Annika Langvad (Team Fujibikes Rockets) on her way to a win(Image credit: Armin Küstenbrück)
Annika Langvad (Team Fujibikes Rockets) wins the Cyprus Sunshine Cup opener(Image credit: Armin Küstenbrück)
Annika Langvad leading the women's race(Image credit: Bob Foy)
Marathon world champion Annika Langvad is hoping to qualify for the 2012 Olympic Games in London, and this past weekend she got some help doing so from two Danish women, Rikke Kornvig and Helle Qvortrup Tvilum Bachmann, of the Racing29ers team.
The pair went one-two at the Salcano Cup round 5, a UCI category 1 race in Arvavutkoy, near Istanbul, Turkey. The points should help boost Denmark's rankings enough to qualify a single female racer to race in London. The UCI Olympic rankings will be finalized on May 22, after the next two World Cups in Nove Mesto, Czech Republic and La Bresse, France.
The UCI points of the three highest ranking riders of each nation are combined to create the national rankings, which are used to determine the number of starting spots at the Olympic Games. While Langvad's results stand out, it was necessary to call upon the assistance of Kornvig and Qvortrup Tvilum Bachmann to ensure that Denmark would have enough points to secure a high enough nations ranking.
The Racing29ers women have used events like the Salcano Cup to get some international racing and travel experience. The two riders were selected to head to Turkey on very short notice, and scoring 100 UCI points (60 for first place, 40 for second place) exceeded expectations.
The Aarhus based team races regularly throughout Denmark as well as in some international cross country, marathon and stage races.
Get The Leadout Newsletter
The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox!
