Liberty Classic champion for a fourth year

Jun 7th, 10.

Ina-Yoko Teutenberg, four time Liberty Classic Champion ©TDWSport.com

The 90km race, which included four climbs up the 17% gradient Munayunk Wall, took its toll with only 22 riders remaining in the front group for the finish line sprint.

Kiwis Jo Kiesanowski and Cath Cheatley, who both love this race, were there in that front group helping their teammates contest the win.

Despite her opposition's Kiwi help, it was Teutenberg who took the victory over Peanut Butter & Co. Twenty 12's Shelly Evans.

Impressively, this was Teutenberg's fourth win in this race.

Cheatley's Colavita/Baci sprinter Theresa Cliff-Ryan was 3rd and Kiesanowski's Team Tibco sprinter Brooke Miller finished 4th.

Teutenburg had Kiwi help too, but earlier in the race.   Linda Vilumsen was part of the strong HTC Columbia team who controlled the tough race ensuring the couple of solo breaks were neutralised.

The temperature and difficulty of the race took its toll, with a much reduced peloton after the third of four laps.  The pace rose again on the final lap as the HTC Columbia led peloton pulled in a final solo break attempt.

In the heat of the final climb the field splintered with only 22 of the 120 starters making the group that would contest the win.

In the finale, HTC Columbia started the sprint with their three rider leadout train.  Tibco's Miller sat on Teutenberg's wheel with Evans and Cliff-Ryan close by.

Evans jumped first with Teutenberg reacting quickly, bringing Miller with her.  Evans ran out of gas in the final 50 metres in the cross-headwind sprint, with Teutenberg overtaking her 15 metres from the line for the win. Evans, who won the NZCT Tour of Wellington in January, held on for 2nd, while Cliff-Ryan took 3rd just ahead of Miller.

Kiesanowski finished 9th and Cheatley 15th.

"In the end I only just won the sprint as Shelly [Evans] made a very well timed attack on the finishing straight and it took me until 15 metres to go to catch her," said Teutenberg.

"I'm really happy to win here again. It's one of my favourite races and I look forward to coming here every year."

Teutenberg was happy with the efforts of her teammates, including Villumsen.

"There were a lot of attacks but my teammates did a great job to control the race and keep it together for a sprint," said Teutenberg.

"Evie [Stevens] was always there on the Manyunk Wall to cover the attacks and Kim [Anderson], Linda [Villumsen] and Emilia [Fahlin] did a great job covering everything else."

NZ Road Champion Rushlee Buchanan (Colavita/Baci) finished 3m22s off the front pace.  RoadCycling.co.nz hasn't talked to Buchanan yet to discuss her role in the race.  She must have been in front early on as she earned some Queen of the Mountain points.

The fifth Kiwi in this race was Genevieve Whitson who finished 2m11s after the winner, the 2nd placed rider from her team MVP Healthcare Cycling.

Ruth Corset (Tibco), who raced for NZ team Jazz Apple last year, won the Queen of the Mountain classification after another strong day of climbing.

Jo Kiesanowski happy with her day

Kiesanowski placed second in this race last year but race and team tactics dictated she wasn't the team's number one contender today.  The Kiwi finished 9th and was happy with her day.

"We had a really strong team race and always had at least three or four of us in the separations after the wall each time. The final time when it was just 22 riders there were four of us," Kiesanowski told RoadCycling.co.nz

"Ruth [Corset] rode well and got the QOM competition like we planned, she was climbing really strong. She had two good attacks on the last circuit lap but wasn't able to stay away obviously."

"Unfortunately the sprint didn't go as well as it could have for us and Brooke just missed the podium in 4th. Ruth and I made the Top 10 getting 7th and 9th so we won the Team Classification which was a nice bonus because all the girls worked hard during the race and positioned ourselves well going into the wall and at the other key points."

Liberty Classic Top 15

See also: Liberty Classic full results..