We straight-out asked women's winner Marga Fullana (ESP, Orbea) if she wasn't losing respect for her field of competitors, none of whom seem able to mount a challenge to her speed in just about every race she enters. She had just commented for the second-straight week how they look to her to set the pace, and never follow her lead. Certainly she feels superior?

"No," she replied through her interpreter/boyfriend/manager Miguel, "I work hard to race like this, but I never lose respect for the others. I'm not afraid of them either, but if you ever lose respect, you're in trouble." We were just checking, because Fullana again crushed the field by leading from wire to wire, beating Caroline Alexander (GBR, GBR Nat'l Team) by 40 seconds after four laps and 30 km of racing up and down the technical course here.

Alexander mustered a credible challenge today just as Alison Dunlap (USA, Luna Chix) did last week. But it was too little, too late. "I was too cautious today," she said to her National Team coach. "I should have put the race to [Marga], I shouldn't have waited for her."

Caroline had chased down Marga all day, with the Italian spitfire Annabella Stropparo (ITA, Be-One) not far behind - even though she was battling some sort of cold and fever that she picked up on the flight from Madrid back to her home in Italy this week. She finished 3rd after riding a strong race as she tried to redeem herself after dropping out of the Madrid race due to a broken derailleur.

Alison Dunlap (USA, Luna Chix) gets the "comeback girl of the day" award, as she worked her way up from 7th position in the third lap to take 4th at the finish.

"I picked it up with two laps to go," she said as she explained that she hadn't been feeling well either this week. "I felt flat in the beginning, but started feeling better as the race went on. In the 4th lap I felt good, and I caught Sabine." Big Al went on to pass a fading Barbara Blatter (SUI, Specialized) as well, turning in another strong finish and looking strong again for the World Cup title - if she comes back and races the French finals in September.

Blatter is the defending World Cup Champion and was absent from round one in Spain - also due to illness - and thus had to start from several rows back today - making her move up to 5th place all the more impressive. No other women were a factor today, all dropping by the wayside by the finish. The fact that 6th-place Regina Marunde (GER, Focus) finished nearly three minutes off the lead (compared to Blatter's 1:32 gap) indicates that this was a race for a half dozen only today.

And so Fullana gets another win, hanging on to her blue Tissot leader's jersey - which now matches her new blue Orbea bike (see race notes). She won't be coming over to North America to contest Mont Sainte-Anne or Vancouver, effectively capitulating the overall World Cup title as she concentrates on the World Cup finals and Worlds - and racing in Spain. The question is, can the un-sponsored Alexander stay fast enough to take the title, and how ironic would that be? These girls just need to stay healthy.

With an hour break before the men's event, it was time to carbo-load on lovely Belgian treats (waffles, fries, etc.,) and ready ourselves for the men's five-lap race at 1:30 p.m. The crowds were getting even larger, the skies threatening, it was time for the main event (see men's story).

— Ari Cheren, MountainZone.com Correspondent