News: Women’s World RR Title

BioracerBanner

Denmark’s 20 year old former Junior World champion Amalie Dideriksen beat Kirsten Wild to the line to win the 2016 World Title. Lizzie  Deignan was 4th in the bunch kick.

RST Cycle Clothing & Trigon Bikes

News: Women’s World RR Title

Dideriksen narrowly beat the Netherlands’ top contender, Kirsten Wild, by half a wheel with Finland’s Lotta Lepisto claiming the bronze, with 2015 World Champion Lizzie Deignan fourth for Great Britain.

Twice a Junior Road Race World Champion, in 2013 and 2014, Dideriksen has now repeated her past successes in dramatic style at senior level after the 20-year-old forced her way onto Wild’s back wheel when the leading peloton roared into the finishing straight of the 134 kilometre race.

Then with one last driving acceleration, the former Danish national champion soared past Wild to claim her country’s first ever elite Women’s Road Race title. “I dreamed of this. Winning here is a surprise for me too as it is for everyone. But today I had such good teammates, who even brought me back after a crash and kept on bringing me bottles so I have to say a huge thanks to them.”

“I chose Wild’s wheel in the sprint and had a hard time staying on it because everybody wanted it. Everybody knew she was the sprinter to beat, but coming past her was very hard,” Dideriksen added.

I hoped for a top 10 when I came here. I’m 20 years old and it was a goal for the future to win the Worlds. But I felt pretty great the entire race. I tried to stay calm and at the front of the peloton and not waste too much energy, and I’ve beat a top-class sprinter so I’m so happy.”

Strong favourite, Kirsten Wild put her head into her hands after the finish and that said it all. “I am actually pretty disappointed. We rode a very good race, we had it under control,” Wild said. ”I felt that it was early to go for a sprint, but I could not wait any longer. Diderksen is a very good rider, who came off my wheel very fast. It was my chance, but you cannot turn the clock back.”

The Race

The seven final 15.2 kilometre laps on the Pearl Island in Doha saw the first of the decisive late moves begin thanks to recently crowned World Time Trial Champion Amber Neben. Neben’s courageous lone move allowed the US star to gain up to 50 seconds with nearly two laps to go as Australia and Britain chased behind.

As Neben’s strength slowly ebbed away on the completely flat course, the American still led as the peloton crossed the finish line for the second last time, but only by the barest of margins.

Teams keen not to see the widely predicted bunch sprint materialize immediately began firing their riders up the road, and Britain’s Dani King briefly caused the peloton to shatter with her prolonged surge from the front of the peloton.

However, what had been a fast but fairly straightforward race until that point meant sprinters’ teams like Germany and the Netherlands had plenty of firepower left and indeed, the Netherlands had no less than six riders protecting Kirsten Wild in the closing kilometres.

Omniously, Dani King made a run up the outside to deliver Lizzie to the front, sixth wheel and a brief incursion by Italy into the peloton’s front ranks left Wild with only three team-mates with two kilometres to go.

But as the bunch surged round the long ’S’ bend leading to the finish, Wild, set to be led out by former multiple World Champion Marianne Vos, was still exactly where she needed to be to go for the win.

However, Dideriksen’s late, perfectly calculated move saw the Danish rider shoot past Wild in the last 25 metres to claim the gold medal, even as Finland’s Lepisto made a late charge for the line on the far side of the finish that earned her the bronze.

Lizzie Deignan, whose main focus of the season was the Rio Olympic Games, explained “In the finish straight I was just legless. I didn’t have energy to kick. If I had prepared for this, I may have done some sprint training and put myself in a position to win but a Amalie is a deserved champion.”

On the GB team, Lizzie says “I loved it, what a great team. What a great atmosphere. They put it all on the line and we worked really well as a team and going forward that’s something that I am feel really positive about.”

The eight-strong British team who raced was Eileen Roe, Laura Massey, Abby-Mae Parkinson, Annasley Park, Hannah Barnes, Dani King, Alice Barnes and Lizzie Deignan.

Result
1. Amalie Dideriksen, Denmark 3:10:27
2. Kirsten Wild, Netherlands
3. Lotta Lepistö, Finland
4. Elizabeth Deignan, Great Britain
5. Marta Bastianelli, Italy
6. Roxane Fournier, France
7. Chloe Hosking, Australia
8. Sheyla Gutierrez Ruiz, Spain
9. Joelle Numainville, Canada
10. Jolien D’hoore, Belgium

46. Alice Barnes, Great Britain @ 4 secs
56. Dani King, Great Britain @ 18 secs
57. Eileen Roe, Great Britain
76. Hannah Barnes, Great Britain @ 39 secs
79. Abby-Mae Parkinson, Great Britain
82. Annasley Park, Great Britain
DNF. Laura Massey, Great Britain

… continued after advert

2016_ShuttVeloRapideAdvert

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

AlpsCyclesMidstory

 

Send your results as well as club, team & event news here

Cero

Other Results on VeloUK (including reports containing results)

Other News on VeloUK

Tags: ,