Cycling: Boost for Villumsen

Linda Villumsen. Photo / NZ Herald

Barely two weeks out from the cycling world championships time trial in Melbourne, New Zealand rider Linda Villumsen has had the perfect confidence booster at the Giro di Toscana in Italy.

Villumsen was part of the team time trial-winning HTC Colombia outfit in the opening 5.5km stage of the Giro di Toscana, finishing 11 seconds faster than second-placed Cervelo.

Villumsen, who finished third riding for Denmark in last year's world road championships in Switzerland, now has New Zealand citizenship.

She will be riding for New Zealand in the time trial at both the road world championships beginning on September 29, and at the Commonwealth Games where she is also entered in the road race.

HTC Colombia sports director Ronny Lauke described the win as a good team effort, cycling website roadcycling.co.nz said.

``Ina [Teutenberg] started the team going with a big acceleration and then Evelyn [Stevens] took over, and the whole group was riding very smoothly,'' he said.

``It was a very short effort, so you couldn't afford to make a single mistake, and everybody did their job well. We couldn't ask for a better way to start our last stage race of the 2010 season.''

The six-stage tour ends on September 19.

- NZPA