:00:11. > :00:17.Welcome back to Florence for the road world Championships where the
:00:17. > :00:21.women's road race is coming towards a dramatic conclusion and from a
:00:21. > :00:25.British perspective it is good news with Lizzie Armitstead right in
:00:25. > :00:33.contention. I will hand you straight over to our commentary team.
:00:33. > :00:41.Welcome back. As you can see, 36.5 kilometres to go, the next time over
:00:41. > :00:48.the line they will have two laps remaining, just to the north of the
:00:48. > :00:52.centre of the beautiful Tuscan city of Florence, birthplace of the
:00:52. > :00:59.Renaissance. We with the leading riders, Lucinda Brand from the
:00:59. > :01:06.Netherlands. Their lead is slender. Such an exciting race. We have seen
:01:06. > :01:12.the best of the best make it over the kinds, only about ten of them in
:01:12. > :01:15.contention, extremely exciting. We always knew it would be a race
:01:15. > :01:23.between the Italians and the Dutch. always knew it would be a race
:01:23. > :01:29.What about Lizzie Armitstead from Great Britain? She has had a
:01:29. > :01:33.phenomenal ride until now, no matter what happened she has put in a great
:01:33. > :01:37.effort to still be there with two laps to go. Not a strong team this
:01:37. > :01:42.year, for her, not a lot of support, but she has done a fantastic job and
:01:42. > :01:46.in with a chance. A lot of riders still in with an opportunity. They
:01:46. > :01:50.will have to get back on terms with these two, it is a dangerous
:01:50. > :01:58.breakaway, 15 seconds, it is whether they actually survive, Brand looked
:01:58. > :02:07.super strong in the last couple of laps. That 15 second gap, the
:02:07. > :02:12.strongest nations, means the strongest people to chase have no
:02:12. > :02:18.incentive to do so. I think also we really need to take this move from
:02:18. > :02:22.Ratto seriously, she finished sixth in last year 's world championship
:02:22. > :02:26.road race, she has the ability to be a factor at the end of this race
:02:26. > :02:32.with just over two laps to go. She's definitely one of the strongest
:02:32. > :02:35.riders, very young, her brother is also a cyclist, and her mother was,
:02:35. > :02:42.runs in the family. She is a huge talent. She is only 19, what a
:02:42. > :02:46.talent. To be at the head of affairs at this stage of the senior World
:02:46. > :02:51.Championships race. We were talking at the start of the day about Rider
:02:51. > :02:55.development, the men have quite a broad career spectrum, from late
:02:55. > :02:59.teens into their 30s. The women tend to mature, come into the sport and
:02:59. > :03:05.perform in a couple of years, and they can perform really well into
:03:05. > :03:09.their late 30s. This is quite unusual, a talent like this, the
:03:09. > :03:16.career ahead. -- a big career ahead. They have
:03:16. > :03:20.committed to this, the two of them, no team tactics, we have been given
:03:20. > :03:22.the opportunity to win this world title, we are going to take it, this
:03:22. > :03:26.is the best chance. Fully committed, title, we are going to take it, this
:03:26. > :03:31.not the case of it doesn't work out, we will do something else, they have
:03:31. > :03:35.got to drive all the way. This is typical of all the races we have
:03:35. > :03:39.seen so far, a couple of riders in the lead, not by very much, and
:03:39. > :03:45.group of 15 who are within touching distance.
:03:45. > :03:50.The Dutch, they like the situation because Marianne Vos likes to race
:03:50. > :03:55.by herself, and she will still take the opportunity by the crimes to go
:03:55. > :04:00.across by herself, to give the Dutch to people in the breakaway. She is
:04:00. > :04:03.one of the very few riders that can do that, let the breakaway go and
:04:03. > :04:09.then decide I want to go, off I go. There will almost certainly be
:04:09. > :04:13.action on the next incline. At the moment there is a bridge above that
:04:13. > :04:20.of the letter go further it will be very difficult to pull it back. At
:04:20. > :04:26.the moment, a big drive on the next climb, it is possible. There is the
:04:26. > :04:34.overall winner of the Tour of El Salvador this year. Over the line we
:04:34. > :04:39.have our two leaders. This camera angle really shortens the gap, we
:04:39. > :04:43.were given 15 seconds from the GPS difference, two it will still be
:04:43. > :04:50.quite significant, it makes it look like they are almost on top of each
:04:50. > :04:56.other, just eight camera trick. The Dutch national champion, Lucinda
:04:56. > :05:04.Brand, and Ratto, the Italian leader, leading the way. They have
:05:04. > :05:08.lost a significant amount of the advantage, they don't look quite as
:05:08. > :05:13.committed as before. Perhaps they don't think it is going to work
:05:13. > :05:17.either. 107 kilometres covered in this 140 kilometre race. Two and
:05:17. > :05:24.three quarters hours in the saddle, two laps to go. Once again we can
:05:24. > :05:30.see the USA team on the front, bringing it back, they have had a
:05:30. > :05:35.fantastic race, very strong team. Looks like they are taking the
:05:35. > :05:40.responsibility to pull this back. That means nothing with two laps to
:05:40. > :05:45.go. There are a few riders in the Balaton Marianne Vos, and
:05:45. > :05:52.Johannson, it Tiffany Cromwell, who have a little bit left. Just under
:05:52. > :05:56.an hour of racing at their average speed, still a fair old distance to
:05:56. > :06:00.go, just whether they can survive the next climb. By the looks on
:06:00. > :06:04.their faces when they came through, they look more resigned to being
:06:04. > :06:10.caught than thinking we are in with a chance. Great move though. It is
:06:10. > :06:12.like a war of attrition, Lizzie Armitstead in the middle of that
:06:12. > :06:19.chase group, just a few seconds Armitstead in the middle of that
:06:19. > :06:27.behind the leading to riders. Here we are back with the leaders. Ratto
:06:28. > :06:32.and brand. The question coming in from Andrew, we were talking about
:06:32. > :06:37.the USA and how they try to take the race by the scruff of their neck and
:06:37. > :06:52.affected the tempo, he says Carney UC the GB men using similar tactics
:06:52. > :06:57.tomorrow -- can you see the GB men? They are pinning all the hopes on
:06:57. > :07:06.Chris Froome. If it is going up hill he can spring, but on the circuit
:07:06. > :07:09.this, he needs to get rid of those who operate on single days. His big
:07:09. > :07:20.problem, even if they make the retired from the start, is Niboli.
:07:20. > :07:24.They will have to make it hard from the start. That can do an awful lot
:07:24. > :07:30.of damage to their 19. Chris Froome, if he was on top of his
:07:30. > :07:37.form, it is not where it was earlier in the year, possibly, he has got an
:07:37. > :07:45.extreme acceleration on the climbs, Via Salviati, are we being
:07:45. > :07:49.optimistic? If you compare the tactics of the women's USA team to
:07:49. > :07:55.the GB team tomorrow, it can be quite similar given Chris Chris
:07:55. > :08:02.Froome and Abbott, both similar riders. And capable of setting high
:08:02. > :08:07.tempos. They have got to just watch themselves on the climb. They need
:08:07. > :08:12.to blow it apart, get rid of the quality of classic riders, an
:08:12. > :08:14.incredible pace. It will take more than the British team to do that, it
:08:14. > :08:18.will take the collaboration from several countries in a similar
:08:19. > :08:23.position to do that kind of damage. If they wait until the last two or
:08:23. > :08:29.three laps the motivation, proximity to the finish, means they will be
:08:29. > :08:39.able to hang in there. We have got several other riders that could do
:08:39. > :08:43.it. The Italians with a ride at the
:08:43. > :08:48.front yet again. It happens so many times.
