This year, for the first time in the race’s seven-year history, La Course was held before the men’s Tour de France rather than during or after it. It meant that while the men’s peloton dealt with treacherous conditions on stage 1, the women’s peloton had far more favourable conditions as it weaved its way around Nice.
The race was decided from an elite group of six riders, three of whom have won at least one world title on the road. Kristof Ramon and Cor Vos were on the scene to capture all the action.
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- It’s been a strange old year. It seems like forever ago that Liane Lippert (left) won the Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race. She still leads the Women’s WorldTour individual classification.
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- Pre-race interviews look a little different at the moment.
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- Lizzie Deignan had an up-and-down lead-in to La Course. She won GP de Plouay last weekend then crashed out of the European road championships a couple days later.
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- Bora-Hansgrohe is also running Specialized clincher setups.
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- Kasia Niewiadoma warns the bunch of an impending hazard.
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- Annemiek van Vleuten was one of the pre-race favourites … as she has been at every race she’s started this year.
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- Jessica Pratt rocking some of the biggest glasses we’ve ever seen.
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- With around 45 km to go an attack from Van Vleuten created a lead group of just six riders.
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- The six leaders: Marianne Vos, Deignan, Longo Borghini, Niewiadoma …
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- … Demi Vollering and Van Vleuten.
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- The six leaders built an unassailable lead which allowed them to sprint for the win. Longo Borghini attacked very late, drawing Vos out. The Dutchwoman started her sprint a little too early …
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- … leaving Deignan able to overhaul her at the last second.
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- Longo Borghini (left) played a vital role in helping Deignan win the recent La Course.
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- Vos second, with rising star Demi Vollering third.
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- Vollering didn’t seem all that happy with her result.
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- Deignan has finished on the podium at La Course before (she was second in 2017). She’s now got two WorldTour wins for the season.