The last stage of the tour was very controlled by the team from Diana Ziliute, Safi Pasta Zara. Ziliute, who is a very good sprinter was on 2nd place in the GC and only 1 second behind the yellow jersey. If she could keep the group together to a bunchsprint she had a big chance to take over yellow with the bonus seconds (10-6-4) at the finish.
I gave it a real try with 5km to go but it didn´t last long… Ziliute won the stage and also the General Classement. Me, I was 11th in the sprint and finished 3rd in the GC.

Today I´m back in Belgium. Just had a long breakfast in the sun and soon I will go for a short ride. Tonight my big brother comes here for a short visit on his way home from Spain :) so dinner with him will do me good!
Tuesday it´s time for another stagerace, Holland Ladies Tour…

Emma

Today it was a very flat and windy stage that started very slow. After about 35 km I got away with a group of 12 riders. At the most we had 1:39 minutes on the peloton and at that moment I thought that we could make it to the finish since everyone was working so good together. But 20 km from the finish most of the girls in the group did not want to work anymore and with 4km to go the peloton was back…

Have not seen the results yet, but I was somewhere top 10… (Seen it now and I was 5th and still 4th in the GC.)

Tomorrow is the last stage and I will still look like Minnie Mouse :) Photos will come when I´m back in Belgium on Sunday.

Emma

Todays race did not turn the way I wanted, and not the way I tried to make it either… In the end Ludivine from my team attacked and got away with two riders. But after suffering too much in the hills she could not follow them on the last kilometers and finshed 3rd on the stage. My group came in about 20 seconds behind them and I finished 5th again.

Have now the mountains jersey after my offensive racing in the hills today. It´s red with white dots on so tomorrow I will look like Minnie Mouse in the race :)

Emma

Today we had two stages. In the morning the circuit suited me good with a steep hill 4km from the finish.
A hard attack and I was away, first alone and then Bubnenkova, Ziliute and Cantele came up to me. In the sprint I was 2nd… And advanced to a 2nd place in the General Classement.

The afternoon stage was fast and short. After some attacks on the windy circuit it all came in to a bunchsprint. 5th place for me and I´m still 2nd in the GC.

Tomorrow it´s the hardest stage of the tour. It was that stage I won last year :) So I hope me and the hills are friends this year as well…

Emma

Short stage today where not so much happened. A bunchsprint decided the race and I was 4th.
Monika Holler won and I´m very happy for her :)
I had good legs and a nice feeling today and I think this week will be a good week!
Tomorrow it´s double stages, first at 10 o´clock in the morning…

Emma

Yesterday the selection for the Worlds was made and this year some things will be different.

I have decided to not do the timetrail. I want to give everything for the roadrace where I really have a chance for a good result. My last preparations will be in Belgium before I fly to Mendrisio on the 23 of September.

The selection:

Woman tt 23/9:
Emilia Fahlin (Columbia-HTC)

Woman rr 26/9:
Emilia Fahlin (Columbia-HTC)
Emma Johansson (Red Sun)
Marie Lindberg (Nürnberger Versicherung)
Sara Mustonen (Hitec Products UCK)

Men tt 24/9:
Fredrik Ericsson (Capinordic)
Gustav Larsson (Saxo Bank)

Men rr 27/9:
Fredrik Kessiakoff (Fuji-Servetto)
Marcus Ljungqvist (Saxo Bank)
Thomas Lövkvist (Columbia-HTC)

U23 rr 26/9:
Sebastian Balck (Cykelcity)
Jonas Bjelkmark (Cykelcity)
Patrik Stenberg (Cykelcity

Susanne Ljungskog is sick and it is so serious that she has decided to end the 2009 seasone  with immediate effect. 

Emma

Another time on the podium…
The victory was taken by Emma Pooley who did a strong race and solowon her second world cup of the year.
On the second last lap I had a flat tire, but with the help from my teammates (Paulina who gave me her frontwheel and Ludevine who waited for me) I was fast back to the group.
On the last lap Me, Marianne Vos (DSB Bank), Grace Verbeke (Lotto-Belisol), Nicole Cook (Great Britain) and Ruth Corset (Australia) got away, we were working good together but Pooley was nowhere to be seen…
To have a chance to beat Vos in the sprint I didn´t take a turn for the last 5km. And with the hard wind on the last kilometre attacking was not an option… Coming into the sprint Vos was still to fast for me and with her taking 2nd place the World Cup´s jersey will be on her shoulders in Nürnberger.

Race report/photos.

Now a good nights sleep, tomorrow we go to Saint-Amand-Montrond for Trophee d´Or that starts on Tuesday.

Emma

This morning I set off with the “canalgroup” that leaves every day at 9 o´clock from Gent and did 2 hours with them, after that I went to Kluisbergen and did all the sides up and down that you can find before heading back home to Zingem. When I was having lunch in the sun I felt satisfied from a good training and happy that my legs feels so good. 
Think it was good to get some hills before next race, the World Cup in Plouay on Saturday.

I leave tomorrow afternoon, hope it will be a bit less sun when I have to spend so much time in the car!

Now it´s time for massage… life is so hard sometimes ;)

Emma

Foto: Davy Rietbergen

Finally things are starting to feel good again. And I think that I´m on my way back after last weeks dip.
Sometimes I want so much that I forget everything that I have learned over these last years. Racing in Belgium is lovelly but sometimes it´s even harder than the “bigger” races.

Today I got everything right, resulting in a solo victory! :)

Emma

More from www.cyclingnews.nu

After the whole Saturday in car and last weeks moving (got our new apartment in Norway!) my legs was not so good.
I suffered the whole race through… and when Vos attacked I had no chance to follow. Nice to see that my team mate Petra took her chance and finished 2nd after being in a breakaway with Vos.
In the following group I won the sprint.
 
Results:
1 Marianne Vos, DSB Bank
2 Petra Dijkman, RedSun Cycling Team
3 Emma Johansson, RedSun Cycling Team
4 Andrea Bosman, Leontien NL
5 Sara Mustonen, Team Hitec

Photos and full results from the race.

Tomorrow it is time for another race, this time in Brasschaat.

Emma