Preview: Women's Elite Road Race Championships. Injured van Vleuten and the Netherlands against the field

As the riders enter the final weekend of the World Championships, it will be the women who will have the spotlight on this Saturday the 24th of September, as the Elite riders tackle the Road Race.

Early on the riders will tackle Mount Keira which features 7.5 kilometers at 5.7%. This will however be too far from the finish to have any meaningful influence in the race, but can however make a difference at the end of the day in favour of the climbers who may had been more comfortable throughout this first hour of racing.

After 61 kilometers of racing however the riders enter the final circuit. A circuit that has one clear feature. The riders will tackle 5 laps of this circuit, which includes Mount Pleasant as the main feature of the day with it’s 1.1 kilometers at 8.6%. Most riders will save their legs towards this as it will be the only selective section of the circuit.

Leading up to it there will be a small uphill section which will be ridden in the time-trial with 700 meters at 6%. The run-up to the climb will be furious and the gradients bite the most at the bottom with 16%. It slightens out a bit before growing again to 14% near the summit. It is however a very short and sharp effort, which summits with 8 kilometers to go.

This will be a key section of the route, where the candidates to the win will be clear. However from this point onwards tactics become crucial, as the riders will shortly descend back into sea level and have six kilometers of straightforward flat roads until the finish line in Wollongong.

Here the race can be won or lost. It is long enough to organize a chase, or to stop working and see riders coming from behind. It will be a fast finale and the winning attack can come at any time. It will be back at the center that the new World Champion will be crowned.

The final startlist includes: Kristen Faulkner, Coryn Labecki, Lotte Kopecky, Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig, Emma Norsgaard, Marlen Reusser, Anna Kiesenhofer, Shirin van Anrooij, Ellen van Dijk, Floortje Mackaij, Annemiek van Vleuten, Demi Vollering, Marianne Vos, Lianne Lippert, Grace Brown, Amanda Spratt, Katarzyna Niewiadoma, Mavi García, Pfeiffer Georgi and Juliette Labous.

CyclingUpToDate prediction:
**** Marianne Vos
*** Demi Vollering, Elisa Longo Borghini
** Katarzyna Niewiadoma, Grace Brown, Lotte Kopecky
* Annemiek van Vleuten, Silvia Persico, Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig, Liane Lippert