World Cycling Championships 2018 Innsbruck, Austria: Anna van der Breggen blows competition away

The World Championships road race for women amounts to 156.2 kilometres and features 2,413 vertical metres. The action is centered around a climb of 7.9 kilometres on a circuit that is ridden three times. Van der Breggen attacks on these slopes with 45 kilometres remaining. She gobbles up the front group and solos to the rainbow jersey with a lead of almost 4 minutes over silver medalist Amanda Spratt. Tatiana Guderzo takes bronze. (Slideshow route/profile)

Results wommen’s road race 2018 World Championships

1. Anna van der Breggen (nld)
2. Amanda Spratt (aus) + 3.42
3. Tatiana Guderzo (ita) + 5.26
4. Emilia Fahlin (swe) + 6.13
5. Malgorzata Jasinska (pol) s.t.
6. Karaol-Ann Canuel (can) + 6.17
7. Annemiek van Vleuten (nld) + 7.05
8. Amy Pieters (nld) s.t.
9. Lucinda Brand (nld) + 7.17
10. Ruth Winder (usa) s.t.

Race report
Following a first move by Lotta Lepistö, the Polish rider Aurela Nerlo opens up a gap of half a minute before Ana Cristina Sanabria from Colombia rejoins her when the gap is down to 10 seconds. They widen the gap to 3 minutes. Lepistö tries to bridge across with Emma Cecilie Norsgaard.

With almost 100 kms to go favourite Annemiek van Vleuten hits the deck, but she makes it back to the front of the peloton on the first proper climb.

Sanabria leaves Nerlo behind, while all chasers are brought back by a decimated pack. The Colombian rider crests the summit with a 1 minute lead.

In the descent Lepistö once again jumps clear to rejoin the front of the race with almost 80 kms remaining. Ellen van Dijk, Tatiana Guderzo and Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig make contact, while Sanabria drops. The peloton crosses the line 20 seconds after the leaders for the first time.

Lepistö is dropped on the circuit-climb. The other three widen the gap to 1 minute, but they are brought back before the summit. Coryn Rivera goes solo on the false flat ahead of the descent. Amanda Spratt, Ellen van Dijk, Emilia Fahlin, Elena Pirrone and Malgorzata Jasinska go after her and cross the line with a 12 seconds deficit. The main group is 46 seconds in arrears.

Spratt et al rejoin the front of the race, while Van Dijk is dropped on the climb. Van Vleuten ups the pace on the climb before Van der Breggen jumps clear and bridges across to the leaders. Only Spratt is able to follow the pace of the Olympic champion for a while, but when Van der Breggen accelerates on the flat after the top the Australian cracks. She reaches the crest half a minute after Van der Breggen.

When the bell for the last round sounds Van der Breggen rides more than 1 minute ahead of Spratt and more than 4 minutes ahead of all other pre-race favourites.

The orange squad controls the race and Van der Breggen powers to the world title. Amanda Spratt takes silver at 3 minutes and 42 seconds, while Tatiana Guderzo leaves the other chasers alone on the last climb to take bronze. She crosses the line 5 minutes and 25 seconds after the new World Champion.