Photo gallery: The emotion of that thrilling finish at La Course 2018
It looked like it was all over. With 500 metres to go even the tenacious Annemiek van Vleuten (Mitchelton-Scott) was convinced she wouldn’t be defending her La Course title at this year’s mountainous 112.5 kilometre event, which ran alongside stage 10 of the Tour de France.
The Giro Rosa winner had just flown down the Col de la Colombiere in pursuit of Olympic champion Anna van der Breggen, but the Boels-Dolmans rider was still holding the pace and a gap that just wouldn’t evaporate. Chasing down van der Breggen — who had the advantage of fresh legs after skipping the Giro Rosa — looked like too big an ask.
But then, with the finish line so close, the gap between van der Breggen and van Vleuten started to contract. Van Vleuten had put it in a big gear and was rocking as she wrestled her bike powerfully up the final pinch to the line. In the meantime van der Breggen was spinning away, asking her legs to give her just a little more for a few metres, but they just weren’t responding.
This was the chance that van Vleuten had held on for. Willing her body and mind through the accumulated fatigue from a brutally tough Giro Rosa, she passed van der Breggen mere meters from the line. The jubilation written all over her face soon turned to exhausted, joyful tears.
It was so different from van Vleuten’s comfortable solo run to the line last year — the suspense probably made the win all that much sweeter, for the rider and fans alike. The world was watching, and the women’s peloton had delivered a thrilling, emotion-filled performance.
Here’s a selection of images from the race, courtesy of Cor Vos.
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- There was an early break of five and then four, which included Team Sunweb’s Leah Kirchmann (pictured above). At one stage the lead stretched to around two minutes, but it was swept up by a select bunch on the charge.
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- Van der Breggen tucked in behind her rainbow stripped teammate, Chantal Blaak, conserving energy for the finale.
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- Three key lieutenants all lined up, with Amanda Spratt (Mitchelton-Scott) in second wheel, Megan Guarnier (Boels Dolmans) in third and Cecilie Uttrup-Ludwig (Cervelo-Bigla) at the back. Uttrup-Ludwig would later put in a stunning solo attack once that early break was caught. For a while it looked like she may take it right to the line but then the leading trio of van der Breggen, Moolman-Pasio and van Vleuten caught her on the final climb.
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- The sponsorship show usually isn’t so huge in women’s cycling, but that all changes when it is tied into the Tour de France.
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- The beginning of the end.
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- Van Vleuten put it in a big gear, gritted her teeth, and wrestled her bike toward the finish to power past a fading van der Breggen.
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- Van der Breggen (right) took it to Van Vleuten in last year’s La Course but was overhauled just before the line.
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- “I always keep believing and keep on thinking that anything is possible and never give up. That was really important today,” said van Vleuten.
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- Ashleigh Moolman-Pasio (Cervelo-Bigla) rolled in third. She was ever so close to the two Dutch riders at the top of the climb but they pulled out the gap on the descent. “It was an amazing show from the team,” Moolman-Pasio said. “That was a courageous attack by Cecilie (Uttrup Ludwig) and it caught everyone off guard.”
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- “I will remember this day for the rest of my life,” said fourth placed-rider Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig in an emotional interview after the stage.
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- Nothing left in the tank for Sofia Bertizzolo (Astana), who pushed her legs for yet another day to finish 35th after winning the young riders’ classification at the Giro Rosa.
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- It must have been tough for van der Breggen to accept second after looking like she had it all sewn up.
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- The close win made it so much sweeter for van Vleuten. “It was unbelievable. With 300 metres to go I still thought I would get second and then I saw her dying. To win like this … it was a tough ride, but beautiful.”
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- The final podium, van Vleuten first, van der Breggen second and Moolman-Pasio third.