:08:48. > :08:54.Here is the chasing group, the rider on the front of that is from the
:08:54. > :08:59.United States, she has done a lot of work, right on her wheel is Kylie
:08:59. > :09:04.Taylor from this trailer, Tiffany Cromwell is there too, and now Mara
:09:05. > :09:08.Abbott is picking up the pace. This is the first time we have seen her
:09:08. > :09:13.on the front. She is trying to lift the pace, short the gap between
:09:13. > :09:17.herself and the leaders, without really doing too much damage to
:09:17. > :09:20.herself. Lizzie Armitstead in fourth position there, looks to be working
:09:20. > :09:24.hard but doesn't look like she is in position there, looks to be working
:09:24. > :09:28.any trouble. That is what she should be doing, we should not be talking
:09:28. > :09:31.about her, she should just be there or thereabouts watching the move
:09:31. > :09:38.because she has got nobody else here, the gap is just eight seconds.
:09:38. > :09:44.Totally able to bridge the gap, the last kilometre you will see some
:09:44. > :09:49.attacks. This is her sort of territory.
:09:49. > :09:53.Spoken a lot about Mara Abbott but this move may indicate she is
:09:53. > :09:58.working for Stevens on very well behind Kylie Taylor, she is putting
:09:58. > :10:03.a lot of effort into closing this, maybe Stevens is sitting there
:10:03. > :10:07.comfortable. A fascinating story, a career in finance in New York which
:10:07. > :10:11.she basically decided to walk away from to try her luck at cycling, and
:10:11. > :10:14.she wasn't somebody who has grown up with cycling, it wasn't as if she
:10:14. > :10:18.had raced throughout her school years and decided to make a go of
:10:18. > :10:23.it, it was almost for nothing. That is almost a reason why riders are so
:10:23. > :10:26.successful who come into the spotlight, they have got a career
:10:26. > :10:32.behind them, life experiences, they don't fear giving everything to
:10:32. > :10:35.cycling. She is one of those people that is driven, very successful at
:10:35. > :10:39.anything she does. She also said what helped was the fact when she
:10:39. > :10:41.started racing in Europe she didn't know who any of them were, none of
:10:42. > :10:48.them on a pedestal, she had never know who any of them were, none of
:10:48. > :10:51.heard of them. We were talking earlier about race radios and are
:10:51. > :10:58.they allowed the World Championships is to Mark Murano race radios here.
:10:58. > :11:06.That can affect the racing -- there are no race radios here. They cannot
:11:06. > :11:09.get an instant idea of if they are moving away or the gap is being
:11:10. > :11:12.held. It is a factor today, that communication, you have got to be at
:11:12. > :11:16.the front watching what is happening to stop and acceleration that for
:11:16. > :11:21.the German. Immediately marked by the
:11:21. > :11:27.Netherlands. A concerted effort. Would you expect to see her perform
:11:27. > :11:30.well on a circuit like this? Trixi Worrack is one of those riders who
:11:30. > :11:40.can do anything and she puts her mind to it. She has a passing this
:11:40. > :11:48.-- a classy list of results behind her. The gap with Lizzie Armitstead,
:11:48. > :11:54.just one rider in front of her. The pace is really being pushed now. She
:11:54. > :12:02.is certainly driving the pace, Trixi Worrack, she has either got her own
:12:02. > :12:10.ambitions to split the field. There is Ratto, once again. She was just
:12:10. > :12:16.at the front with Round but they have been joined by the other
:12:16. > :12:25.leading contenders. Trixi Worrack one which German road race, 31 years
:12:25. > :12:29.of age, at the top of her game, already one of World Championships
:12:29. > :12:34.in the team time trial this week. Clearly a rider in form. There is
:12:34. > :12:48.the winner of the Silver medal of the time trial. Van Dijk from the
:12:48. > :12:52.Netherlands, never six from the Netherlands, one of two gold medals
:12:52. > :13:14.already. The Russian team on the attack. The rider hitting the front
:13:14. > :13:17.at the moment, Antoshina. She was one of the women's Tour of our
:13:17. > :13:32.dash-macro. Brand is doing the chasing, every move now is a serious
:13:33. > :13:51.one. This attack has come out of nowhere. She is a dangerous rider.
:13:51. > :13:59.She was reactive the last time of the climb to Fiesole, she has still
:13:59. > :14:03.got a bit left in the legs. She needed company before, she didn't
:14:03. > :14:06.get it. If she can just bridge the gap and get onto the wheel, another
:14:06. > :14:17.dangerous pairing, Italy again playing a fantastic team game, they
:14:17. > :14:22.have monitored everything thus far. Founder Brogan, she was fifth last
:14:22. > :14:30.year. This would be an ideal situation for the Dutch. A strong,
:14:30. > :14:34.talented rider, this will give Marianne Vos the opportunity to go
:14:34. > :14:40.across. Ratto involved in that, the rider hitting the front is Stevens,
:14:40. > :14:47.in the USA, Antoshina is being left behind. That is your hands on in the
:14:47. > :14:50.blue and yellow. Marianne Vos, for the first time we don't see Lizzie
:14:50. > :14:53.Armitstead at this point being able to go with the leaders stop the
:14:53. > :14:57.pressure has been on from the bottom. That has changed the
:14:57. > :15:03.dynamics. Everybody has been able to sit in on the false flat and just
:15:03. > :15:09.about hang in there over this either sections -- over the steeper
:15:09. > :15:14.sections will stop Tiffany Cromwell, number 31 for Australia,
:15:14. > :15:17.she is off the back. Lizzie Armitstead, further down the road,
:15:17. > :15:20.it she is losing ground all the time, on this penultimate lap of the
:15:21. > :15:40.circuit here. Tiffany Cromwell from Australia is trying to get across.
:15:40. > :15:51.The pressure is being powered on at the front, Stevens is on her wheel.
:15:51. > :15:56.This is where you need team-mates. If you have the team-mates who knows
:15:56. > :16:00.and believes you can triumph in the Sprint later on, they will sacrifice
:16:00. > :16:16.by sitting on the front and driving it. Rosella Ratto has the strength
:16:16. > :16:22.to stay with the group. The estuary and in the white jersey digging in,
:16:22. > :16:30.hanging in for all she is worth. Trying to stay in touch to maybe try
:16:30. > :16:35.and read group at the other side. If anyone can get back, it will be
:16:35. > :16:40.Tiffany Cromwell. She is a fighter. If she keep -- keep them close
:16:40. > :16:47.enough she might be able to get back. The riders who have missed
:16:48. > :16:55.this will find it very difficult. Italy have significant numbers
:16:55. > :17:00.there. Linda Villumsen there, a little bit further down the climb.
:17:00. > :17:08.She obviously has a bit of a second wind. She has a proven track record
:17:08. > :17:17.in this World Championship race. She has got her work cut out there.
:17:17. > :17:22.10-15 seconds of a gap. You were saying in the lead up to this race,
:17:22. > :17:29.since the time trial, she had had a sore throat and was not feeling so
:17:29. > :17:35.good. As we saw on the last lap, we thought she had called it a day. She
:17:35. > :17:40.is fighting back now. She had a fantastic ride in France this year,
:17:40. > :17:46.she decided she wanted it and she rode away from the peloton and won
:17:46. > :17:51.the overall race. When she gets something in her mind she is very
:17:51. > :17:56.capable of doing phenomenal things. Over three hours in the saddle now
:17:56. > :18:04.for the riders in this women's Road race. Roughly 1.5 laps to go. The
:18:04. > :18:09.next time check will be at the 113: Mud to mark. For the first time,
:18:09. > :18:16.Lizzie Armitstead not up there among the leading contenders. Just having
:18:16. > :18:22.been dropped on this climb, she is a little bit further back. We are not
:18:22. > :18:29.quite sure how much further back. Everyone of them working hard now.
