Villumsen gets Worlds confidence boost

Sep 15th, 10. With just 14 days to go until she races the World Championships time trial, Kiwi Linda Villumsen had the perfect outing on her TT bike - winning a team time trial. 

Villumsen and team winning today ©CJfoto.com (Kiwi - centre, to the right of the red helmet rider)

In the 2009 UCI World Road Championships, Villumsen won the bronze medal for her country Denmark.

In 2010 she will be decked out in black and white for her first championship in her newly adopted country, New Zealand.

Today, the HTC Columbia professional had the perfect confidence booster to her build up when she and her team won the team time trial at the opening stage of the Giro di Toscana in Italy.

Over the 5.5km course, the team was 11sec faster than their closest rivals, Cervelo.

"Ina [Teutenberg] started the team going with a big acceleration and then Evelyn [Stevens] took over, and the whole group was riding very smoothly," Sports Director Ronny Lauke said.

"It was a very short effort, so you couldn't afford to make a single mistake, and everybody did their job well. We couldn't ask for a better way to start our last stage race of the 2010 season."

The six stage tour continues until September 19th. 

Villumsen is competing for New Zealand in the time trial at both the UCI Road World Championships and the Commonwealth Games.  At the Games, she is also entered in the road race.

Podium celebrations - Villumsen is 3rd from left ©CJFoto.com