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UCI Road World Championships 2017: Elite Women - Road Race

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We're just under 15 minutes from the start of the elite women's road race at the World Championships in Bergen. The peloton faces eight laps of the 19.1km circuit for a total of 152.8 kilometres as Amalie Dideriksen (Denmark) puts her title on the line.

Sadhbh O'Shea has put together this considered overview of the principal contenders for victory on a course that is open to an array of different interpretations. You'll just have time to watch it in full before the elite women roll out at 1.30pm local time.

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Norway were prominent on that first ascent of Salmon Hill, but Hayley Simmonds (Great Britain) takes over the pace-making once again on the descent. As the road flattens out, Lizzie Deignan comes to the front and has a word with Simmonds, and the pace drops slightly.

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Coryn Rivera (USA) has been one of the outstanding riders of 2017, with victories in the Tour of Flanders, the Trofeo Alfredo Binda and last Sunday's Worlds team time trial. She is confident, too, that she can withstand the climbing and be in the mix for victory this afternoon. "[Salmon Hill is] a pretty decent hill and thinking about doing that eight times, it will be pretty straining on some riders' legs. It's a pretty challenging course, similar to the team time trial where it is constantly changing in terrain, left and rights and everything. I'm not really sure what the team tactic is or how the race will go down, but it will probably be a reduced bunch sprint or a small breakaway," said Rivera. Read the full story here.

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The Netherlands come to these Worlds with something of a dream team. Marianne Vos lines out as something of a deluxe domestique - though who would ever bet against Vos adding to her running tally of three elite world titles on the road? Annemiek van Vleuten, Anna van der Breggen, Amy Pieters, Ellen van Dijk, Chantal Blaak, Lucina Brand and Janneke Ensing give the Dutch firepower like no other country.

"I think that we’re a super strong team so a lot of teams will look to us to make the race," Van Dijk said before the start. "We have some really strong women in the team but I’d like to see how far into the race that I can go. It’s a very hard climb, especially after eight laps, and I think that only the strongest will be there in the end. An early break would be good as long as there are some of us there."

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Penton maintains the bulk of her advantage over the short climb of Solheimsviken. The Swedish champion seems fully committed to her solo raid, while Switzerland set the tempo in the main bunch.

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Defending champion Amalie Dideriksen (Denmark) is among those hoping for a sprint finish this afternoon. Dan Benson caught up with her on the start line. "It’s good to see all the medals that Denmark have taken so far in the Championships. It’s makes us proud and we’d like to do a good result today, also," Dideriksen said. "As defending champion I’m nervous but also excited. I’ll just treat it like any other race and see what I can do. We have seven riders this year and last time we had three so I hope that we can race well. I hope to be there in the end and that it’s a sprint. It’s hard to say how it will go but for sure the Dutch will try and blow the race up. I hope that I can be there in the final."

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Penton has been irretrievably distanced on Salmon Hill proper, and the Swede is about to be caught by the peloton. Lowther's lead has also been pegged back on this ascent, and now stands at 31 seconds.

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One would expect the weight of controlling the peloton to fall upon the shoulders of the star-studded Netherlands team, but the Dutch have done comparatively little work on the front thus far, with Germany, Poland and others seemingly more than content to contribute to the pace-making in the bunch.

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The peloton average 36.126kph for the third lap of the race. The average speed for the race so far is 36.443kph.

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This is a race still waiting to ignite, but that is so often the very essence of the World Championships. It is interesting to note that the Vos, Van Vleuten, Van der Breggen and the Dutch squad have enjoyed a relative free ride thus far. The less work they do now, the more genuine options they will have in the finale.

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None of those gaps have quite calcified into a split, but a lot of riders have been forced to use a lot of energy just to stay in contention and we haven't even reached halfway.

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Andersen's lone rally won't last long. Her cadence drops dramatically as she hits the short climb of Solheimsviken, and her lead is back to 6 seconds.

Andersen remains in front over the top of the climb, but her lead is just 9 seconds. The Dutch have been policing things quietly but firmly thus far, without ever having to work as a unit on the front.

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Amy Pieters (Netherlands) accelerates fiercely from the peloton on the lower slopes of Salmon Hill. This is the first show of force from the Dutch in this race. Hannah Barnes (Great Britain) and Rachel Neylan (Australia) give chase.

