Vollering finally conquers Worlds after thiller in Montreal

Demi Vollering (Netherlands) corrected the biggest aberration on her palmarès by winning the elite women’s road race at the World Championships in Montréal, beating Kasia Niewiadoma (Poland) to the rainbow jersey after they found themselves together in front after the final haul up the Voie Camillien-Houde.

Although Elisa Longo Borghini (Italy) and Marlen Reusser (Switzerland) closed to within touching distance on the drag to the line, Vollering could not be denied, and she had too much for Niewiadoma in the sprint.

Longo Borghini took third at four seconds, just ahead of Reusser.

In a reprise of the Tour de France Femmes finale in Nice, Niewiadoma and Vollering found themselves locked in a gripping duel on the last lap. Niewiadoma dosed her efforts carefully, but she unleashed a fierce attack to try to break Vollering on the short, sharp ascent of Avenue Pagnuelo with 4km to go. 

Vollering held firm there, however, and although she was forced to lead through the final 500m, she managed to overpower her rival in the uphill sprint to the line, even though Niewiadoma threatened to catch her by surprise by opening her effort just as Longo Borghini and Reusser were closing in behind them.

The Dutchwoman had launched what looked like the winning attack with a vicious acceleration on the Voie Camillien-Houde with 38.5km to go after her Dutch team had controlled affairs throughout the day.

With two laps to go, Vollering had a lead of 20 seconds on the chasers and she appeared to be cruising to the rainbow jersey, but a dizzying penultimate lap – and the efforts of Elisa Longo Borghini (Italy) – saw the race turned on its head.

Longo Borghini, Niewiadoma and Juliette Berthet (France) caught Vollering with 15km to go, and the Italian stole a march by attacking alone as they took the bell. Vollering reeled her in on the final time up Camillien-Houde and forged clear with Niewiadoma, but still Longo Borghini refused to surrender, closing to within touching distance of the two leaders all the way to the climb of Avenue Pagnuelo with 4km to go.

Niewiadoma launched a fierce attack on the ascent and perhaps came close to breaking Vollering’s resolve, but the Dutchwoman held firm, while behind, Longo Borghini was now condemned to bronze. 

Vollering was the favourite and the Dutch squad was happy to assume responsibility early in the elite women’s road race, but that didn’t stop a break of four riders forging clear shortly after the race left the start in Brossard.

Beatriz Rosso (Portugal) attacked after 18km, bringing Natalie Quinn (USA), Marte Berg Edseth (Norway) and Gergana Stoyanova (Bulgaria) with her. They would quickly establish a lead over the peloton, but Quinn and Edseth would emerge as the strongest riders of the front group, reaching the finishing circuit with 120km to go with a lead of 3:45 over the peloton.

The Dutch squad took up the reins on the first of eight laps of the circuit, and the winnowing process began from distance, with Lieke Nooijen was happy to press the pace when the road climbed.

The race was conditioned by a mass crash with 94km to go. Paula Blasi (Spain), Niamh Fisher-Black (New Zealand) and defending champion Magdeleine Vallieres (Canada) would all eventually be forced to abandon due to their injuries, but the greatest concern was for Caroline Andersson (Sweden), who was immediately taken to hospital for treatment.

With six laps remaining, the bunch had been whittled down to fewer than 50 riders, while the remnants of the break were gradually swept up, with Edseth the last to be caught with 74km still to race.

Dutch command seemed total at this point. With 61km to go, Mireia Benito (Spain), Sara Casasola (Italy) and Antonia Niedermaier (Germany) attempted to forge clear, but they were pinned back by Riejanne Markus, and the bunch entered the final four laps still together and with three orange jerseys still around Vollering.

Soon afterwards, Maeva Squiban (France) attacked on the Voie Camillien-Houde, opening a gap of 20 seconds on the peloton, which was now being led by Karlijn Swinkels (Netherlands).

Squiban was still in front with three laps and 40km to go, when her lead was out to 45 seconds. That sparked Puck Pieterse into action on the next ascent of Camillien-Houde, where she set a rasping pace with Vollering on her wheel. 

That effort splintered the reduced peloton, with Lotte Kopecky (Belgium) among those distanced ahead of Vollering’s inevitable move. Vollering accelerated with 38.5km to go, 500m or so from the top of Camillien-Houde, quickly bridging across to Squiban, while Longo Borghini led the chase behind.

As they approached the summit, Vollering’s strength was overwhelming and she pressed on alone, stretching her advantage over the chasers as she swooped down the other side. Behind, Pieterse policed a chasing group that swelled to ten riders, with Kasia Niewiadoma (Poland) and Marlen Reusser (Switzerland) among those joining Longo Borghini.

With two laps to go, Vollering had a lead of 20 seconds over Niewiadoma, Longo Borghini, Reusser, Pieterse, Celia Gery, Juliette Berthet (France) and Dominika Wlodarczyk (Poland).

Although Vollering stretched out her lead slightly on the next time up Camillien-Houde, she remained in sight on the penultimate lap, where Longo Borghini’s aggression dragged Niewiadoma and Berthet clear with her in a chasing group. Longo Borghini and Niewiadoma would inch ever closer to Vollering on the Côte de la Polytechnique, and they would catch her with 15km to go, with Berthet making it a four-strong front group soon afterwards. With Reusser closing in on them, Longo Borghini opted to accelerate just before the bell, and the Italian entered the final 14km with seven seconds in hand.