The latest race on the calendar for Horizon Fitness RT – Prendas Ciclismo was the Thuringen Rundfahrt. This race is a UCI 2.1 ranked events and sits as second most prestigious stage race in the World for women behind the Giro. So it was safe to safe to say this was a step up for the some of the squad. Leading the team was again Hanka Kupfernagel and she was being supported by many of the same riders as in Krasna Lipa 2 weeks ago. Helen Wyman, UK cyclo-cross champion, would again take on a support role as she continues her cross season preparation. Sarah Storey was also added to the team in what was her first exposure to an event at this level.
A team time trial kicked off the event and the team did a good ride to finish 7th. With a little more time together as a unit, a podium was defiantly a possibility which was very encouraging. The technical aspects of rides like this can make all of the difference and this ride proved valuable lessons which can be applied in future events. The first road stage was a very different type of event. With a yellow jersey to defend, HTC took on the stage and it was only Helen Wyman that was able to break free. Having gained a 3 minute advantage on the peloton it was left to HTC to chase. They put 2 riders up front, but with the gap not falling, it took all of the team to chase to regain Helen. However during more than 60km’s solo Helen too both intermediate sprint points and took the Jersey. She also won the Most active rider jersey and with Hanka finishing the stage in the top 10 it was a good day all round.
Stage 2 and 3 were dominated by breaks and Emma Johansson stamped her authority on the race. She looked in great form following the Giro and had a strong and organised team behind her. Stage 3 saw Claire in a break on a rainy day but it wasn’t until the stage 5 individual time trial that Horizon Fitness would feature again in the top 10, with Hanka powering to tenth. Sarah Storey, who would later be awarded the Amy Gillet trophy, finished 20th on the rolling TT course. The race finished in Altenburg on Sunday in a stage that was raced at a very high pace. Those who still had strong legs were able to animate the day with a series of breaks. It looked at one point like a break of 7 including Helen Wyman was going to stay away, but it wasn’t to be and it was left to Hanka to get the 3rd top ten of the tour for the team when she finished 4th.
“Overall we have to be happy. It was a big step up for some of the team and this is the big league. You can’t hide in this peloton and we’re racing against some very well organised teams.” Commented team manager Stefan Wyman. “Three top ten results is a nice reward for the team along with 2 jersey’s and a top 10 in the Team Time Trial. It’s shown that we have nothing to fear at this level of racing and it was really encouraging to see the young riders doing so well. Annie and Hannah have once again proved to be real assets to the team, and they performed very well.”
“We now move onto Sparkassen Giro in Germany this coming weekend. It’s a UCI 1.1 ranked event and I’m sure we can feature strongly in the event. After that it’s a return to the UK and the National Criterium championships. So as ever it’s a big few weeks.”
