27/09/2014

:00:22. > :00:34.Lizzie Armitt said is going to take the gold medal. Nobody within sight.

:00:35. > :00:40.Mark Cavendish is champion of the world. Bradley Wiggins powers

:00:41. > :00:43.towards the line. Chris Froome is the champion of this 100th to a

:00:44. > :00:58.difference. -- to a the castle of the Knights Templar

:00:59. > :01:06.here in north-west Spain. The Knights took possession of this to

:01:07. > :01:09.protect pilgrims on the road to Santiago to Compostela. The pilgrims

:01:10. > :01:15.still come, the Knights have long since gone. Until this week. So

:01:16. > :01:23.Bradley Wiggins, can he add the world time trial title to his

:01:24. > :01:29.mightily impressive record? Tony Martin going for a fourth world

:01:30. > :01:32.title in a row. It is going to be the fastest four seconds. Martin

:01:33. > :01:37.leading the way, Wiggins usually so good at measuring his effort.

:01:38. > :01:43.Feeling the heat. Martin 2.5 seconds slower than Bradley Wiggins. His

:01:44. > :01:48.back is against the wall now. Wiggins is going to have to produce

:01:49. > :01:53.the descent of his life here. This is going to be the fastest time,

:01:54. > :01:58.will it be a gold? Here comes Tony Martin. He is not going to do it.

:01:59. > :02:10.Bradley Wiggins is the world champion. Good afternoon from

:02:11. > :02:14.Ponferrada. Bradley Wiggins already set that record. Extended highlights

:02:15. > :02:23.coming later on after the main event, the women's road race. We

:02:24. > :02:29.will focus on the women's road race first, a comment on Bradley's

:02:30. > :02:34.performance on Wednesday. For me it was an amazing ride. There has been

:02:35. > :02:41.talk about his form this year. To say, yes, I still have got it. It

:02:42. > :02:46.was a fantastic ride. To put Tony Martin to bed way he did. He did not

:02:47. > :02:56.just win the world time trial, he beat Tony Martin, who was on form.

:02:57. > :03:02.Certainly mission accomplished by Bradley Wiggins. In great form. A

:03:03. > :03:06.knight in shining armour, there is always a damsel in distress. We have

:03:07. > :03:13.a damsel in the women's road race, she is not in distress though.

:03:14. > :03:25.Armitstead now putting in the full gas. The British champion wins. That

:03:26. > :03:30.was a stunning display. The World Cup leader, Lizzie Armitstead hits

:03:31. > :03:37.the front. It will be a drag race to the end. Lizzie Armitstead is the

:03:38. > :03:43.winner of the women's World Cup, there she is in the jersey she has

:03:44. > :03:48.worn all season. She will not be denied here in Glasgow, it is gold

:03:49. > :03:55.for Lizzie Armitstead, gold for England in the women's road race.

:03:56. > :04:00.Lizzie Armitstead our big hope for gold here in Ponferrada. It has been

:04:01. > :04:04.a coming of age for her this year. Absolutely, she ticked off the boxes

:04:05. > :04:12.this year, started the season strong and a lot of people thought wow. She

:04:13. > :04:16.has been on form. Very confident. To win the Commonwealth Games this year

:04:17. > :04:25.is another thing she has under her belt. She is informed to do it this

:04:26. > :04:30.year. That Commonwealth title you sense meant a huge amount to Lizzie.

:04:31. > :04:35.I think the Commonwealth Games means an awful lot to all of the riders

:04:36. > :04:42.there. It was a world-class field, she showed everybody a clean pair of

:04:43. > :04:46.heels. She gave her team-mates the confidence in her to go for that one

:04:47. > :04:54.goal. Talking about confidence, she often seems timid. We have seen a

:04:55. > :05:01.different Lizzie, her interviews before were almost bullish about her

:05:02. > :05:06.chances. Why not? She has won the races she targeted with fine form

:05:07. > :05:12.and confidence. She looks fantastic, every time she goes out there she

:05:13. > :05:18.knows she has done the work. She is able to have confidence that she is

:05:19. > :05:24.ready for it. Does it worry you that she has been quite so vocal about

:05:25. > :05:31.her chances? No, bring it on. I think so. It is a good sign.

