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Grande Boucle

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AudeF2009-2

Grande Boucle - 2009 Not Going To PlanGrandB-2009
Dateline: 9-Apr-09
The continued lack of news from the UK side was raising concerns - so it was back to check with the organisers. The latest position is that the race is cut-back to just four days - 18-Jun Bressuire TT, 19-Jun Bressuire-Niort, 20-Jun Hagetmau-Pau and 21-Jun Irun-Anglet. Becoming more of a Petite Boucle of disjointed stages. Something of a debacle compared its male role model?
Time to see if the Giro Donne promises to be the top tour on the circuit this year - or if the 25th edition of the
Tour de L’Aude will come out best.

Grande Boucle - Plans for 2009
Dateline: 10-Feb-09
A big change is promised for 2009 with a route that starts .... in England!
Full details are yet to be announced but the aim is to run from the south-west of England (Plymouth?) to northern Spain. As you can see from the race publicity the dates are 14 to 21-June. The reason - to honour the results and the support given to the event by Nicole Cooke; winner in 2006 and 2007 plus third in 2008.
No firm details of the UK section - and apparently no mention of the race on the British Cycling website (?) - but it looks like the plans are for 3 days of racing between Plymouth and Portsmouth before heading across the channel to Cherbourg.

Grande Boucle 2008 Update
Dateline: 20-Jun-08
Well the start list was not as strong as the organisers hoped - and British interest is limited to the Swift Racing team in the absence of the Halford Bikehut / British National squad (I missed out on why). So defending champion Nicole Cooke was drafted into the Swift Racing line-up to join Helen Wyman as their GB representatives.
A total of 67 riders completed Stage 1 where 1999 winner Diana Ziliute started as she meant to continue with a bunch sprint victory. Stage 2 was another bunch sprint but this time won by Loes Markerink ahead of Cooke and Ziliute. And Stage 3 was the same three on the podium but it was Ziliute first across the line this time. By Stage 4 you could almost have guessed the result - a bunch sprint won by Ziliute ahead of Markerink - except this time Cooke did not seem to contest the sprint and came in near the back. At least today it’s a time trial followed by two days in the Alpes - so Ziliute will need to time trial and climb well to keep winning stages. With only 45 seconds covering the top 12 on GC the race is still wide open.

2008 La Grande Boucle Féminine
Dateline: 11-Mar-08
This year is the 16th edition of the race and it goes from Ghent in Belgium to Sestriere in Italy.GrandB-2008

A field of 102 is planned with entries closing later this month. The stages details announced so far are -

17.06.08 Gent (Vrijdagmarkt) to Lambersart via Oudenaarde, Hotondberg and Kluisbergen (100 km)
18.06.08 Wallers to La Louviere via the Arenberg Forest pavé (89 km)
18.06.08 La Louviere to Fourmies (93 km)
19.06.08 Montdidier to Drancy (111 km)
20.06.08 Orgelet to Clairvaux-les-Lacs (ITT 38 km)
21.06.08 Lac d’Aiguebelette to Villard-de-Lans via Col de Port (112 km)
22.06.08 Guillestre to Sestriere via Col de l’Izoard, Briancon and Col de Montgenevre (83 km)

So six days of challenging racing from the northern cobbles to the high Alpes. Not quite the TdF but this means less hassle and fewer crowds to get through.

UCI Women 2009 Grande Boucle

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