Anastasija Karbonāri, the debutant of the Latvian national team, demonstrated an excellent performance at the European road cycling championship in Munich on Sunday, who won 13th place in the competition of 99 participants in the 128.3-kilometer distance. Dana Rožlapa did not finish this time.
After Saturday’s rain, the weather in Munich on Sunday was perfect for both female athletes and fans. The final set of medals in the group race was shared by the ladies. There were also two Latvian athletes among them – the experienced Dana Rožlapa, who has been competing in the world and European championships since 2013, and the 22-year-old debutant Anastasija Karbonāri. Anastasija, who is a student of the Italian cycling school, took the opportunity to represent her mother’s native Latvia.
The start for the ladies was given in the beautiful Bavarian town of Landsberg. The road to Munich was far from easy. The hills and the very high pace were a serious test. In the first part, the cyclists from Israel and Slovenia started the breakaway, which were later joined by three other athletes. The pace was kept very high in the hills, which split the group at times.
There were also several unpleasant falls. Although she didn’t get into them, Dana Rožlapa was still behind them, who lost contact with the main group before entering Munich and did not continue the race.
Meanwhile, Anastasija Carbonari stayed at the front of the leading group. A new breakaway of three athletes formed in the circles of Munich. The Netherlands, the world’s dominant nation in women’s cycling, took control of the group. The breakaway was eliminated on the last lap. There followed an intense battle for positions on the sprint to the finish of the group.
Carbonari chose to follow the Dutch bandwagon. The representative of Latvia was in front of the group. In the last meters, she lost her position a little and crossed the finish line in 13th place in a fierce battle. The Lithuanian Rasa Leleivite ranked one place higher. Meanwhile, Loren Wiebs of the Netherlands beat world champion Elisa Balsamo of Italy by a hair’s breadth in the battle for victory. Italy also won bronze. It was done by Rachel Barbieri.
The result achieved by Carbonari in the debut competition in the Latvian national team must be evaluated with a big plus sign. The athletes are determined to strengthen their ties with Latvia and continue to delight with high-quality results in the highest level competitions.
European road cycling championship in group race for ladies (99 participants)
1. Loren Wiebes, Netherlands, 02:59:20
2. Elisa Balsamo, Italy, +00:00:00
3. Rachele Barbieri, Italy, +00:00:00
4. Lisa Brennauer, Germany, +00:00:00
5. Daria Pikulik, Poland, +00:00:00
6. Maria Martins, Portugal, +00:00:00
…
13. Anastasia Karbonāri, Latvia, +00:00:00
Tom Marks
