Britain’s Emma Pooley (Garmin-Cervelo) won Saturday’s individual time stage of the Iurreta-Emakumeen Bira stage race in Spain, and finished the race in fourth place overall.
Dutchwoman Marianne Vos (Nederland Bloeit) won the race overall after winning the opening two stages and the final stage. Swede Emma Johansson (Hitec) finished a minute adrift of Vos overall in second spot, with German Judith Arndt (HTC-Highroad) in third at 1-12.
British road race champion Pooley had been in second place overall behind Vos going into Sunday’s final stage, but lost time to a lead group containing Vos to slip to fourth spot overall in the final classification.
Pooley has had a mixed season so far. She won the opening round of the 2011 Women’s World Cup, the Trofeo Alfredo Binda in Italy, but then broke her collarbone in a training accident in April forcing her to miss several key spring races.
Last year Pooley took a strong selection of major international wins, including the Tour de l’Aude, Giro del Trentino, La Fleche Wallonne and time trial world championship title.
Vos moved into the overall lead in the season-long UCI Women’s World Cup last weekend after winning the GP Ciudad de Valladolid. The next round of the World Cup is a team time trial in Sweden on July 29.
Iurreta-Emakumeen Bira 2011: Final overall classification
1. Marianne Vos (Ned) Nederland Bloeit in 10-56-42
2. Emma Johansson (Swe) Hitec Products at 1-00
3. Judith Arndt (Ger) HTC-Highroad at 1-12
4. Emma Pooley (GB) Garmin-Cervelo at 1-20
5. Trixi Worrack (Ger) AA Drink-Leontien.nl at 1-58
6. Ashleigh Moolman (Rsa) Lotto Honda at 2-30
7. Christel Ferrier-Bruneau (Fra) Gauss at 2-34
8. Polona Batagelj (Slo) Bizkaia-Durango at 2-39
9. Olga Zabelinskaya (Rus) Diadora-Pasta Zara at 2-57
10. Elena Berlato (Ita) Top Girls Fassa Bortolo at 3-17
Other
14. Sharon Laws (GB) Garmin-Cervelo at 3-36
31. Katie Colclough (GB) HTC-Highroad at 8-29
37. Lizzie Armitstead (GB) Garmin-Cervelo at 9-57
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