:18:29. > :18:38.People are looking to get in control over the top for the descent.
:18:38. > :18:46.Marianna Vos the defending champion, Stevens from the USA. This is an
:18:46. > :18:53.elite group. As you say, this is a group who may well be away for the
:18:53. > :19:00.day. It looks like this will be hard to pull back for any riders. An
:19:00. > :19:10.interesting thing was the Americans, the race is in the hands of Stevens
:19:10. > :19:13.now. Cromwell, 12 seconds adrift. If the pace does not let up on a
:19:13. > :19:23.descent like this, it will be a tough gap to close. There is a group
:19:23. > :19:34.led by Trixi Worrack. Lizzie Armitstead is 47 seconds off the
:19:34. > :19:40.pace. 47 seconds down to the group containing Lizzie Armitstead from
:19:40. > :19:46.the front of the race. There is Marianna Vos. The favourite is
:19:46. > :19:57.there, Italy have got the numerical advantage. I just caught Rosella
:19:57. > :20:01.Ratto looking over her left shoulder. That must make your heart
:20:01. > :20:09.sink if Marianna Vos is there behind you. The Dutch team have decided
:20:09. > :20:12.that there might only be two of us, but we are going to help with the
:20:12. > :20:29.peacemaking and keep the pressure on. Perhaps. She sacrificed her pace
:20:29. > :20:36.-- placed last year, it looks like she will set Marianna Vos up for
:20:36. > :20:41.another World Championship. Stevens is another writer worth keeping an
:20:41. > :20:47.eye on. Tiffany Cromwell was 12 seconds down over the top of the
:20:47. > :20:54.climb. She is a Demon defender and she will need to be to bring herself
:20:55. > :21:01.back into contention. She might have the opportunity, which we were
:21:02. > :21:05.hoping for a Lizzie Armitstead, to attack later on. As the two main
:21:05. > :21:18.nations are watching each other, you might be able to save -- steal a few
:21:19. > :21:24.metres. This is just an amazing thing to see, the Italian team, how
:21:24. > :21:29.they managed to have such a strong World Championships every year. To
:21:29. > :21:33.have three riders in this break is pretty classy and probably predicted
:21:33. > :21:37.because of their good track record of putting themselves in a strong
:21:37. > :21:45.position. Tiffany Cromwell is back in that lead group. That was someone
:21:45. > :21:52.going, a 12 second gap. She must descend like a stone. She certainly
:21:52. > :21:59.does, she has no fear. She has stayed with me in the Dolomites, she
:21:59. > :22:04.has really, really good skills. Tiffany Cromwell at her name to the
:22:04. > :22:09.list at the front of the race. Stevens looks to be struggling on
:22:09. > :22:13.the back there. There is a little gap between her and Tiffany
:22:13. > :22:19.Cromwell. She might be relaxing a little bit or maybe did too much in
:22:19. > :22:24.the climb. The bad news is Marianna Vos is not huffing and puffing at
:22:24. > :22:30.all. I am just wondering if this group swelling by two has taken a
:22:30. > :22:42.real desire to keep driving. We do not want to be towing everybody
:22:42. > :22:52.along here. That was a bit of a half-hearted attack, wasn't it? The
:22:52. > :22:59.Dutch cyclist has moved. She will be the team-mate of Marianna Vos next
:22:59. > :23:06.year. The Russian rider is coming up to join the group. She started it
:23:06. > :23:11.all off. Yes, she did and then she found herself surrounded by all of
:23:11. > :23:21.the others. That is a serious attack now. It is Rosella Ratto. She has
:23:21. > :23:27.still got enough in her legs to test everybody else once more. The
:23:27. > :23:31.Italians need to do this, because if they go to the finish with Marianna
:23:31. > :23:36.Vos, she is so much faster than anyone else in that lead one group.
:23:36. > :23:42.Any nation would be hesitant to do that. The difficulty with not
:23:42. > :23:46.attacking on a climb is it is so easy for people to stay in the
:23:46. > :23:51.wheels and just follow and follow, expending very little energy. It is
:23:51. > :23:56.tough to get away on any other part of the course. It is like a relay at
:23:56. > :24:04.the moment with the Italians taking it in turn to force the pace.
:24:04. > :24:08.Stevens is there in second place for the USA. Marianna Vos at the front
:24:08. > :24:15.of the race for the first time today. Stephen is leading the way.
:24:15. > :24:19.Johannson from Sweden looks particularly comfortable there as
:24:19. > :24:29.well. She is outnumbered but looks comfortable. She has been
:24:29. > :24:33.outnumbered all day. I think we might see the next selection here.
:24:33. > :24:41.Everybody trying to nip off the front before the bottom of this
:24:41. > :24:45.climb. With my track record that probably means they are all going to
:24:45. > :24:52.stay together now and cruise over the top. This is going to be key,
:24:52. > :25:10.one lap from now when they go up this wall. This grind of a climb.
:25:10. > :25:22.A little bit further down we have got the German rider, she was the
:25:22. > :25:29.German hope in this race. Working hard to try and get back on with
:25:29. > :25:33.Linda Villumsen behind her. Linda has not put pressure on herself
:25:34. > :25:39.today. If they get over this climb and the front bunch has a little bit
:25:39. > :25:44.of a rest, she is capable of time trialling herself back onto that
:25:44. > :25:49.bunch. She seems to struggle with that particular steep one. The
:25:49. > :26:00.severity of this one. You can see she has been dropped here. Let's
:26:00. > :26:07.have a look as they go through this latest time check.
:26:07. > :26:22.Just over 20 kilometres to go. Another attack from the Italians.
:26:22. > :26:28.That group is the remnants of the bunch and they do not think they are
:26:28. > :26:37.going to make contact a game today. No, they are much further away. It
:26:37. > :26:42.is too big a gap. They must be the best part of half a minute behind.
:26:42. > :26:53.They were 28 seconds down a few moments ago. So, leading riders
:26:53. > :26:59.Bozell Arata from Italy, Marianna Vos, Tiffany Cromwell from Australia
:26:59. > :27:05.is just off the back. It could come back together if they continue to
:27:05. > :27:11.ride like this. Nobody wants to do the pacemaking, do they? On the flat
:27:11. > :27:24.roads, leaving themselves fatigued on the climb.
:27:24. > :27:31.Quite an impressive ride by this Italian, she was in an horrific
:27:31. > :27:35.accident in June. No one would have ever imagined she would be back in
:27:35. > :27:40.the national team for this. She broke her pelvis, she had to learn
:27:40. > :27:44.to walk again, she was in a wheelchair. Now she has got herself
:27:44. > :27:51.in condition to be the amongst best in the world. That is an
:27:51. > :27:56.extraordinary timescale. It is unbelievable to even see her on the
:27:56. > :28:09.start line. And she is wearing number 13 today. Lucky number 13.