:05:32. > :05:40.Possibly what has given her more confidence is the fact that Voss is

:05:41. > :05:45.not coming into this race 100%. She is still the favourite. She does not

:05:46. > :05:49.need to be because she has so much in hand, but it will give her and

:05:50. > :05:54.some other riders some confidence for getting on top spot today. In

:05:55. > :06:04.cycling you have to have a great team behind you. Let's hear from the

:06:05. > :06:09.British team. I would like to be world champion, it is the first year

:06:10. > :06:13.where I can come to a prerace interview and say that with some

:06:14. > :06:17.genuinely believe in it. It is a real traditional time --

:06:18. > :06:22.transitional time, what is the feeling? It is really nice at the

:06:23. > :06:26.moment because there are lots of developing riders coming through. It

:06:27. > :06:32.is a really good opportunity for the younger girls to experience the

:06:33. > :06:37.elite women's World Championships. What about the team British cycling

:06:38. > :06:41.has put around you? I am really happy that Hannah Barnes and Lucy

:06:42. > :06:46.Garner are here to support me like in the Commonwealth Games, I really

:06:47. > :06:49.trust them. The team mountain bikers are the best in the world at what

:06:50. > :06:53.they do, no reason why they should not have an impact on the road. The

:06:54. > :06:58.reason they have mountain bikers in this road race is because the course

:06:59. > :07:05.is hilly, there is a technical percent. The course will be suited

:07:06. > :07:10.to the mountain bike style. Lizzie, the goal is to get her at the front.

:07:11. > :07:16.It will be either going with things early on or protecting the race

:07:17. > :07:21.later on if Lizzie is out in front. This year going to the Commonwealth

:07:22. > :07:25.Games and this, it feels I am developing and they are noticing. I

:07:26. > :07:32.am looking forward to proving I am worth a spot. Hannah Barnes chasing

:07:33. > :07:39.her down. What is your main role? Trying to get the early breaks.

:07:40. > :07:43.Hopefully it will be similar to the Commonwealth Games where we control

:07:44. > :07:50.it and Lizzie goes away with the group. For me it will be trying to

:07:51. > :07:55.chase down attacks, hopefully surviving the climate, it is a very

:07:56. > :08:00.tough course like last year. Not as tough, but still a really hard race.

:08:01. > :08:06.I hope I can survive and help out as much as I can. What is the plan for

:08:07. > :08:10.Lizzie? This course has Lizzie written all over it. She is in good

:08:11. > :08:16.form and I think she can really go for the win here. It is a relentless

:08:17. > :08:19.course, that is what Suits Me, repeated efforts with minimal

:08:20. > :08:23.recovery is what Suits Me and what I will try to benefit from. When I

:08:24. > :08:28.look around the competition I don't believe there is anybody that should

:08:29. > :08:35.be able to drop me on this course, I should make it to the finish with a

:08:36. > :08:41.select group. The winner, the golden girl of world cycling, Marianne Voss

:08:42. > :08:44.from the Netherlands. She is always someone to beat at the World

:08:45. > :08:51.Championships, she is definitely not as good as she normally is. I think

:08:52. > :08:56.I have the opportunity to become world champion, if I don't, I will

:08:57. > :09:03.be disappointed, but it is the best chance I have ever had. Lucy Garner

:09:04. > :09:13.and Hannah Barnes part of that Commonwealth winning team. Noel Emma

:09:14. > :09:17.Pooley, though. Lizzie Roper at Hannah Barnes and Lucy Garner at the

:09:18. > :09:30.Commonwealth Games, had them right at her side. -- Lizzie road with. A

:09:31. > :09:37.couple of mountain bikers in there. Controversially. I think they will

:09:38. > :09:41.be enjoying this. When she saw the dissent in training, everybody said

:09:42. > :09:47.it was technical, she said there are no rocks, no trees, nothing in her

:09:48. > :09:52.way, it will not faze her, she will be able to go up the climb. Distance

:09:53. > :09:58.may play a part, mountain biking is a short event, but much sharper,

:09:59. > :10:03.higher effort. She fully deserves her place. There has been some

:10:04. > :10:10.criticism of their selection, given they are not experienced on the

:10:11. > :10:13.road. There has been, of course, but Lizzie Armitstead has come into this

:10:14. > :10:17.with confidence she can win, she will have had input into the team.

