Second straight title for Italian sprinter after the flat course forces a defensive race
Giorgia Bronzini (Italy) successfully defended her World title as the women’s road race came down to the expected bunch sprint. The reigning champion took advantage of a perfect lead out from teammate Monia Baccaille to outsprint race favourite Marianne Vos (Netherlands), whose team had worked to bring back the lone attack of Clara Hughes (Canada), and condemn the Dutchwoman to an incredible fifth successive silver medal. Ina Teutenberg (Germany), who launched her sprint beside Vos, held on to take the bronze medal, ahead of 2008 champion Nicole Cooke (Great Britain).
“It think this one [is sweeter] because two times in two years is not for [just] any rider,” said Bronzini before she went to the podium. “I thought that we would probably arrive in the sprint as it was in the interests of Netherlands and Deutschland too. Our team was less strong, and we had to wait.”
With such a flat course, and so many teams bringing their top sprinters to the race, it was not possible for any riders to break clear of the peloton for most of the race. Only when the race reached its closing stages, with a little more than two of the 14km laps remaining, did Hughes manage to get clear. The Canadian managed to build a maximum lead of 44 seconds over the peloton, but was reeled in by Vos’ Netherlands team with around four kilometres to go.
“We were never really worried about Clara Hughes’ break away on the last laps, as I knew that the other teams also were interested in a sprint and that we would bring her back ultimately,” said Bronzini in the post-race press conference.
“Last year’s win was such a big surprise,” she added. “I had started with no pressure and was working for the others early in the race. I was “just” the sprinter if it came down to that. This time around there was much more pressure, the whole team was working for me so I really had to deliver.”
A flat course denies successful breakaways
With little in the way of gradient in the 14km course, and with most of the big nations riding in support of a sprinter, there were precious few opportunities for anybody to escape in the first two-thirds of the race.
The first lap was ridden at an easy pace, with most of the big teams present at the front of the peloton, with Italy, Canada, Germany, Great Britain and Russia the most prominent. The first attacks came in lap two, as Great Britain riders Sharon Laws and Emma Pooley put in half-hearted probing moves, but the only effect on the peloton was to drop the riders from emerging cycling nations.
On the fourth lap Olga Zabelinskaya (Russia) continually increased the pace, trying to force a split, but only succeeded in stretching the peloton into one long line and dropping one or two more from the back. Pooley tried again, with former teammate Claudia Häusler (Germany), which was followed by another attempt from Zabelinskaya, but once again the move was shut down.
Pooley had a go herself on the climb, with former teammate Claudia Häusler (Germany) stuck to her back wheel, but once again the move only served to stretch the peloton a little.
There were further attacks from Tatiana Antoshina (Russia) joined the action, along with Chantal Blaak (Netherlands); then a small group, including Catherine Williamson (Great Britain), Martine Bras (Netherlands) and Sarah Düster (Germany) briefly got clear but the Australian team pulled them back before they could open a gap.
Pooley and Zabelinskaya both tried again, but the pace dropped once more as the peloton approached the end of the lap.
The Russians try to mix it up but the sprinters’ teams keep a lid on things
The next two laps were ridden in a similar fashion, with Zabelinskaya continuing to try to mix things up. She almost managed to break free on lap six, as Jessie MacLean (Australia), Valentina Scandolara (Italy), Laws and Chantal Blaak (Netherlands) latched on, but the group was quickly neutralised by the Belgian team.
Maaike Polspoel (Belgium) also tried to provoke something, but nobody was interested in going through to maintain the pace that she was setting and it all settled down once more.
At the end of lap six Svetlana Bubnenkova (Russia) attacked but Australia, Sweden and Germany was straight on her wheel to neutralise things once more. The Russian kept the pressure on as the peloton passed through the feedzone on the finishing straight, as a launchpad for teammate Antoshina, who attacked over the top.
The peloton was right on the wheel of the former Russian champion though, but as the pace behind her dropped she managed to open a small gap. The German team quickly pulled her back though; Antoshina sat up once more as Italy and the Netherlands came forward
Scandolara increased the pace, with Noemi Cantele and Baccaille on her wheel and, as Scandolara pulled over, Cantele accelerated again and forced a break. The Italian pulled a number of big-name riders clear, including Annemiek van Vleuten and Kirsten Wild (Netherlands), Judith Arndt (Germany), Emilia Fahlin (Sweden) and Vicki Whitelaw (Australia) but, as Belgium pulled the peloton up to them, they sat up once more.
Finally a break gets away and the peloton doesn’t react
The pace briefly split the peloton in two, as Ludovine Henrion (Belgium), Tara Whitten (Australia) and Eneritz Iturriagaechevarria (Spain) tried their luck. Amber Neben (USA) was the next to try and the former World time trial champion finally managed to break the elastic.
