2012 Team Specialized–lululemon season

The 2012 season was the tenth for the Specialized–lululemon cycling team, which began as the T-Mobile team in 2003. After the men's team HTC-Highroad stopped, Kristy Scrymgeour convinced manufacturer Specialized and sports apparel company Lululemon Athletica to perpetuate the women's team in this Olympic year. The team changed slightly: Clara Hughes and Trixi Worrack were the main new recruits, while Judith Arndt, team leader since 2006, joined GreenEdge-AIS. The team had a great year. Ina-Yoko Teutenberg won numerous sprints and finished fourth in the road race of the Olympic Games. Evelyn Stevens had an excellent season by winning at the world cup race La Flèche Wallonne Féminine, she won a prestigious stage of the Giro d'Italia Femminile and finished on the podium in the end and she won the general classification of the La Route de France. At the end of the season she was in fourth place in the UCI World Ranking. Ellen van Dijk won the general classification of the Lotto-Decca Tour, the Omloop van Borsele and several stage races. The team dominated especially in the team time trials. Ellen van Dijk together with Stevens, Hughes, Amber Neben and Trixi Worrack or Teutenberg were consistent and undefeated the whole year. At the end of the season the team won the first team time trial at the world championship which was a main goal for the team this year. The team finished second in the UCI World Ranking.

2012 Team Specialized–lululemon
UCI Team ranking2nd
ManagerKristy Scrymgeour
Season victories
One-day races13
Stage race overall5
Stage race stages25
Best ranked riderEvelyn Stevens (4th)

Roster

Ages as of 1 January 2012.

Rider Date of birth
 Charlotte Becker (GER) (1983-05-19)May 19, 1983 (aged 28)
 Lisa Brennauer (GER) (1988-06-08)June 8, 1988 (aged 23)
 Katie Colclough (GBR) (1990-01-20)January 20, 1990 (aged 21)
 Ellen van Dijk (NED) (1987-02-11)February 11, 1987 (aged 24)
 Emilia Fahlin (SWE) (1988-10-24)October 24, 1988 (aged 23)
 Chloe Hosking (AUS) (1990-10-01)October 1, 1990 (aged 21)
 Clara Hughes (CAN) (1972-09-27)September 27, 1972 (aged 39)
Rider Date of birth
 Amber Neben (USA) (1975-02-18)February 18, 1975 (aged 36)
 Loren Rowney (AUS) (1988-10-14)October 14, 1988 (aged 23)
 Ally Stacher (USA) (1987-06-08)June 8, 1987 (aged 24)
 Evelyn Stevens (USA) (1983-05-09)May 9, 1983 (aged 28)
 Ina-Yoko Teutenberg (GER) (1974-10-28)October 28, 1974 (aged 37)
 Trixi Worrack (GER) (1981-09-28)September 28, 1981 (aged 30)

Source[1]

Season

January - February

As part of the national selection Chloe Hosking and Loren Rowney started the year with success in the Jayco Bay Series in Australia in January.[2][3]

The team started the season in early February in the Ladies Tour of Qatar, where Trixi Worrack finished second in the general classification after winning the second stage.[4] Loren Rowney, riding for the American national team, won the second stage of the Women's Tour of New Zealand.[5] Evelyn Stevens, also riding for the American national team, won the general classificationl.[6][7]

March - April

In March, in the Omloop het Nieuwsblad, Ellen van Dijk rode solo to the leader in the race Loes Gunnewijk. Van Dijk lost the sprint from her and finished second. Worrack won the bunch sprint behind them.[8] At the same time Ina-Yoko Teutenberg won the Merco Cycling Classic in the United States.[9][10] A few days later, Chloe Hosking wins sprint of the Drentse 8 beating Marianne Vos and Giorgia Bronzini.[11] In Argentina the day afterwards, Amber Neben won the time trial at the Pan American Championship which was an important step towards the Olympics.[12]

In the Ronde van Drenthe the team did not play an important role, except for Trixi Worrack who finished fifth.[13] Rowney won a stage in the Redlands Bicycle Classic.[14] In the second world cup race Trofeo Alfredo Binda Evelyn Stevens chased successfully Marianne Vos, but did not see a bend and fell off her bike.[15] Worrack finished third. In the Tour of Flanders Stevens escaped with Andrea Dvorak on the Kruisberg, but at the foot of the old Kwaremont, two former members of the team, Judith Arndt and Kristin Armstrong were able to pull them back and rode away in the ascent. Ultimately Ellen van Dijk took the sixth place in the sprint of the chasing group.[16][17]