:28:09. > :28:12.Let's hope it is for her. She is riding really strongly, one of a
:28:12. > :28:22.couple of Italians in this leading group. Here we have our leading
:28:22. > :28:33.riders. With roughly 22 kilometres to go. Lizzie Armitstead, by the
:28:33. > :28:48.way, at the last time check 14th place on the road. She is in good
:28:48. > :29:07.company. Certainly some strong names in the second group. We just got a
:29:07. > :29:10.brief look there at Lizzie Armitstead. A good ride from herd to
:29:10. > :29:19.be at the front of the race until the closing stages. Just over a lap
:29:20. > :29:26.to go. It is all kicking off here with just over one lap to go. There
:29:26. > :29:33.is Cromwell and she knows she is superior in the corners. Just over
:29:33. > :29:41.the top that's -- small rise there are some sharp look right and left.
:29:41. > :29:46.She sees her opportunity in the corner, she knows she is not the
:29:46. > :29:55.biggest threat to Marianna Vos, so she has taken her chance there and
:29:55. > :30:01.really put the pressure on. Stevens having to work hard out that corner.
:30:01. > :30:08.Johannson from Sweden just in front of her, the world number one. It was
:30:08. > :30:13.worth a Starbuck but it is not going to happen at the moment. Some very
:30:13. > :30:26.experienced riders here and they are stamping on everything. -- it is
:30:26. > :30:49.worth a go. She can fall back 13 or 14 seconds.
:30:49. > :30:54.That is the elite group of riders that look set to contest. Looks like
:30:54. > :30:57.the winner will come from this recovery. Lizzie Armitstead from
:30:57. > :31:03.Great Britain, just slipping off the pace, still among the leading
:31:03. > :31:14.riders, 14, wrote, -- 14th at the moment, she will struggled to get
:31:14. > :31:21.back in contention. Marianne Vos is probably the most fresh air in the
:31:21. > :31:28.bunch. They have got to do their best to shake her. They have got the
:31:28. > :31:34.numerical advantage, got to start using it, forcing them to use their
:31:34. > :31:36.firepower to do the chasing. It is hard because to follow on this to
:31:36. > :31:48.rain is much easier -- to rain they haven't given up behind. That
:31:48. > :31:55.is Villumsen and Haussler from Germany. It shortens the view,
:31:55. > :32:00.riders have looked a lot closer than I actually are. Those leading riders
:32:00. > :32:09.must look tantalisingly close to the chasers. Everybody is having
:32:09. > :32:12.tactical conversations now. I don't think I would be letting the
:32:12. > :32:26.Italians sit behind me, that is for sure. Tiffany, I'll -- Tiffany
:32:26. > :32:29.Cromwell and Emma Johansson. The three Italians are trying to catch a
:32:29. > :32:35.cunning plan to wrestle the world title away from the Dutch. And from
:32:35. > :32:40.the big favourite, Marianne Vos, there she is on the right of your
:32:40. > :32:44.picture. For people who don't regularly watching the cycle race
:32:44. > :32:46.wondering why everybody has stopped racing, the climb is coming up, to
:32:46. > :32:51.attack costs an awful lot of energy racing, the climb is coming up, to
:32:51. > :32:54.and you are to close that even if you manage to get a gap you would
:32:54. > :32:58.rapidly be overhauled because you would have fixed ended so much
:32:58. > :33:02.energy to get in the gap, so they are all experienced riders and they
:33:02. > :33:07.know it really would be a long shot to attack now, they have got to wait
:33:07. > :33:12.for the climb. What the final lap this will be, Haussler, Villumsen,
:33:12. > :33:19.they are gaining ground all the time while these tactical discussions are
:33:19. > :33:26.going on. One lap to go, 16.5 kilometres in the world championship
:33:26. > :33:32.road race, it is up for grabs. Van Der Breggen and Marianne Vos lead
:33:32. > :33:38.them through, Johannson from Sweden, Stevens, the USA, Tiffany
:33:38. > :33:42.Cromwell, Haussler and Antoshina and Villumsen are getting tantalisingly
:33:42. > :33:47.close on the back. Anything can happen once you make contact. Only
:33:47. > :34:01.one lap to go, 15: That is, I could dig deep and hang on -- 15 laps to
:34:01. > :34:02.go. They are really closing in. When you look at this field you would
:34:02. > :34:07.still have to say Marianne Vos is you look at this field you would
:34:07. > :34:08.the favourite for the gold medal. She has been the favourite since
:34:08. > :34:10.the favourite for the gold medal. this time last year. A phenomenal
:34:10. > :34:16.the favourite for the gold medal. bike rider. Everybody has says on
:34:16. > :34:20.any day she wants to win, no matter the tactics, the other team
:34:20. > :34:22.strengths, if she wants to win and she is healthy she can pull off a
:34:22. > :34:28.win. she is healthy she can pull off a
:34:28. > :34:35.We down a riders also at the front -- we are down to eight riders also
:34:35. > :34:44.at the front. How has this hand-out? I think this was expect the -- this
:34:45. > :34:49.was what I was expecting. A very honest race. You see the strongest
:34:49. > :35:01.riders get the results. Eight riders have become 11, Haussler, Antoshina
:35:01. > :35:07.and Villumsen have joined them. We have a leading group of 11. We are
:35:07. > :35:16.on the last lap of this women's road race. Last chance for a quick swig
:35:16. > :35:19.of a drink. Interesting to see what tactics the Italians have come up
:35:19. > :35:21.with, a good chat going through the finish about what they will do and
:35:21. > :35:24.how they will try to beat Marianne finish about what they will do and
:35:25. > :35:30.Vos but she will also the confident she has Anna Van Der Breggen who put
:35:30. > :35:34.her in a winning position and sacrificed her race last year. She
:35:34. > :35:37.will be willing to do that again knowing she is riding for one of the
:35:37. > :35:41.best riders in the world, or the best rider in the world. For casual
:35:41. > :35:49.viewers who are not cycling fans Marianne Vos is a superstar of world
:35:49. > :35:53.cycling. She was second on each of the five years preceding last year,
:35:53. > :35:59.but one last year. She has won almost everything you can think of,
:35:59. > :36:00.cyclo-cross, track racing, road racing on the Olympic Games, the
:36:00. > :36:12.lot. Not much she has one. Also for the viewers who don't watch
:36:12. > :36:16.cycling so often, Emma Johansson, she has become number one for the
:36:16. > :36:20.first time someone other than Marianne Vos has taken number one in
:36:20. > :36:24.six years. She has been very consistent, but she will definitely
:36:24. > :36:28.need to do something before the finish if she wants to beat Marianne
:36:28. > :36:32.Vos. Marianne Vos has been having another
:36:32. > :36:37.go at mountain biking. She has spoken out about wanting to compete
:36:37. > :36:44.at Rio in the mountain biking discipline, so many opportunities,
:36:44. > :36:52.track, mountain bike, cycle, -- cycle Cross, road racing, she can do
:36:52. > :36:58.it all. The storm. -- the calm before the storm. They are summoning
:36:58. > :37:04.all their final reserves of energy for one last big push on this last
:37:04. > :37:10.lap. A little look back there from Tatiana Guderzo. She will be having
:37:10. > :37:14.a conversation with her team car, her coach, about the X and
:37:14. > :37:24.double-checking they will be doing the Rhine right thing. So much
:37:24. > :37:28.experience. Bronzini who we thought might be the key player for Italy
:37:28. > :37:33.hasn't approved to be the case, but three of 13 or in this leading
:37:33. > :37:41.group, the leading group of 11. -- three of their team. Still Van Der
:37:41. > :37:46.Breggen, and Marianne Vos leading the way. Boss on the right-hand
:37:46. > :37:52.side. -- Marianne Vos on the right-hand side. There is Villumsen,
:37:52. > :37:57.the number 90 on her back. She has had an impressive right given she
:37:57. > :38:02.has been unwell since she won a silver medal a few days ago. She was
:38:02. > :38:06.very unsure whether to start. She only made the decision this morning
:38:06. > :38:10.she would go to the start line and she is in the final selection here.
