San Francisco Frontiers - Gutsy Vollering wins cycling road race world title

Italian Elisa Longo Borghini held off world time-trial champion Marlen Reusser to take bronze for the third time at the end of a record 180km race.

"I can still not believe it. I worked so hard towards this goal, and it takes guts to truly believe in it with your whole heart," said Vollering at the finish.

Vollering has had a remarkable year, winning the Tour de France Femmes and Giro d'Italia Women before triumphing at the worlds.

The reigning European champion also enjoyed a dominant spring with victories in a series of one-day classics: Tour of Flanders, Liege-Bastogne-Liege, Omloop Het Nieuwsblad and La Fleche Wallonne Femmes.

The 29-year-old held her nerve after her daring solo attack with 39km to go came to nothing and she was caught with 12km left.

"There were so many moments I thought I went too early," said Vollering.

"I just dared and then tried again, and never gave up till the finish line.

"I was not planning to give it away anymore from that moment. I was like, no, now it's mine."

Vollering and Niewiadoma-Phinney played cat-and-mouse in the final few hundred metres as Longo Borghini closed in, and Reusser reeled them all in.

Niewiadoma-Phinney launched her sprint for the line inside the final 200m, only for Vollering to easily out kick her.

Longo Borghini held off Reuser to finish four seconds back.

- 'Amazing lead-out' -

Vollering lit the touch paper with 39km left after her Dutch team-mate Puck Pieterse put in a blistering pull on the Camillien-Houde climb.

"I'm so proud of everybody from the team," said Vollering, who paid tribute to her Dutch team-mates for sacrificing their individual hopes for her.

"We took it in hand, and they rode the whole race on the front, then Puck did an amazing lead-out, and I could just not, not finish the job."

The pre-race favourite attacked a reduced peloton and quickly reeled in and then dropped lone leader Maeva Squiban.

Vollering held the lead for almost two laps of the Montreal street circuit before Longo Borghini caught the Dutch rider.

Niewiadoma-Phinney and Juliette Berthet joined, to form a four-rider group with 12km left.

On the last of eight laps, Longo-Borghini attacked on the Camillien-Houde climb and pulled out a 10-second gap, but Vollering fought back.

She dragged Niewiadoma-Phinney with her up to the Italian and they dropped Longo Borghini before the summit.

The two leaders worked together to prevent Longo Borghini hauling them in but as they entered the final few hundred metres they slowed, daring each other to attack first.

Longo Borghini edged closer by the second, with Reusser close behind her.

Vollering is the faster sprinter. Niewiadoma-Phinney threw caution to the wind, but never managed to get her nose in front and the Dutch star pulled away.

Berthet finished fifth at 39sec with Pieterse just over a minute and a half back in sixth.

Last year's shock winner Magdeleine Vallieres pulled out with five laps remaining of her home worlds after being hurt in a mass crash and distanced.

Two-time winner Lotte Kopecky finished 20th, eight and a half minutes off the pace.

F.Edwards--SFF