The team rode very well in the Energiewacht Tour. Clara Hughes finished second in the first stage, an individual time trial. Ina Teutenberg won the second and third stage and the team won stage 4a, a team time trial. Overall Teutenberg won the general classification with Ellen van Dijk in second place.[18][19] In mid April Hosking won in a sprint Halle-Buizingen.[20]

Evelyn Stevens booked the first major victory of the season in the Fleche Wallone World Cup race. She beat Marianne Vos on the line who won the four previous World Cup races. She took profit of the strategy of her team. Clara Huges was in an early breakaway and the Rabobank Women Cycling Team had to chase her. On the last climb, on top of the Mur de Hoy, Stevens was able to beat Vos.[21][22][23]

End of April - May

Ellen van Dijk won the time trial of the Omloop van Borsele, Hughes finished third and Teutenberg fourth.[24] The day afterwards Van Dijk won also the road race of the Omloop van Borsele.[25] At the Gracia-Orlova the team showed again its superiority in the time trial. Ellen van Dijk won the prologue, with Trixi Worrack, Evelyn Stevens and Katie Colclough finishing second, fourth and sixth. Two days later Van Dijk also won the time trial, two seconds ahead of Stevens.[26] The team dominated the stage race and won all the stages, and Ellen van Dijk won the general classification.[27] At the time trial of the Chrono Gatineau the team had a podium sweep. Hughes won ahead of Stevens and Neben and Teutenberg took the fifth place.[28] Teutenberg later on won the road race in Gatineau.[29]

The fifth World Cup Race, the Tour of Chongming Island, ended like the other years in a bunch sprint where Hosking finished fourth.[30] The team performed really well in The Exergy Tour. Amber Neben won the second stage, an individual time trial and Teutenberg the queen stage. Neben, Stevens and Hughes finished first, second and third in the general classification and besides of that the team won the points, mountain and team classification.[31][32][33][34][35]

The team was really confident with the results in the first half of the season.[36]

June
Trixi Worrack finished second in the Thüringen Rundfahrt der Frauen

Ina Teutenberg won the sprint of the first stage of the Emakumeen Euskal Bira.[37]

At the national championships, Ellen van Dijk won the 2012 Dutch Time Trial Championships[38] and Clara Hughes won the title in Canada. In Germany Worrack, Teutenberg and Becker finished respectively second, third and fourth at the German time trial championships behind winner Judith Arndt. In the road race Becker finished second and Worrack third over twelve minutes behind Arndt.[39] Finally in the United States, Amber Neben won the time trial one second ahead of team mate Evelyn Stevens. So they switched positions compared to the 2011 edition.[40]

July

Evelyn Stevens won the third stage of the Giro d'Italia Femminile, and took the pink leaders jersey.[41] However, Marianne Vos dominated the stage race by winning five stages and the general classification. Stevens was second in the general classification until the last stage. Due to a mistake she lost some time and finished in the end third behind Emma Pooley.[42]

Teutenberg won the first two stages of the Thüringen Rundfahrt der Frauen. Trixi Worrack won the third and fourth stage. The one second margin in the time trial of stage 4 between Worrack and Arndt was not enough to win the overall classification and so Worrack finished second overall.[43]

Olympic Games (end July, begin August)
Ellen van Dijk riding the time trial at the 2012 Summer Olympics supporters by the Dutch Royalties

Eight members of the team participated at the 2012 Summer Olympics : Chloe Hosking, Clara Hughes, Ina Teutenberg, Trixi Worrack, Ellen van Dijk, Emilia Fahlin, Amber Neben and Evelyn Stevens.[44] They participated in the individual time trial and the road race with their national selection. Ellen van Dijk also participated on the track. In the time trial, Clara Hughes finished 5th, Amber Neben 7th, Ellen van Dijk 8th and Trixi Worrack 9th.[45] In the road race Ina Teutenberg won the bunchsprint and finished in 4th place. Ellen van Dijk helped Marianne Vos winning the gold medal and attacked multiple times during the race. Evelyn Stevens also attacked once during the race.[46] Ellen van Dijk participated on the track in the team pursuit. She rode with the Dutch team a national record in the first round and finished in 6th place.

