UCI Team ranking 2nd Best ranked rider Judith Arndt (3rd) | Manager Bob Stapleton | |
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The 2011 season was the tenth for the HTC–Highroad Women cycling team, which began as the T-Mobile team in 2003. The main new riders for the team were the Americans Amber Neben and Amanda Miller and the German time trial champion Charlotte Becker. Sadly, in January, Carla Swart died whilst training after being hit by a truck. After winning a stage, Ellen van Dijk won the Ladies Tour of Qatar which was the 400th victory for the team (men’s and women’s) since 2008. Ina Teutenberg won the fifth round in the Women's World Cup and the team won the seventh round, the Open de Suède Vårgårda team time trial. The team finished second overall in the World Cup. Judith Arndt finished fourth in the individual standings and Teutenberg fifth. At the end of the season Arndt took the third place in the UCI World Ranking, Teutenberg fourth and the team ended in second place in the team classification.
Contents
Roster
Ages as of 1 January 2011.
February
The season started for the team with the Ladies Tour of Qatar in February. In stage 2, Ellen van Dijk was part of the front group and took home the stage victory by winning the sprint. The day afterwards she defended successfully her leading position in the general classification and won the points classification as well. Van Dijk dedicated her victories to Carla Swart who died whilst training after being hit by a truck a few weeks earlier. The price money she earned in Qatar was sent to her family. Van Dijk's victory was the 400th victory for the team (men’s and women’s) since 2008.
End of July - August
In late July the team won the world cup team time trial, the 2011 Open de Suede Vargarda TTT and was over a minute faster than Team AA Drink. The team consisted of: Ellen van Dijk, Judith Arndt, Amber Neben and Charlotte Becker. The day afterwards was the World Cup road race in Sweden, the 2011 Open de Suede Vargarda. Ellen van Dijk won the sprint of the peloton and finished second behind Annemiek van Vleuten, who had a small gap with the bunch. Teutenberg finished fourth.
Teutenberg won the first stage of the Trophée d'Or Féminin by winning the sprint and the team won the team time trial afterwards. Becker won the third stage. The leaders jersey was lost to Tatiana Antoshina after the fourth stage. In the fifth stage Teutenberg won the bunch sprint behind a breakaway of four riders. In the last stage Becker finished fourth but did not win enough time to win the overall classification and finished second.
September
At the Profile Ladies Tour, Ina Teutenberg finished second in the first stage. The day afterwards Ellen van Dijk won for the third consecutive year the time trial stage of this tour. At the same time the Tour Cycliste Féminin International de l'Ardèche took place. Emilia Fahlin won the prologue and the day afterwards the time trial as well. She lost however thirteen minutes on Emma Pooley in the thirds stage. Evelyn Stevens won stage 4 with over a four minutes lead over teammate Amanda Miller. Fahlin won the two stages afterwards. After finishing again second in the time trial, Miller finished fourth in the general classification.
In preparation for the time trial world championships, Arndt won the Chrono Champenois just ahead of Amber Neben.
At the Giro della Toscana Int. Femminile the team won once again the team time trial. Arndt won the sprint of the second stage and took the leaders jersey. The stage afterwards the team provided Arndt on the final climb with a train so she could also win that stage. After Teutenberg won the stage afterwards and Arndt the time trial the next morning the team booked five consecutive victories. In the fourth stage where Teutenberg abandoned, Megan Guarnier took the lead. In the fifth stage also Teutenberg abandoned. In the last stage Charlotte Becker won the stage by winning the bunch sprint.
End of September: UCI Road World Championships
Judith Arndt won, at the age of 35, the time trial at the UCI Road World Championships. Evelyn Stevens won the silver medal, Ellen van Dijk finished fifth and Ina Teutenberg sixth. Teutenberg won bronze in the road race and Chloe Hosking finished sixth.
October - December
To the end of the road cycling season, Amber Neben won the Chrono des Nations in October.
At the Dutch National Track Championships in December, Ellen van Dijk won two national titles. She won the individual pursuit as well as the madison.
Single day races
Judith Arndt finished 4th in the final classification and Ina-Yoko Teutenberg 5th. The team finished 2nd in the teams standing.
UCI World Ranking
The team finished second in the UCI ranking for teams.