race controlling the many attacks.  

They were the dominant team at the front of the peloton as they tried to get Judith Arndt in the right position for the final climb up the Mur de Huy.  In the end Evelyn Stevens was the best placed HTC Columbia rider in 5th with Arndt 9th and Villumsen 51st.

Top 10 women's results

1. Emma Pooley - CERVELO TEST TEAM 3h 01' 27"
2. Nicole Cooke - GRANDE-BRETAGNE +00'08"
3. Emma Johansson - REDSUN CYCLING TEAM +00'08"
4. Grace Verbeke - LOTTO LADIES TEAM + 00' 12"
5. Evelyn Stevens - HTC COLUMBIA WOMEN  + 00' 17"
6. Marianne Vos - NEDERLAND BLOEIT + 00' 22"
7. Tatiana Guderzo - TEAM VALDARNO  + 00' 22"
8. Elena Berlato - TOP GIRLS FASSA BORTOLO - GHEZZI + 00' 27"
9. Judith Arndt - HTC COLUMBIA WOMEN  + 00' 40"
10. Eleonora Patuzzo - SAFI-PASTA ZARA MANHATTAN  + 00' 42"

... 44. Joanne Kiesanowski - TIBCO-TO THE TOP  + 02' 25"

... 51. Linda Villumsen -  HTC COLUMBIA WOMEN + 04' 56"