:38:10. > :38:16.She has probably exceeded her own expectations. She certainly made the
:38:16. > :38:20.right decision. Tiffany Cromwell still involved. Emma Johansson from
:38:20. > :38:25.Sweden. Italy with the numerical advantage. The Netherlands with two
:38:25. > :38:29.riders including the favourite. Antoshina from Russia having joined
:38:29. > :38:34.his leading group just a few moments ago leading the way at the moment.
:38:34. > :38:39.Claudia Hausler from Germany, it she is appearing at the front for the
:38:39. > :38:42.first time. She could go on the attack on this longer climb. Even on
:38:43. > :38:45.the attack on this longer climb. Even on that stage but short climb
:38:45. > :38:51.she is a very good climber. The big hope today, interesting how riders
:38:51. > :38:59.can get dropped early and make their way back. 14 kilometres to go in
:38:59. > :39:08.this women's road race will stop -- road race. There we are seeing
:39:08. > :39:15.Tatiana Guderzo, back among the team cars. Ishiguro rack for advice or
:39:15. > :39:23.has she called it a day? Maybe she is just double-checking something.
:39:23. > :39:30.Here she is, back on the leading group. A lot of discussion going on,
:39:30. > :39:35.could be tricky when there is strength in the team, who is going
:39:35. > :39:39.to be leader or who sacrifices for who? I think they have the
:39:39. > :39:43.experience, they will sacrifice for each other, given their track record
:39:43. > :39:47.they believe in each other and they would be happy to see any of the
:39:47. > :39:56.Italian riders when. Guderzo is the one with the real experience, 29
:39:56. > :40:09.years of age. Second in the generated earlier this year. --
:40:09. > :40:17.Giro.. It has suddenly become very
:40:17. > :40:22.tactical. When you look on the road you can see they are going up this
:40:22. > :40:26.crime more slowly than they have been throughout the afternoon. You
:40:26. > :40:30.would think with three Italian the pace would be on and it would be
:40:30. > :40:33.attack after attack after attack. We know they don't want to go to the
:40:33. > :40:39.finish with Marianne Vos, but she could also be in danger, one of the
:40:39. > :40:49.riders needs to be able to go with her. Everybody is looking at
:40:49. > :40:54.Marianne Vos. Villumsen from New Zealand in their up among the
:40:54. > :41:00.leading riders. It looks as if the two chases might get in there,
:41:00. > :41:14.Guderzo, still bringing up the rear. Here we go. Antoshina, Guderzo
:41:14. > :41:22.launches the counterattack for Italy. The race is really on here on
:41:22. > :41:26.this last lap. The former world champion Guderzo, look who is
:41:26. > :41:29.straight on her wheel, Marianne Vos. Can Marianne Vos follow all of the
:41:29. > :41:34.attacks from the Italians, issue strong enough to outright three of
:41:34. > :41:42.the Italians? -- issue strong enough to outright. It is drafting to
:41:42. > :41:50.string out a little bit. -- starting to. Evie Stevens from the USA, we
:41:50. > :42:03.haven't mentioned her for ten minutes also, she is still in there,
:42:03. > :42:10.the Italians with longer Borghini. This is what the Italians need to
:42:10. > :42:13.do, Borghini looks strong. She has not done a great deal in this race,
:42:13. > :42:27.she will use everything she has got. The race is really hotting up as the
:42:27. > :42:38.calamitous click by. -- as the kilometres. The ship being put on by
:42:38. > :42:48.Borghini from Italy, Van Der Breggen from Netherlands on her wheel.
:42:48. > :42:51.Stevens is getting up on your hands on's wheel. Is this Tiffany
:42:51. > :42:58.Cromwell? Yes, Tiffany Cromwell having a go. Gutsy ride from
:42:58. > :43:02.Cromwell. She was off the back last time they went up this crime but she
:43:02. > :43:11.descended so quickly. That was a good move, she never gives up, just
:43:11. > :43:15.keeps going and going. The style of bread ever comes out on top. --
:43:15. > :43:30.rider that comes out on top. The little gap opened up. This is a
:43:30. > :43:36.great demonstration of how women's racing can be. We saw in London
:43:36. > :43:40.Lizzie Armitstead against Marianne Vos. We have got the opportunity to
:43:40. > :43:49.watch another world-class women's by grace. -- like race. -- bike race.
:43:49. > :43:54.Cromwell realising the particular attack wasn't quite going to have
:43:54. > :44:00.the desired effect but it may have weakened the opposition. Claudia
:44:00. > :44:08.Hausler from Germany, just struggling to hold the wheels. The
:44:09. > :44:17.two Russian riders also at the back, Antoshina. What a titanic struggle
:44:17. > :44:24.for the medals this will be as they come up towards Fiesole. Another
:44:24. > :44:28.attack, Guderzo. Marianne Vos straight on her wheels, second time.
:44:28. > :44:35.The last time the desert had a little go she was straight on her
:44:35. > :44:39.wheel. -- Guderzo. She would sense she is one of the main dangers, if
:44:39. > :44:46.she had to cover one of the Italians that would be the one. The
:44:46. > :44:49.difficulty could come when the Italians counter attack with the
:44:49. > :44:57.other riders. She is strong enough to cover everyone. She is once again
:44:57. > :45:00.the strongest rider in the race. Look at the painful Claudia Hausler,
:45:00. > :45:04.it she is struggling to hang on to that group. They are disappearing
:45:04. > :45:11.into the distance, having worked so hard to be joined the leading group.
:45:11. > :45:15.They find they were only with them for a matter of minutes. Marianne
:45:15. > :45:23.Vos looking over her shoulder, right on her wheel is Rozelle Ratto. Looks
:45:23. > :45:36.like we have lost Tiffany Cromwell again, interesting to see if she can
:45:36. > :45:40.claw away back on the descent. Marianne Vos countered that attack
:45:40. > :45:45.just as it was starting. She was already countering it as the
:45:45. > :45:52.Italians started to dig in. It is a very big part of the mental game.
:45:52. > :45:58.She is on everything. In the end her opponents may give up. It is asking
:45:58. > :46:03.a lot from Tiffany Cromwell to dig deep and sprint at the end of the
:46:03. > :46:09.race. She is the type of rider, if she makes contact she will keep
:46:09. > :46:18.going. Here is Stevens on the attack. She is at the front for the
:46:18. > :46:23.first time a while. The Americans road at high tempo on this climb,
:46:24. > :46:26.they got rid of half of the field in one swoop. Will it pay off finally,
:46:26. > :46:34.they got rid of half of the field in at the end of the day? That is
:46:34. > :46:39.certainly a strong move by Stevens. You can see only the two Dutch have
:46:39. > :46:49.been able to move with her and one Italian. That puts the Dutch in a
:46:49. > :46:53.stronger position. She had just about lost contact when Stevens made
:46:53. > :47:05.her attack there, but straightaway Marianne Vos was alert to what was
:47:05. > :47:12.going on. Her team-mate is there to support her. And now we see Linda
:47:12. > :47:16.Villumsen coming back again. Linda Villumsen keeps looking as though
:47:16. > :47:21.she's being dropped, but she keeps loitering around the back of that
:47:21. > :47:27.group, she is still there. She is one of those type of riders that
:47:27. > :47:38.will keep going and going. She is a phenomenal time trial rider. Van Der
:47:38. > :47:43.Breggan on the attack. Marianne Vos in third, Johannson looks dangerous
:47:43. > :47:48.in fourth. She has never missed a trick without doing any work at the
:47:48. > :47:54.front. It is an amazing she is still there. She has follows the right
:47:54. > :48:00.moves and has used the minimum amount of energy to cover these
:48:00. > :48:06.moves and still be there. She is playing a very smart race, that is
:48:06. > :48:10.what she is good at. Stevens has just regrouped, having launched an
:48:10. > :48:19.attack on a couple of minutes ago. She is on the front once again. Just
:48:19. > :48:28.over ten kilometres to go. One of these riders is set to become the
:48:28. > :48:29.world champion. Stevens, Johannson, Van Der Breggan and Marianne Vos are
:48:29. > :48:43.there. Linda Villumsen is also a very good
:48:43. > :48:54.defender, it will be interesting to see if she can pull back 15 seconds.
