Denmark’s Amalie Dideriksen beat Kirsten Wild of the Netherlands by half a wheel today to capture the 2016 UCI World Championships Elite Women’s Road Race in a bunch sprint at the end of the 134-kilometre race.
Finland’s Lotta Lepisto claimed the bronze medal, with last year’s World Champion Lizzie Deignan of Great Britain taking fourth.
It’s an incredible third world title for 20 year-old Dideriksen who won the Junior Road Race World Championships, in 2013 and 2014.
“I dreamed of this. Winning here is a surprise for me too.” Dideriksen said afterwards. “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. 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.”
Recently crowned World Time Trial Champion Amber Neben made a courageous attack on the closing laps and gained a lead of 50 seconds with two laps remaining.
However, thanks to the work of the Australian and British teams, Neben was brought back and despite other attempts to go clear, the race was set for a bunch sprint.
In the finishing straight, Dideriksen timed her sprint perfectly to shoot past Wild in the final 25 metres to claim Denmark’s first gold medal in the Elite Women’s Road Race.
“I had a hard time staying on Kirsten Wild’s wheel because everybody wanted it. Everybody knew she was the sprinter to beat, but coming past her was very hard,” Dideriksen added.
SBS screened Voxwomen, which i recorded. In it they interviewed todays winner Amalie Dideriksen. Just watching it now. Great Race
the bike trains don’t win every time