... unleashing a flood of tears. Lizzie Armitstead wins the women's elite road race in 2015.
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And so the Road World Championships are over for another year. It’s been a tremendous week of racing in Richmond, Virginia, USA with many memorable moments across disciplines, genders and age groups.
Velocio-SRAM’s fourth-straight team time trial victory opened competition a week ago, followed shortly after by BMC’s second consecutive Worlds victory. In the individual time trials Leo Appelt (Germany) and Chloe Dygert (USA) each announced their arrival on the world stage, winning the men’s and women’s junior ITT respectively. Dygert’s win was particularly impressive, taking more than a minute out of her nearest rival over 15km and setting herself up for the most impressive World Championships of any individual.
Mads Würtz was crowned U23 men’s ITT champion while Linda Villumsen managed a long-awaited but narrow Worlds ITT victory, nearly losing her trade team contract in the process by riding a non-sponsor-approved bike. In the elite men’s individual time trial the big favourites faltered as Vasil Kiryienka (Belarus) lead in an unlikely podium.
In the first of the road races it was Chloe Dygert who again took gold, attacking from a breakaway in the junior women’s race and again winning by more than a minute. Felix Gall (Austria) took a narrow victory in the junior men’s category while in the U23 ranks, Kevin Ledanois (France) made his move on the short cobbled ascent of Libby Hill and held on for victory … just.
But, as ever, it will be the final two races of the meet that will be most fondly remembered. Great Britain’s Lizzie Armitstead, after two consecutive victories in the UCI Women World Cup, took the next step in an already impressive career, sprinting to victory in a thrilling elite women’s road race.
And yesterday, on the final day of competition, Peter Sagan’s stunning solo victory proved a fitting conclusion to a tremendous week of racing in Richmond. For the man who’s developed a reputation for always finishing second, the win was confirmation of the strength and talent of the Slovakian showman.
We hope you enjoy the following images from the 2015 Road World Championships, courtesy of Casey B. Gibson and Kristof Ramon.
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- Velocio-SRAM (in its various incarnations) has won every edition of the Worlds TTT since it was reintroduced in 2012.
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- TTTs are hard.
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- Movistar pushes hard in the final kilometre of the men’s TTT. They went on to finish third.
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- The BMC riders rode their way to back-to-back Worlds TTT wins.
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- Crashing at 50km/h+ is never fun.
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- It’s been an incredible comeback for Taylor Phinney. Away from racing for 15 months then a stage win at the USA Pro Challenge and a Worlds gold medal.
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- Chloe Dygert blasts her way to a comprehensive win in the junior women’s ITT.
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- Dygert’s compatriot Emma White was second ahead of Australia’s Anna-Leeza Hull in third.
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- As athletes come from all over the world and many different backgrounds, there are varying levels of professionalism to be spotted at the junior men’s ITT warm-up area.
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- Leo Appelt rides to victory in the junior men’s ITT.
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- Jasper Philipsen (Belgium) rolling in after his effort.
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- USA second and third courtesy of Adrien Costa and Brandon McNulty.
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- Filippo Ganna (Italy) doing some water-magic post-race.
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- Mads Würtz Schmidt (Denmark) was victorious in the U23 men’s ITT.
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- Linda Villumsen had to wait a long time for Worlds glory, but it finally came in Richmond.
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- Van der Breggen, Villumsen and Brennauer in the Elite time trial
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- Rohan Dennis was on track for a medal before a mechanical in the men’s ITT saw him slip to sixth.
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- Like the other pre-race favourites, Tony Martin wasn’t able to fire on the day and could ‘only’ manage seventh.
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- Vasil Kiryienka on his way to winning the ITT rainbow jersey.
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- This is what happens when you apply sandpaper to your saddle to stop you slipping off.
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- An unlikely podium: (left to right) Adriano Malori, Vasil Kiryienka and Jerome Coppel.
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- Felix Gall goes on the attack en route to winning the junior men’s road race.
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- Gall wins the race while Clément Betouigt-suire lifts his front wheel in the bike throw.
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- Rasmus Lund Pedersen was third.
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- Chloe Dygert attacks from a lead group of four en route to winning her second gold medal in a week.
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- Chloe Dygert wins the junior women’s road race.
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- Emma White (US), Chloe Dygart (US). Agnieszka Slankiak (Poland) in the women’s junior road race
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- The U23 men’s peloton rides the lower section of the course in Richmond.
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- The gutter provided a smoother line on parts of the cobbled climb of Libby Hill .
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- Kevin Ledanois wins the U23 men’s road world championship.
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- Simone Consonni second, Anthony Turgis third.
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- “Go Lizzie!” signs on Libby Hill, supporting eventual race winner Lizzie Armitstead in the elite women’s road race.
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- A nine-rider group that got clear late in the race.
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- Lizzie Armitstead thins out the peloton on the final time up 23rd Street …
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- … then beats Anna van der Breggen and Megan Guarnier in the final sprint …
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- … unleashing a flood of tears. Lizzie Armitstead wins the women’s elite road race in 2015.
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- An early break gets some TV time.
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- Tom Boonen was right at home on the uphill cobbles.
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- The steep 23rd Street climb.
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- Peter Sagan wins the elite men’s road race after attacking on 23rd Street.
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- Sagan gets a high-five from Tom Boonen …
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- … before tossing his helmet into the crowd.
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- A despondent Michal Kwiatkowski was spotted right near the front in the latter stages of the race but could only manage eighth in his title defence.
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- John Degenkolb was one of the pre-race favourites but finished in 29th, 15 seconds down.
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- Peter Sagan, the 2015 elite men’s road race world champion.