:48:54. > :48:59.Rosella Ratto leading the way. Stephen 's first over from the USA,
:48:59. > :49:09.Marianne Vos second. Roselle Arata know from Italy, Van Der Breggan
:49:09. > :49:16.from the Netherlands. The first of the chasers are at 15 seconds. Four
:49:16. > :49:23.riders at the front of the race. Five on the front of the race.
:49:23. > :49:34.Five leading the way. Three at seconds. Tiffany Cromwell losing a
:49:34. > :49:55.lot of ground, 40 seconds back. This is very much looking like
:49:55. > :49:58.another Marianne Vos championship. She is capable of covering
:49:58. > :50:07.everything, she must be feeling confident at this point. You would
:50:07. > :50:18.think so. And yet again, Van Der Breggan has proved an invaluable
:50:18. > :50:29.team-mate. Guderzo is descending very rapidly here in the chase.
:50:29. > :50:41.There is Stevens bringing up the rear of the leading group. We have
:50:41. > :50:50.still got the one final climb, potentially the decisive moment of
:50:50. > :50:59.the race with 8.4 kilometres to go. Not that long at 600 metres, but
:50:59. > :51:02.what a strength supper. It is a very steep climb, it would be interesting
:51:02. > :51:10.to know which gears the girls are using. Obviously they would like to
:51:10. > :51:17.have the 11 for the descent. Possibly 25 for the steep climb.
:51:17. > :51:24.It looks like Marianne Vos is applying a little bit of pressure on
:51:24. > :51:28.the descent. She is a very technically good rider, it would be
:51:28. > :51:33.easy for her to go down this descent and relax at the same time. Just the
:51:33. > :51:54.one real obstacle. Rosella Ratto leading the way for
:51:54. > :52:00.Italy, number 14. Marianne Vos coming to the head of affairs.
:52:00. > :52:05.Johannson in third place. A little check to see which of the rivals
:52:05. > :52:14.remain. Not very many, is the answer. The second group
:52:14. > :52:18.remain. Not very many, is the to close it in so they have the
:52:18. > :52:24.number is therefore the Italian team. They are not giving up. It
:52:24. > :52:30.does look as if they are going to get back on, how long it will last,
:52:30. > :52:35.I am not sure. The final climb is not very far away now. These three
:52:35. > :52:41.riders have to work particularly hard to get back on. The moment they
:52:41. > :52:45.get back on, that steep climb is going to come. They are not the
:52:45. > :52:51.strongest of the leading group, it will be difficult for them to keep
:52:51. > :52:58.that gap after the last steep climb. What a finish we are going to have
:52:58. > :53:03.here. Full coverage tomorrow for the men's race. Chris Froome leading the
:53:03. > :53:07.British challenge in that one. Bradley Wiggins racing and Mark
:53:07. > :53:14.Cavendish also taking the start line. This is not a course suited to
:53:14. > :53:19.Mark Cavendish. The British team putting all their efforts behind
:53:19. > :53:24.Chris Froome. Before that, we have got the finish of this women's elite
:53:24. > :53:26.race. The three chasers look as though they are about to get back
:53:26. > :53:36.on. Linda Villumsen having a final
:53:36. > :53:49.drink. Guderzo makes the connection and
:53:49. > :53:59.they join Stevens and the others at the front. The Italians are putting
:53:59. > :54:04.pressure on the Dutch. Now the Italians with three at the front,
:54:04. > :54:10.the right-hand turn leads to the 600 metre climb. And the race is very
:54:10. > :54:20.much on the line, who have got the legs? Who can dig the deepest and
:54:20. > :54:26.open up a lead here? Van Der Breggan in the lead here. Stevens moves on
:54:26. > :54:33.to the right-hand side of the road. This is pretty much Stevens last
:54:33. > :54:39.chance. She knows if she goes to the finish with Marianne Vos, there is
:54:39. > :54:41.no chance, so she is putting in a last effort. Marianne Vos looks the
:54:41. > :54:50.most comfortable of all these riders. Those three chasers who did
:54:50. > :54:54.all that work to get on the back did so in precisely the wrong moment.
:54:54. > :55:01.Marianne Vos makes her move for glory. This is the decisive point of
:55:01. > :55:06.the race. This is where the best female cyclist in the world is
:55:06. > :55:11.making her bid for a third world title. She leaves everyone in her
:55:11. > :55:16.tracks. It is unbelievable to see her do this time and time again.
:55:16. > :55:20.Everybody knows it is coming, but there is nothing they can do. Once
:55:20. > :55:27.they get over the top, Johannson will have to work with her team-mate
:55:27. > :55:33.to pull back Marianne Vos. It is very unlikely. Marianne Vos has made
:55:33. > :55:37.the move that everyone has been waiting for throughout the day. She
:55:37. > :55:41.is the overwhelming favourite for this race and in the closing
:55:41. > :55:43.minutes, with just over five kilometres to go, Marianne Vos is
:55:43. > :55:48.trying to win her third road title. kilometres to go, Marianne Vos is
:55:48. > :55:53.A little bit further down Linda Villumsen bringing up the three
:55:53. > :55:58.chasers. There is no way they will get back to contest the finish year.
:55:58. > :56:05.It is a time trial now for Marianne Vos. Whether Johannson can work hard
:56:05. > :56:12.with 13 mate, even if they do, I am not sure they will see Marianne Vos
:56:12. > :56:16.again until after the finish. That is right. She has got that extra
:56:16. > :56:22.little bit of speed in the sprint which would make it hard for anyone
:56:22. > :56:28.to beat her from this point on. Supremely talented bike rider and in
:56:28. > :56:34.all disciplines of cycling. She is brilliant at all of them. A very
:56:34. > :56:39.special athlete. That is Johannson of Sweden in second place. Roselle
:56:39. > :56:41.Arata know, I think we will be seeing a lot more of her in the
:56:41. > :56:51.Arata know, I think we will be years to come. -- Roselle Ratho. It
:56:51. > :56:57.looks like the gap is closing in a little bit. They may have just put
:56:57. > :57:04.100% effort in there. They are both giving 100% trying to get back with
:57:04. > :57:11.Marianne Vos. We still have a cliffhanging finish in this race.