August

Hosking won the fifth stage of La Route de France and Rowney the sixth. The day afterwards Evelyn Stevens won with a large margin on the Planche des Belles Filles and took the leaders jersey. She also won the ninth stage and the overall general classification.[47]

At the Open de Suede Vargarda TTT world cup race, Team Specialized–lululemon won the team time trial with the squad: Stevens, Teutenberg, Worrack, Neben, van Dijk and Becker.[48][49] In the road race of the Open de Suède Vargarda, Trixi Worrack finished fifth.[50]

At the end of August Ellen van Dijk won the last stage in Geraardsbergen and the general classification of the Lotto-Decca Tour, also known as the Tour of Belgium.[51] Stevens finishes fifth in the world cup race GP de Plouay.[52]

September: Holland Ladies Tour and World Championships
The team won the team time trial in the Brainwash Ladies Tour. From left to right: Van Dijk, Stevens, Teutenberg, Becker, Neben et Worrack

Two weeks before the 2012 UCI Road World Championships the team won the team time trial stage of the Holland Ladies Tour with the squad: Van Dijk, Becker, Stevens, Worrack and Teutenberg. Worrack also won a stage in the same tour a few days afterwards.[53]

The team won the team time trial at the World Championships with a 24 seconds gap over Green-Edge with Judith Arndt and Linda Villumsen who were part of the team for two years. The sqad of the team was: Neben, Stevens, Van Dijk, Becker, Worrack and Teutenberg.[54] And so the team was undefeated in the Team Time Trial in 2012.[55] At the individual time trial at the World Championships, Evelyn Stevens won the silver medal, Ellen van Dijk finished in fifth place, Teutenberg finished sixth, Neben seventh and Worrack eighth.[56] The team was less successful in the road race at the World Championships. Ellen van Dijk was involved in a large crash. After cycling a few laps on her own, she could not reach the bunch again and had to abandon the race. Amber Neben was the most successful rider finishing in fourth place. All the other riders finished somewhere in the back.[57]

Results

Season victories
See also: 2012 in women's road cycling
Single day and stage races 2012[58]
DateNationRaceCat.Winner
2 February QatarStage 2 Ladies Tour of Qatar2.1 Trixi Worrack
8 Mars NetherlandsDrentse 81.1 Chloe Hosking
5 April NetherlandsStage 2 Energiewacht Tour2.2 Ina-Yoko Teutenberg
6 April NetherlandsStage 3 Energiewacht Tour2.2 Ina-Yoko Teutenberg
7 April NetherlandsStage 4b Energiewacht Tour2.2Team Specialized–lululemon
8 April NetherlandsGeneral Classification Energiewacht Tour2.2 Ina-Yoko Teutenberg
15 April BelgiumHalle-Buizingen1.2 Chloe Hosking
18 April BelgiumLa Flèche Wallonne FéminineCDM Evelyn Stevens
21 April NetherlandsOmloop van Borsele1.2 Ellen van Dijk
25 April Czech RepublicPrologue Gracia-Orlová2.2 Ellen van Dijk
26 April Czech RepublicStage 1 Gracia-Orlová2.2 Evelyn Stevens
27 April Czech RepublicStage 2 Gracia-Orlová2.2 Ellen van Dijk
28 April Czech RepublicStage 3 Gracia-Orlová2.2 Trixi Worrack
29 April Czech RepublicStage 4 Gracia-Orlová2.2 Katie Colclough
29 April Czech RepublicGeneral classification Gracia-Orlová2.2 Evelyn Stevens
19 May CanadaChrono Gatineau1.1 Clara Hughes
21 May CanadaGrand Prix cycliste de Gatineau1.1 Ina-Yoko Teutenberg
26 May United StatesStage 2 The Exergy Tour2.1 Amber Neben
27 May United StatesStage 3 The Exergy Tour2.1 Ina-Yoko Teutenberg
28 May United StatesGeneral classification The Exergy Tour2.1 Evelyn Stevens
3 June United StatesLiberty Classic1.1 Ina-Yoko Teutenberg
7 June SpainStage 1 Emakumeen Euskal Bira2.1 Ina-Yoko Teutenberg
1 July ItalyStage 3 Giro d'Italia Femminile2.1 Evelyn Stevens
17 July GermanyStage 1 Thüringen Rundfahrt der Frauen2.1 Ina-Yoko Teutenberg
18 July GermanyStage 2 Thüringen Rundfahrt der Frauen2.1 Ina-Yoko Teutenberg
19 July GermanyStage 3 Thüringen Rundfahrt der Frauen2.1 Trixi Worrack
20 July GermanyStage 4 Thüringen Rundfahrt der Frauen2.1 Trixi Worrack
8 August FranceStage 5 La Route de France2.1 Chloe Hosking
9 August FranceStage 6 La Route de France2.1 Loren Rowney
10 August FranceStage 7 La Route de France2.1 Evelyn Stevens
12 August FranceStage 9 La Route de France2.1 Evelyn Stevens
12 August FranceGeneral classification La Route de France2.1 Evelyn Stevens
17 August SwedenOpen de Suède Vårgårda TTTCDMSpecialized-Lululemon
27 August BelgiumStage 3 Lotto-Decca Tour2.2 Ellen van Dijk
27 August BelgiumClassement classification Lotto-Decca Tour2.2 Ellen van Dijk
4 September NetherlandsStage 1 BrainWash Ladies Tour2.1 Ina-Yoko Teutenberg
5 September NetherlandsStage 2 BrainWash Ladies Tour2.1Specialized-lululemon
8 September NetherlandsStage 5 BrainWash Ladies Tour2.1 Ina-Yoko Teutenberg
Dutch National Time Trial Champion Ellen van Dijk
National, Continental and World champions 2012[58]
DateDisciplineJerseyWinner
9 marsPan American Championships Amber Neben
20 JuneDutch National Time Trial ChampionshipsEllen van Dijk
21 JuneUnited States National Road Race ChampionshipsAmber Neben
21 JuneCanadian National Road Race ChampionshipsClara Hughes
16 SeptemberTeam Time Trial World ChampionSpecialized-Lululemon

