Van Vleuten takes a remarkable Worlds win despite fractured elbow
WOLLONGONG, Australia (CT) – We probably shouldn’t be surprised by the things Annemiek van Vleuten can do on a bike anymore. Such has been the magnitude of her achievements over the past few years. But in Saturday’s elite women’s road race at the Wollongong Worlds, the Dutchwoman left all onlookers stunned with a most unlikely victory.
Van Vleuten had come into the race with a fractured elbow and looked a long way off her best. She was unable to ride out of the saddle when the road tilted up – as is her style – and she would later described the pain as “hell”. She missed two decisive splits on the Mount Pleasant climbs late in the race and looked to be gone from contention, along with her leader for the day, Marianne Vos.
And when a leading group of five was caught by a chasing group just 1.1 km from the finish, setting up a small-group sprint, Van Vleuten was still just off the back. But when she made contact with the front around 500 metres from the line, she did so at great speed, surging past the group despite her broken elbow.
The 11-strong group behind her hesitated, giving Van Vleuten enough time to hold on for a most unlikely road race world title; the second of her career.
Lotte Kopecky (Belgium) led in the chase group for silver, ahead of Silvia Persico (Italy).
Standing past the finish line with teammates Vos and Ellen Van Dijk, Van Vleuten kept shaking her head in disbelief. A week after a “shit” time trial, three days after fracturing her elbow in a freak crash in the mixed team time trial relay, and after a race in which she looked significantly weakened by her injury, Van Vleuten still found a way to win the world championships.
Much of the 164 km race was spent with various small breakaways out front, leading a peloton that seemed happy to wait until the closing kilometres for any significant action.
Gladys Verhulst (France) led solo for around 30 km early on, including up and over the single ascent of Mt. Keira. Elynor Bäckstedt (Great Britain), Julie Van de Velde (Belgium), and Caroline Andersson (Sweden) took the lead as the riders approached the six city-centre circuits, leading for the best part of 50 km. Slovenia’s Špela Kern led for a few kilometres too, but it was when she was caught, around 46 km from the finish, that the tempo started to increase in a thinned-down peloton.
The home nation of Australia signalled its intent with four different riders attacking in quick succession: Amanda Spratt, Brodie Chapman, Grace Brown, and then Sarah Roy. Roy was the only of the four to get away, and led until the climbs on the penultimate lap. When she was caught, the real action began.
Liane Lippert (Germany) was the main animator, and by the top of the Mount Pleasant climb, 25 km from the finish, she was leading a group of five with Kasia Niewiadoma (Poland), Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig (Denmark), Ashleigh Moolman Pasio (South Africa), and Elisa Longo Borghini (Italy) with her. Van Vleuten was in a chase group, working for Vos.
The lead group was caught with 13.1 km to go, inside the final lap, prompting Chapman to attack again. Marlen Reusser (Switzerland) followed soon after. But it was again on the final ascent of Mt. Pleasant that the finale really took shape.
Again it was Lippert splitting the bunch, and again it was the same four riders joining her over the top, with around 7 km to go – Niewiadoma, Moolman Pasio, Uttrup Ludwig, and Longo Borghini. Despite riding for Vos, Van Vleuten had gapped her team leader over the top and pushed on, joining a chase group in the closing kilometres.
Some of those chasers would bridge to the front five at 1.1 km to go. It took Van Vleuten a little longer, but when she did, she attacked instantly, ultimately riding to a most unlikely victory.
New Zealand’s Niamh Fisher-Black took the first-ever U23 women’s world title after finishing 12th in the combined field, in the chase group behind Van Vleuten. Pfeiffer Georgi (Great Britain) took silver (16th in the combined field) while Ricarda Bauernfeind (Germany) took bronze with 20th from the combined field.
More to come …
World Championships WE - Road Race (WC) Helensburgh → Wollongong
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