:57:11. > :57:19.She has just got one minor in Klein to negotiate. But the chase is on
:57:19. > :57:45.for Johannson and Roselle rat over. She is definitely giving it
:57:45. > :57:50.everything she has now. She has a phenomenal turn of speed. A sprinter
:57:50. > :57:55.like Marianne Vos can sprint no matter how tired they are. It is not
:57:55. > :58:08.a big gap. Marianne Vos is laying it matter how tired they are. It is not
:58:08. > :58:18.all out there on the road. She is burying herself in pursuit of
:58:18. > :58:24.victory. Johannson wants to win. She is waiting for Marianne Vos's
:58:24. > :58:29.mistake. They will have to give 100% and a little bit more to relearn
:58:29. > :58:34.Marianne Vos. What a race in the closing moments of this women's
:58:34. > :58:42.race. Marianne Vos leading the way and being chased all the way up the
:58:42. > :58:53.street by Johannson. And by Ratto, one of the talented young Italian
:58:53. > :58:59.riders. It would be very satisfying for Marianne Vos to finish the
:58:59. > :59:05.season on top again. Johannson has to do a lot of work here, it seems
:59:05. > :59:13.that Ratto is just sitting on her wheel. Two kilometres to go. The
:59:13. > :59:21.last two kilometres of this road race. Marianne Vos who won the road
:59:21. > :59:23.race a year ago on The Mall, looking set fair for another gold medal to
:59:23. > :59:30.race a year ago on The Mall, looking add to her extensive collection.
:59:30. > :59:36.Here are the two chasers. The only two that could possibly deny her.
:59:36. > :59:41.And there is the gap. It is going to be hard for them to close. There
:59:41. > :59:45.will be a point where these two chasers decide whether they will
:59:45. > :59:54.race for second. It looks like they are going to race for second at the
:59:54. > :59:59.moment. The rest of the route is not technical at all. A long, straight
:59:59. > :00:04.run into the finish. Towards the football stadium, and there is the
:00:04. > :00:10.view. It means they can see Marianne Vos the hallway up the finishing
:00:10. > :00:16.straight. I cannot imagine they have that extra cull mutters per hour to
:00:16. > :00:21.catch Marianne Vos. It will be an impossible task for these two to
:00:21. > :00:26.follow back. If there is one person you do not want to be chasing
:00:26. > :00:31.towards the end of a raised it is Marianne Vos. A little anxious look
:00:31. > :00:37.behind. One kilometre to go for the Olympic champion.
:00:37. > :00:44.Doesn't look that Johannson is getting any help.
:00:44. > :00:53.She is not getting any help from Ratto. It looks as if Johannson is
:00:53. > :00:56.going to bring the Italian up towards a silver medal. There will
:00:56. > :01:01.be a moment when they decide they'll be single second. Johannson realised
:01:01. > :01:04.she wasn't going to catch Marianne Vos and they will just play the
:01:05. > :01:13.tactical last game for the minor medals. Here is a golden goal of
:01:13. > :01:18.world cycling, she left it late, she can afford to leave it late, she is
:01:19. > :01:24.the best rider and she will be the world champion again for the third
:01:24. > :01:28.time in her career, three world titles, five times a silver
:01:28. > :01:29.medallist in this race, winner of many other gold medals in cycling,
:01:29. > :01:35.the Olympic champion is the world many other gold medals in cycling,
:01:35. > :01:38.champion again. The favourite brings home the gold medal for the
:01:38. > :01:44.Netherlands, and she has the time to celebrate. Marianne Vos ensures this
:01:44. > :01:50.race goes to form and she is the number one, Olympic champion and
:01:50. > :01:54.world champion for another year. The silver medal is being fought out by
:01:54. > :01:59.Emma Johansson and Rozelle Ratto. Johannson who lead the chase all the
:01:59. > :02:02.way up the finishing straight claims the silver medal, that is her best
:02:02. > :02:07.ever finish in the World Championships, silver for Sweden,
:02:07. > :02:15.and a bronze for the hosts, Italy. You can see how emotional it is for
:02:15. > :02:19.Marianne Vos, that shows how much work she puts into it, she has two
:02:19. > :02:24.work as much as anybody else and you can see that come out with the
:02:24. > :02:30.emotion. Here is Van Der Breggen, never the line in fourth. What a job
:02:30. > :02:35.she did, the celebrations can start now, important to reiterate, as Evie
:02:35. > :02:44.Stevens crosses the line and the limbs and, -- Villumsen, for all
:02:44. > :02:48.that Marianne Vos is the favourite, that brings its own pressures, you
:02:48. > :02:51.still have to go out there and deliver, when you know everybody is
:02:51. > :02:55.looking at you, you the mark to person. All the fans and followers
:02:55. > :03:01.and all the general public will be thinking and expecting her to win,
:03:01. > :03:06.but she knows she had to do the hard work to bring this home, it doesn't
:03:06. > :03:11.come easy. The look on her face told us that. She definitely works very
:03:11. > :03:16.hard, one of the most professional athletes, genuinely a really nice
:03:16. > :03:17.person, loved by her team-mates, the pellet on, an inspiration to women
:03:18. > :03:26.in general. -- Balaton. She will be the greatest female
:03:26. > :03:33.cyclist who has ever lived, a very special talent. There is
:03:33. > :03:36.confirmation of the result. Marianne Vos, for the second year running, is
:03:36. > :03:42.the world champion. Emma Johansson with the silver medal, Rozelle Ratto
:03:42. > :03:45.with the bronze. Lizzie Armitstead was very much a factor in this
:03:46. > :03:52.race, until losing out in the closing stages, being dropped along
:03:52. > :04:01.the way, it is Marianne Vos's day, it she is the world champion once
:04:01. > :04:04.again . What a race it was. Let's first of all paid tribute to the
:04:04. > :04:08.again . What a race it was. Let's organisers in Tuscany. Creating a
:04:08. > :04:16.cause which gives you a race like that. We watched it -- we saw it in
:04:16. > :04:22.the last couple of days and thought that would be perfect, summoning
:04:23. > :04:27.opportunities to attack, you wonder when to start on the circuit, a
:04:27. > :04:33.possession, and the Americans just let it up and it was a great race to
:04:33. > :04:35.watch. The Italians, as we always expect, or right in there. That
:04:35. > :04:40.watch. The Italians, as we always lovely moment, I think, on the start
:04:40. > :04:46.of the final lap when they were all chatting, a lap before that she was
:04:46. > :04:50.chatting with Van Der Breggen, the three Italians were together, they
:04:50. > :05:00.were all plotting. They were all trying to work out how to do it, the
:05:00. > :05:04.Italians had numerical advantage. They got it down to just one Italian
:05:04. > :05:07.left and that swung the other way. If the three of them had got over
:05:07. > :05:10.the top and been able to attack on the descent it would have been
:05:10. > :05:17.difficult for the Dutch to keep a lid on but it came down to that 600
:05:17. > :05:20.metres. We talked about the Via Salviati, the steepest point in the
:05:20. > :05:28.client at Marianne Vos just had a little look. They were down to about
:05:28. > :05:31.12, Des Browne. She wasn't having it all thrown away, she just about
:05:31. > :05:40.scraped enough of a gap, four seconds, to make it worthwhile
:05:40. > :05:44.persevering. Just talking about what a great job the organisers have done
:05:44. > :05:48.with his course, to give such an exciting race. It was absolutely
:05:48. > :05:52.phenomenal, the excitement in the last few laps was believable, all
:05:52. > :05:55.the best riders were there. The course here in Italy, Tuscany, has
:05:55. > :06:00.brought out the best bike riders on the day. In terms of the way the
:06:00. > :06:03.Italians were together, was appointment they looked incredibly
:06:03. > :06:11.dangerous, when I had the three riders. Marianne Vos had three tea
:06:11. > :06:15.team-mates, and there were three Italians. The Italians did
:06:15. > :06:22.everything they could but they were up against a rider who can nearly
:06:23. > :06:25.win in any situation. When she made that attack on
:06:25. > :06:30.Fiesole, that probably broke the Italian team plan. Evie Stevens had
:06:30. > :06:35.a phenomenal ride as well, she had to do that, take a chance on the
:06:35. > :06:44.hill she came to finish, she is not the fastest of sprinters, a really
:06:44. > :06:48.big last effort, and as we saw, Ratto was with Johannson but not
:06:48. > :06:53.doing turns. We saw the results, with Marianne Vos winning, Johannson
:06:53. > :06:58.second, Ratto third, a really honest race out there today.
