Frenchwoman Pauline Ferrand-Prevot said she had not expected to win after stunning the favorites in a select bunch sprint to claim the women’s road race title at the World Championships in Ponferrada, Spain, on Saturday.
Ferrand-Prevot is more known as a climber having come from a background in mountain biking, but she found the kick finish to streak through and win by the narrowest of margins.
Germany’s world timetrial champion Lisa Brennauer took second in a photo finish ahead of Sweden’s Emma Johansson, with twice former world champion Giorgia Bronzini of Italy missing out by a whisker.
Photo: AFP
Such was the tense finish that the four women were separated by less than the length of a wheel.
Ferrand-Prevot became the first French woman to win this event since legend Jeannie Longo took her fifth crown in 1995.
She said she thought her hopes of a medal were over when she was dropped on the final climb.
“I crashed on Sunday with my teammates in the team timetrial, so I had quite a hard week and I didn’t feel really good,” the 22-year-old said. “Today, I didn’t expect to win so it’s really great for me. I was dropped on the last climb and I said ‘OK, the podium is finished’ but the four girls in front almost stopped. I was lucky the German team was right for me and I had a really good lead out, so thank you. I just knew I had to keep my hands on the handlebars. At first I thought it wasn’t possible. I’ve just realised [she won] and it’s super.”
For Ferrand-Prevot, it was another title to add to a glittering career in which she has combined competing in cyclo-cross and mountain biking as well as road cycling.
She won La Fleche Wallonne Feminine back in April, while this year she has been French national champion in cyclo-cross, mountain-biking, the road race and, for the third time in a row, the timetrial.
She was also previously a world junior champion in this event in 2010 and mountain biking in both 2009 and 2010.
Johansson, who was runner-up last year and also won bronze in 2010, said she was surprised to see the Frenchwoman winning a sprint, but more so that Ferrand-Prevot had not made the break over the last climb.
“I’ve seen Pauline has really stepped up as a top rider this year, she’s done really amazing results. I was surprised she wasn’t with us over the top of the climb,” Johansson said. “I’m surprised, but also not as she’s been a really strong rider this year — I had her as one of the favorites this year.”
Double reigning champion Marianne Vos of the Netherlands, the overwhelming favorite coming into the race, could finish only 10th.
Ferrand-Prevot’s victory owed much to sheer opportunism for a specialist climber not known for her kick finish.
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