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A lot of riders are struggling on Salmon Hill. Elisa Longo Borghini (Italy) is among those distanced. There is still time to chase back on over the top, but with almost half the race still to come, it does not augur will for the Italian.

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Pieters, Barnes and Neylan crest the top of Salmon Hill with a lead of 10 seconds over the front of the peloton, but their attack has wreaked greater damage further back the road.

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A crash on the descent of Salmon Hill. Megan Guarnier (USA), Elisa Balsamo, Elena Cecchini (Italy), Chantal Blaak (Netherlands) and Kirsti Lay (Canada) are among those to come down. It looks as though Guarnier's race is over.

Italy and the United States were leading the pursuit at the time of the crash, and as a result, Pieters, Barnes and Neylan have stretched their lead out to 41 seconds.

Balsamo, one of the fallers, is giving chase alone, but it seems unlikely that she will see the front of the race again this afternoon. Chantal Blaak remounted a little sooner, and she is in the convoy of cars behind the main peloton.

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Katie Hall is back on the front of the bunch for USA, and trying to keep tabs on the lead of Pieters, Barnes and Neylan. 

Blaak, meanwhile, has caught Longo Borghini and a group of riders who were dropped on the climb of Salmon Hill, and they are on the cusp of rejoining the main peloton.

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There are still 76 riders in the main peloton. Chantal Blaak is 15 seconds down on the bunch, but the chasing group of which she was a part is beginning to fragment.

Giorgia Bronzini (Italy), Leah Kirchmann (Canada), Coryn Rivera (USA) and Chloe Hosking (Australia) are among the fast finishers all still in the main peloton.

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Pieters, Neylan and Barnes hit the preamble to Salmon Hill with a lead of 22 seconds on the bunch. Pieters has been the most generous in her efforts at the front, but all three are contributing well to this move.

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It appears that Megan Guarnier (USA) has abandoned the race, though we await confirmation. 

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Ashleigh Moolman-Pasio (South Africa) has been increasingly visible towards the front in recent kilometres. "The course really suits me and I think that it’s really nice. We’re lucky to have some great weather. Today I’m very much out-numbered so it’s going to be a game of patience and trying to be smart. I’m very happy with my form and I think it’s the best form I’ve had at a World Championships. It’s a shame I come from a small nation as it would be great to have more team support but that’s not the case. I’m just going to try my best and see what that brings," Moolman-Pasio said before the start. "How selective the climb is depends on how it’s raced. I can’t take control of that because I don’t have a team but it’s also an opportunist’s course."

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The Danish effort has helped to claw back the leading quartet. The gap is down to just a handful of seconds as they reach the end of lap 6 of this World Championships road race.

Hannah Barnes and the escapees are swept up in the final kilometre of lap 6. And so the race begins all over again...

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Janneke Ensing (Netherlands) sets off in pursuit as part of a small counter-attack over the top of the climb, but King is alone at the head of the race.

A crash on the descent of the climb, meanwhile, sees Hayley Simmonds (Great Britain) and Ashley Moolman-Pasio among the fallers. They will struggle to get back on as the intensity rises in the main peloton.

As Dani King approaches the base of Salmon Hill, she has a lead of 5 seconds over Janneke Ensing (Netherlands), Elise Delzenne (France) and Amanda Spratt (Australia), and 12 seconds in hand on the peloton.

King is joined at the front by Ensing, Spratt and Delzenne. This quartet has opened a decent gap over the peloton as they continue the climb.

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Deignan is represented by King, Van Vleuten and Van der Breggen have Ensing as a proxy, Pauline Ferrand-Prevot has Delzenne, Chloe Hosking and Australia have Spratt... There is a shortage of teams with motivation to chase in the main peloton, and the break's lead stands solid at 30 seconds.

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Van der Breggen's acceleration has helped to close the gap to the leaders near the top of Salmon Hill. Van Vleuten, Prevot, Niewiadoma, Cecelie Ludwig (Denmark), King, Garfoot, Ensing, Nilsson, Guderzo and Spratt are on her wheel. They have 23 seconds on the bunch as they begin the descent. This could be the crucial move...

Lizzie Deignan was among the big names to miss the move, but she is making a spirited solo descent and is on the cusp of catching the leaders.