:06:58. > :07:03.We will reflect on the British performance, Lizzie Armitstead got
:07:03. > :07:06.lost on the penultimate climb, Katie Colclough, her last race as a
:07:06. > :07:10.professional edges because afterwards.
:07:10. > :07:14.We predicted this would be a hard race and approved is right.
:07:14. > :07:19.Definitely, we definitely expected hard. The first part was pretty calm
:07:19. > :07:24.and controlled but everybody was waiting for that Hill and it wasn't
:07:24. > :07:29.even on the help, it was five metres out, everybody going crazy, just
:07:29. > :07:33.flat-out first lap, really hard. Really aggressive race, the
:07:33. > :07:37.Americans that put the hammer down and sprinted the group. I had a
:07:37. > :07:40.suspicion the Americans might go with that kind of approach and they
:07:40. > :07:45.have got attacking riders and good climbers and they were to be working
:07:45. > :07:50.Marianne Vos much as possible. I know this possibly wasn't the way
:07:50. > :07:54.you wanted to end your professional cycling career, we know you have
:07:54. > :07:58.told us this is your last race, how are you feeling was to mark -- how
:07:58. > :08:03.are you feeling? I feel a bit distant point did,
:08:03. > :08:08.didn't contribute that much but did all I could, it wasn't the perfect
:08:08. > :08:14.course for me, and I know I did what I could and didn't waste any
:08:14. > :08:21.opportunities. Time to move on. Still filling happy. The emotions
:08:21. > :08:25.right now, a lot of change in the next few months. A well earned
:08:25. > :08:30.break. Definitely, a few short holidays planned and a trip to New
:08:30. > :08:34.York to do some charity work, some time to think and find myself. Great
:08:34. > :08:48.to see you on the road. We have just seen Lizzie Armitstead
:08:48. > :08:55.go past, 19th place, five minutes 22 seconds down. We knew it was a big
:08:56. > :08:59.ask on a course like this. Not been a fantastic year after the Olympic
:08:59. > :09:04.Games. But on great form. If you don't make the wheels of the front
:09:04. > :09:08.group the gaps open quickly. On a single day race there is no stage
:09:08. > :09:09.tomorrow, there's no point in keeping driving and driving just to
:09:09. > :09:11.tomorrow, there's no point in finish slightly closer. It is not
:09:11. > :09:25.too surprising, the. -- the gaps. If you are a little bit
:09:26. > :09:28.of it is very hard. She made a big peak in her four-year cycle for the
:09:28. > :09:34.silver medal that she won in London, and after an Olympic year it is very
:09:34. > :09:38.difficult. She had a fantastic win in the national championship to be
:09:39. > :09:45.representing the national jersey, but today I don't think she was at
:09:45. > :09:48.her best. She did put in a strong performance. She didn't have the
:09:48. > :09:54.strongest of teams out there. Let's come back to Marianne Vos. Try and
:09:54. > :10:03.put in context just how good a bike ride it she is? It is breathtaking
:10:03. > :10:07.what she has one, though perhaps isn't a rider like in the world,
:10:07. > :10:13.male or female. She has one World Championships across different
:10:13. > :10:16.disciplines. This year she made mountain biking her priority so she
:10:16. > :10:20.didn't raise as much on the road but still came in as favourite. The
:10:20. > :10:23.inspirational thing is you saw the motion when she crossed the line
:10:23. > :10:30.which proves she has had to work hard, she is naturally talented but
:10:30. > :10:34.she must be well balanced across all aspects of being a professional
:10:35. > :10:39.athlete. How difficult is it to go across disciplines like that? You
:10:39. > :10:46.focus on the road, you didn't do any mountain biking, cyclo-cross. If you
:10:46. > :10:50.get somebody who is talented, they have a broader field of
:10:50. > :10:53.possibilities, but it takes a lot to be that good at something, and then
:10:53. > :10:59.say I am going to try mountain biking which is a different thing.
:10:59. > :11:08.You slide a tiny bit and you you end up on the floor in road biking, and
:11:08. > :11:13.I think she just needs some new challenges. We talked about the
:11:13. > :11:16.motion, even after ceremony years, it still means as much to her --
:11:16. > :11:22.motion, even after ceremony years, after so many years. She has talked
:11:22. > :11:27.about Rio and mountain biking. She is probably looking for new
:11:27. > :11:30.challenges. It is a very difficult thing to copper hair and how you can
:11:30. > :11:36.win ceremony races but still be so emotional about them, so driven,
:11:36. > :11:44.cash win so many races. She appreciates every single victory.
:11:44. > :11:50.And Borghini, the Italian, remind us what she went through. In June she
:11:50. > :11:54.was riding in the national Italian championship and have a horrific
:11:54. > :12:03.accident on a decent ad broker pelvis, she was a wheelchair, she
:12:03. > :12:06.has come back already in September to line up at the World
:12:06. > :12:09.Championships which was unexpected she could make it back that quickly,
:12:09. > :12:13.but to be amongst the best in the finish was unbelievable. Wonderful
:12:13. > :12:19.women's race, cast our minds forward to tomorrow. The men's race. Chris
:12:19. > :12:22.Froome there, in amongst the favourites. From what you love scene
:12:22. > :12:29.of the women's race and the other road races, what sort of rider will
:12:29. > :12:32.it suit? It looks like it will be a classic style rider will stop there
:12:32. > :12:37.have been more patient -- more people at play in the end than I
:12:38. > :12:42.have thought. It is ten laps. The specialist climbers, this room, they
:12:42. > :12:45.will make it hard from the word go -- Chris Froome. They have do
:12:45. > :12:54.isolate the classic specialist. It will come down to Rodriguez, the
:12:54. > :12:56.people really punchy, and just about get over the plans but Bob is good
:12:56. > :13:01.people really punchy, and just about but those goods with as well. Such a
:13:01. > :13:06.long race, 6000 feet in climbing, enormously tough. Thank you very
:13:07. > :13:14.much. It has been a wonderful day, back again tomorrow for that men's
:13:15. > :13:19.race. 9am online and from 1230 p.m. On the red button, BBC Two for the
:13:19. > :13:26.sharp end of the race, a fantastic circuit here. Chris Froome, Bradley
:13:26. > :13:34.Wiggins. Much of the day to night, 10:30pm on BBC One -- Mac of the day
:13:34. > :13:38.for the -- match of the day. Immediately following that is the
:13:38. > :13:42.who would have thought five years ago we would have a British team
:13:42. > :13:46.with two Tour de France winners in it, Chris Froome and Bradley Wiggins
:13:46. > :13:49.working together, will they bring home the river journey? We will find
:13:49. > :13:51.out tomorrow. -- rainbow jersey.