National RR Championships

National Champions of Europe held over the weekend of June 29/30

Germany
Gerolsteiner rider Fabian Wegmann on Sunday successfully defended his German national road race title in a sprint finish ahead of veteran Erik Zabel.

1 Wegmann, Fabian (Gerolsteiner) 05.14.02 (40,1 km/h)
2 Zabel, Erik (Team Milram) 2
3 Ciolek, Gerald (Team High Road)

Women
1. Luise Keller (Team High Road Women)
2. Eva Lutz (Equipe Nürnberger Versicherung)
3. Tina Liebig (Team Rügenfisch Sachsen)

Netherlands
Lars Boom, of the Rabobank team, was crowned Dutch road race champion after finishing two seconds ahead of teammate Koos Moerenhout and Steven de Jongh.

Boom, 22, of the Netherlands, is the reigning world cyclo-cross champion. Marianne Vos, of the Netherlands, won Saturday's women's event, beating Mirjam Melchers-Van Poppel and Regina Bruins.

1 Lars Boom (Rabobank Continental)
2 Koos Moerenhout (Rabobank) 0.06
3 Steven de Jongh (Quick Step) 0.22

Women
1 Marianne Vos (DSB Bank Wielerploeg) 3.20.05 (38,084km/h)
2 Mirjam Melchers (Team Flexpoint) 0.22
3 Regina Bruins (RCMD de Coureur) 2.25

U23
1 Ronan van Zandbeek (vVliet-EBHelshof) 4.26.54 (39,970km/h)
2 Leander Pronk (WV de Jonge Renner) 0.48
3 Dennis van Winden (Rabobank) 0.50

Spain
Alejandro Valverde, one of the favourites for next month's Tour de France with the Caisse d'Epargne team, won the Spanish road race national title near Toledo to the south of Madrid.

1 Alejandro Valverde Belmonte (Caisse d'Epargne) 5.13.13 (38,829 km/h)
2 Oscar Sevilla (Rock Racing) 0.01
3 Oscar Pereiro Sio (Caisse d'Epargne) 1.04

Italy
Filippo Simeoni, of the Flaminia-Bossini team, won the Italian national road race title at Bergamo on Sunday.

The 36-year-old, who made a break with four kilometres to go in the 254km race, said afterwards: "I have dreamed of this moment for nine years."

1 Filippo Simeoni (Ceramica Flaminia-Bossini Docce)
2 Giovanni Visconti (Quick Step)
3 Filippo Pozzato (Liquigas)

Women
1 Fabiana Luperini (Menikini Selle Italia) 3.32.15 (33,753 km/h)
2 Tatiana Guderzo (Gs Fiamme Azzurre) 0.29
3 Giorgia Bronzini (Gruppo sportivo Forestale) 2.28

U23
1 Damiano Caruso (Mastromarco Chianti Sensi Grassi) 3.40.59 (43.587 km/h)
2 Alberto Contoli (Filmop Bottoli Ramonda Parolin) 0.58
3 Roberto Pirazzi (V.C. Aran World-cantina Tollo-bls) 1.15

Belgium
Jurgen Roelandts, of the Silence team, was on Sunday crowned Belgium road race champion here, beating Sven Vanthourenhout and Nico Eeckhout in a sprint finish.

Grev Van Avermaet took fourth in front of reigning Tour de France green jersey winner Tom Boonen, who was earlier this month barred from competing in the July 5 to 27 Tour de France after testing positive for cocaine. Roelandts, 22, a former under-19 Belgian road race champion, recorded his first victory of the season.

1 Jürgen Roelandts (Silence-Lotto)
2 Sven Vanthourenhout (Sunweb)
3 Niko Eeckhout (Topsport Vlaanderen)

Women
1 Ilse Geldhof (KSV Deerlijk Gaverzicht VZW) 2.54.00 (29.69 km/h)
2 Nana Steenssens (V.Z.W. Royal Antwerp Bicycle Club)
3 Anne Arnouts (Squadra Ciclistica Femminile Liedeke)

Austria
Christian Pfannberger earned today his second National Champion’s jersey, dominating the Austrian’s road race.Pfannberger of Barloworld out ran Hans Peter Obwaller ( RC ARBÖ Resch & Frisch Gourmetfein Wels) and Stefan Rucker (Elk Haus), who placed third.

Pfannberger joined an escape just before entering the final circuit and attcake don the final climb to win by over two minutes.