There are 13 riders in this leading group: Anna van der Breggen, Janneke Ensing, Annemiek van Vleuten (Netherlands), Dani King, Lizzie Deignan (Great Britain), Katrin Garfoot, Amanda Spratt (Australia), Pauline Ferrand-Prevot, Elise Delzenne (France), Hanna Nilsson (Sweden), Cecilie Ludwig (Denmark), Katarzyna Niewiadoma (Poland) and Tatiana Guderzo (Italy). They have 10 seconds in hand on the peloton.

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This is a fine effort from Blaak, who was a faller earlier in the race and had to make a spirited effort to latch back on. 

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Blaak, Barnes and Cordon hit Solheimsviken for the final time with a lead of 15 seconds on Roy and 30 seconds on the peloton.

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The bunch fragments on the lower slopes of Salmon Hill. Van der Breggen, Van Vleuten, Niewiadoma and Ferrand-Prevot have formed an elite chasing group, while Deignan is among those distanced.

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Barnes leads Blaak and Cordon towards the final ascent of Salmon Hill proper. 1.4km of climbing await. Roy is at 25 seconds. The reduced peloton - which again includes Deignan and Rivera - is at a shade under 40 seconds.

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Niewiadoma has Van Vleuten, Garfoot and Van der Breggen on her wheel. This is the move, but can they catch the trio of leaders?

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What an effort from Van Vleuten, who has dragged Van der Breggen, Niewiadoma and Garfoot up to the three leaders...

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Barnes, Niewiadoma, Cordon and Garfoot watch one another, which is playing into the hands of the Dutch. Blaak augments her lead while Van Vleuten and Van der Breggen police the rest of the break.

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Barnes and Cordon were briefly distanced, but as soon as they catch back up, Barnes takes a flyer. Her defiance doesn't last long, however, and she is pegged back.

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Chantal Blaak shakes her head as she looks over her shoulder. The world title is going to be hers.

Chantal Blaak (Netherlands) is elite women's world champion for 2017.

The peloton, meanwhile, has come up on the chasers inside the final kilometre...

Katrin Garfoot (Australia) takes the silver medal. Last year's champion Amalie Dideriksen (Denmark) claims bronze. They came in 28 seconds down on Blaak.

The Dutch squad barely put a pedal stroke askew all afternoon, even if it was Blaak rather than their expected leaders Van der Breggen or Van Vleuten who carried off the rainbow jersey. Once Blaak opened a winning gap, however, Van der Breggen and Van Vleuten selflessly policed the chase to ensure a Dutch rainbow jersey.

Garfoot won't have made too many friends in the chasing group, and she made little effort to claw back Blaak, preferring to save herself for a sprint. The tactic paid some dividends - she was fresh enough to sprint even when the peloton subsumed the chasing group in the breathless final kilometre.

Van Vleuten took fourth, ahead of Niewiadoma. Christine Majerus (Luxembourg) was 6th, ahead of Norway's Susanne Andersen.

Chantal Blaak's win is all the more remarkable considering her crash and long chase back midway through the race. "I can’t believe it. Everything happened in the race and actually it took pretty long to get back up, I was in a lot of pain on that moment I thought my race was over," Blaak says. "I thought I’d try to come back and see what I could do but it was not really the plan that I should win the race. I just wanted to make it as good as possible for the team. Then I came in the good break, that was a good thing because I could get over the climb in front. After that, I just followed my heart and I stayed away."

With three riders out of seven in the leading group, the Dutch had a distinct numerical advantage, and they made it count. "We didn’t really talk to each other but we knew what to do," Blaak says. "There were three of us in a group of seven, and that meant we should attack and not wait for the sprint. Annemiek attacked first. Everyone react and I thought ‘this is a good moment.’ I don’t know what happened then, but they didn’t follow or they waited too long. It’s really a dream and I can’t believe it.

Chantal Blaak is presented with the rainbow jersey by newly-elected UCI president David Lappartient. The 27-year-old was already Dutch champion this season, but this is, by some distance, the biggest win of her career. "I was already super happy that I had the national champion’s jersey this year, now I have the rainbow - it’s a dream come true," Blaak said before mounting the podium.

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Thanks for following our live coverage on Cyclingnews this afternoon, we'll be back with more tomorrow from start to finish of the elite men's road race.

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