Results in major races

Single day races

At the 2012 UCI Women's Road World Cup, Evelyn Stevens finished 3rd in the final classification and Trixi Worrack 4th. The team finished 3rd in the teams standing.[59]

Results at the World Cup races[59]
Date # Race Best rider Place
10 March 1 Ronde van Drenthe Trixi Worrack 5th
25 March 2 Trofeo Alfredo Binda-Comune di Cittiglio Trixi Worrack 3rd
1 April 3 Tour of Flanders Ellen van Dijk 6th
18 April 4 La Flèche Wallonne Féminine Evelyn Stevens 1st
13 May 5 Tour of Chongming Island Chloe Hosking 4th
17 August 6 Open de Suède Vårgårda TTT Team Specialized–lululemon 1st
19 August 7 Open de Suède Vårgårda Trixi Worrack 5th
25 August 8 GP de Plouay Evelyn Stevens 5th
Final individual classification Evelyn Stevens 4th
Final team classification Team Specialized–lululemon 3rd
UCI Road World Championships
Date Race Place
16 September UCI Road World Championships – Women's team time trial 1st

Grand Tours
Grand tour Giro d'Italia Femminile
Rider (classification) Evelyn Stevens (3rd)[60]
Victories 1 stage win

Other achievements

Dutch national record, team pursuit
Main article: Women's 3000 m track cycling team pursuit Dutch record progression

Ellen van Dijk, as part of the national team, broke together with Kirsten Wild and Vera Koedooder the Dutch team pursuit record at the 2012 Summer Olympics.

Time Speed
(km/h)		 Cyclists Event Location of race Date Ref
3:20.013 53.996 Ellen van Dijk[N 1]
(with Kirsten Wild and Vera Koedooder)		 2012 Summer Olympics (First round) London 4 August 2012 [61]
  1. As part of the national selection

UCI World Ranking
Main article: 2012 UCI Women's Road World Rankings

The team finished second in the UCI ranking for teams.[59]

Individual UCI World Ranking[59]
Rank Rider Points
4 Evelyn Stevens825
5 Amber Neben574
6 Ina-Yoko Teutenberg563
8 Trixi Worrack512
19 Ellen van Dijk317
24 Chloe Hosking262
27 Clara Hughes232
46 Charlotte Becker149
123 Emilia Fahlin41
139 Lisa Brennauer32
152 Loren Rowney26
231 Katie Colclough11

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