1 Christian Pfannberger (Barloworld) 4.14.21 (35,4 km/h)
2 Hans Peter Obwaller (RC ARBÖ Wels Gourmetfein) 2.15
3 Stefan Rucker (Elk Haus-Simplon) 2.30

Women
1 Monika Schachl (ARBÖ Uniqa Kuota Graz) 2.31.56 (29,6 km/h)
2 Daniela Pintarelli (ARBÖ Uniqa Kuota Graz)
3 Jaqueline Hahn (Tyrol - Team Radland Tirol) 2.41

Lithuania
Tomas Vaitkus had two successful days in his homeland of Lithuania. After he took the silver medal in the time trial on Friday, he won the national title in the road race on Saturday. Both races were held in Ignalina.

“The road race was a big goal of mine, which all my competitors knew coming into the race and made me an easy target. I was lucky there was a crosswind, making the race harder and allowing me and to get in a breakaway of six riders. Though I did not have any Team Astana riders here, I am very grateful for the support I received from the Kazakh Ulan Team riders,” commented the fifth Astana Cycling Team rider to win a 2008 national championship.

1. Tomas Vaitkus (ASTANA);
2. Andrius Buividas (CC ETUPES);
3. Marius Kukta (MAPORO NAMED - TEAM AURORA)

Kazakhstan
On Saturday, Assan Bazayev took the national road title in Kazakhstan. Bazayev, known for his sprinting ability, finished solo in Karaganda. Sergey Renez (Ulan) was second with Maxim Gurov (A-Style Somn) finishing third.

Team Astana had seven of their eight Kazakh riders in the race (a sick Sergey Yakovlev did not start). Bazayev's teammate, Dmitriy Muravyev, joined him in the decisive breakaway of eight riders. In the last kilometers of the race, Bazayev escaped with Renez and with 500 meters to go, left him to win solo.

“Last season I saw how proud my team-mate Maxim Iglinskiy wore the Kazakhstan national jersey. I will wear my national colors with the same dignity and pride”, commented the new champion. “I am proud to be Kazakh and want the whole world to know that it is a true honor to represent this country. I will try to win as many races as possible in my new jersey, in an effort to thank the Kazakh authorities for what they did for us the last few years.”

1. Assan Bazayev (ASTANA);
2. Sergey Renez (ULAN);
3. Maxim Gurov (A-STYLE-SOMN);
4. Dmitriy Muravyev (ASTANA)

Switzerland
1. Zberg, Markus (Gerolsteiner) 4:37:52 (40,2 km/h
2. Elmiger, Martin (AG2R - La Mondiale)
3. Frank, Mathias (Gerolsteiner) 0:16

Women
1 Jennifer Hohl (Bigla Cycling Team) 2.42.44 (34.289 km/h)
2 Pascale Schnider (Cervélo-Lifeforce Pro Cycling Team) 0.05
3 Emilie Aubry (Team Campione Celeste - Orbea - Renault)

France
1 Nicolas Vogondy (Agritubel) 6.03.02 (39,533 km/h)
2 Arnaud Coyot (Caisse d'Epargne) 0.36
3 Julien Loubet (AG2R La Mondiale) 0.42

Women
1 Jeannie Longo Ciprelli (Team Pro Feminin Les Carroz) 3.03.51
2 Christel Ferrier Bruneau (Team Lot-et-garonne) 3.05
3 Edwige Pitel (Team Pro Feminin Les Carroz)

Great Britain
1 Rob Hayles (Halfords-Bikehut)
2 Peter Kenaugh U23
3 Dean Downing (Rapha Condor Recycling.co.uk)

Women
1 Nicole Cooke (Halfords-Bikehut)
2 Emma Pooley (Specialized)
3 Joanna Rowsell (Halfords-Bikehut)

Denmark
1 Nicki Sørensen (Team CSC) 4:38:01 59
2 René Jørgensen (Team Designa Køkken 1.19
3 Frank Høj (Cofidis) 1.19

Women
1 Linda Villumsen Serup (Team High Road Women) 3:15:09
2 Maja Watt Adamsen (Randers Cykleklub af 1910) 22
3 Iben Bohé (CC Hillerød) 3:23

Poland
1 Marcin Sapa (DHL-Author)
2 Bartlomiej Matysiak (Legia)
3 Maciej Bodnar (Liquigas)

Latvia
1. Normunds Lasis (Dynatek Latvija), 183.7km in 4:29:04
2. Kalvis Eisaks (Rietumu Banka Riga), at 0:09
3. Herberts Pudans (Dynatek Latvija), same time

Luxembourg
1. Frank Schleck (CSC), 165.6km in 4:11:13
2. Benoit Joachim, at 0:22
3. Christian Poos, at 0:45

Russia
1. Sergey Ivanov (Astana)
2. Alexander Bazhenov (Parkpe), at 2:04
3. Roman Klimov (Katyusha), at 2:06

Portugal
1. Joao Cabreira (LA-MSS)

Estonia
1. Jaan Kirsipuu (CFC Sport Club)