Bras chased across to the American, along with Elisa Longo Borghini (Italy), Lisa Brennauer (Germany), Fahlin and Henrion, but the move was chased down again. As the pace eased up following the group’s capture though, Hughes put in her move, and the peloton sat up and watched her go.
As Hughes crossed the line with two laps to go she led by 36 seconds with the peloton quite happy to let her stew out front for a while. With her lead up to 44 seconds in the mid-part of the lap though, Charlotte Becker (Germany) managed to jump clear in pursuit.
Polspoel pulled the peloton back up to Becker, which cut Hughes’ lead to 31 seconds at the top of the climb. Villumsen with Longo Borghini managed to make a small gap, but Brand pulled the peloton up to them, letting the Germans, Belgians and Australians close the gap.
The injection of pace meant that Hughes was now in sight, just 14 seconds ahead, but the peloton sat up once more with the counterattackers pulled in, and it went back up to 31 seconds once more.
Over the top of the circuit’s small climb Alexandra Buchenkova (Russia) attacked, followed by Julie Krasniak (France) and Alessandra D’Ettorre (Italy), but once again it was pulled back in by the other strong teams. Neben had another attempt on the opposite side of a traffic island, but the Germans, with Brennauer, pounced on her immediately.
Hughes holds her lead but finally the Dutch decide that enough is enough
As the peloton began to be strung out by Sweden, Germany and Australia the gap began to come down a little. With no concerted chase yet though, she led at the bell by 38 seconds as Alessandra D’Ettorre (Italy) led the peloton across.
Polspoel tried again, with D’Ettorre also willing to work, but neither could get away and the Belgian saw that it was useless. Verbeke pulled a small group clear over the top of the circuit’s bigger climb, 40 seconds behind Hughes, but they were quickly pulled back since most of the riders that the Belgian took with her were racing for their sprinter
As they were caught though, Antoshina went again and forced a small gap. She was joined by Longo Borghini, but they were pulled back by the Netherlands team, which decided that now was the time to assert itself for Vos.
Bras, Wild and Loes Gunnewijk were now setting a fierce pace, with Blaak and van Vleuten also coming through on behalf of their captain. With 5.5km to go the gap was down to 20 seconds, as Great Britain and Germany joined the Dutch paceline.
Inside four kilometres Hughes was fading fast on a slight drag, as the peloton had her in sight; Longo Borghini tried to escape again, but Great Britain and the Netherlands pulled her back as Hughes was enveloped.
With three kilometres to go Becker managed to jump clear agian, followed by Whitten, but Wild and the Netherlands team calmly pulled them back. With two kilometres to go though, Arndt jumped away and Vos considered the threat to be big enough to jump across herself. The two were brough back quickly though, and, as the peloton was reorganising itself, a crash at the back bringing down Villumsen and a number of the Italian team.
The Netherlands is in control as the sprint finish approaches
Bras led the peloton around the final corner, with the Dutch team lined up behind her. Vos was sat in fourth position with Cooke tucked in on her wheel. Bras pulled over for Wild to take over, who in turn handed over to van Vleuten as the line approached.
As the others line up for the sprint, Trixi Worrack, Teutenberg’s lead out, launched herself from the front of the pack. The German had gone far too early though, and began drifting back as van Vleuten led Vos towards the finish. Just as the Dutch were getting ready though, Baccaille flew up the right side of the road with Bronzini on her wheel.
“I am a little surprised with this win, as early on in the race I did not believe that it would end in a sprint,” Bronzini said in the press conference afterwards. “With three laps to go we sent a teammate to make the race hard, and in the end I asked my teammate Monia Baccaille to open a hard and early sprint for me.
With Teutenberg bumping against her right shoulder, and with the Italians accelerating up her right hand side, Vos found herself trapped and was forced to allow Bronzini to come past her before she could open up her sprint once more. This didn’t leave the Dutchwoman enough time to get past the defending champion, and the Italian hung on to take the victory by little more than half a wheel.
“It was a perfect race for us, we knew it was going to be fast and hard to get away,” Vos explained afterwards. “We tried to stay in front with the whole team and stay prepared for a sprint. They placed me perfectly with 150 metres to go but I waited a little and that was a big mistake.
“I do not know if I was stronger than Giorgia,” she added generously, “but one thing is certain: she was better than me. “
As she crossed the line, Bronzini sat up to make a heart shape with her fingers – for friend and former teammate Marina Romoli, who has been confined to a wheelchair since being hit by a car last year – just as she had done last year.
Vos sat up with both fists clenched, with her face twisted with the pain of the realisation that she had been condemned to second place for an incredible fifth straight year.
“I didn’t think it was possible to be second five times,” she said to NOS at the finish. “Apparently it is.”