:10:18. > :10:24.It is down to what support she feels she needs. They seem to be very

:10:25. > :10:30.confident about that course, something that will suit Lizzie. She

:10:31. > :10:34.says the fact it is a relentless. The climbs on their own are not

:10:35. > :10:39.particularly tough, it is the fact they come lap after lap and there is

:10:40. > :10:44.a lot of chasing in between. Chasing is key. If she likes the course,

:10:45. > :10:48.likes the weather, it is good. We will talk about the contenders,

:10:49. > :10:54.already drama on the course, the race started at 2pm British time. We

:10:55. > :11:04.can bring you up-to-date with a very dramatic start to the race. Big, big

:11:05. > :11:09.crash year, a lot of riders going down and had a lot of riders going

:11:10. > :11:12.down underground here. A very sizeable proportion of the peloton

:11:13. > :11:18.down, some of them have clearly fallen extremely heavily here. A

:11:19. > :11:27.couple of the American riders down, I can see 23 there, Taylor of the

:11:28. > :11:31.United States. 110, who was 12th in the time trial. This looks very

:11:32. > :11:39.nasty for a couple of the riders, one of the Americans in real

:11:40. > :11:42.trouble, it seems. Canada with two riders on the floor, at least half

:11:43. > :12:02.of their team. What an enormous crash that is. Heating

:12:03. > :12:19.oh my goodness. What an awful crash for so many riders in the race.

:12:20. > :12:24.Let's hope it is not as serious as it looks potentially for one or two

:12:25. > :12:28.of them. None of the riders from New Zealand, not sure who that was,

:12:29. > :12:40.catapulted down the centre of the road. I think that rider was

:12:41. > :12:51.potentially from New Zealand. Confirmation of some of those who

:12:52. > :12:54.have fallen. There is an American ride on the far side of the road who

:12:55. > :13:01.looks as though she has a real problem. We hope that is not as

:13:02. > :13:06.serious as it looks. We have seen some tumble so far in pond for RADA,

:13:07. > :13:08.but nothing to compare, that was a horror. Very, very frightening to

:13:09. > :13:26.see. -- so far in pond for Voss came down hard. Both are back

:13:27. > :13:31.in the peloton now, but something like that, what will it do to them?

:13:32. > :13:35.What has it taken out of them? I imagine the riders upfront would

:13:36. > :13:41.have neutralised the race to a certain extent, road tempo, when the

:13:42. > :13:46.Italian game through she was on her own behind the car and a lot further

:13:47. > :13:52.back. It is good that those two are back in the peloton, but how much

:13:53. > :13:56.has it taken out of them? What does Lizzie do? She has come through

:13:57. > :14:04.that, she knows that Georgie and Voss have come down, how does it

:14:05. > :14:10.play into her tactics? It will add to her confidence. She lost a

:14:11. > :14:15.team-mate in Lucy Garner. Lizzie will have taken confidence to see

:14:16. > :14:19.the race had to be neutralised for Voss to come back. She knows it

:14:20. > :14:24.takes a lot out of the legs for them to do that and mentally as well.

:14:25. > :14:29.Lizzie will be feeling very confident. As you mentioned,

:14:30. > :14:33.Marianne has had problems this week, she pulled out of the team time

:14:34. > :14:39.trial, we think she has a hamstring problem. She is not firing on all

:14:40. > :14:45.cylinders. Even when you talk to the Dutch they don't really know where

:14:46. > :14:50.she is act. She can afford to give a few percent away. -- where she is

:14:51. > :14:57.act. One of the riders she has looked that as a possible contender

:14:58. > :15:01.is a French rider. Who rides on the same professional team. One of the

:15:02. > :15:09.hottest contenders for today because they have raised so much together

:15:10. > :15:18.they know each other's strengths. Voss would be a fitting team-mate.

:15:19. > :15:23.These two have been out for a spin on the course. Puffing and panting.

:15:24. > :15:30.I loved every minute. It is the climbs that will prove decisive.

:15:31. > :15:36.Only a few kilometres in, a punchy little climb. Back end of the race?

:15:37. > :15:42.It feels good when you are fresh, after a few laps it could start to

:15:43. > :15:57.hurt a little bit. If that is the toughest climb of the day we will be

:15:58. > :16:01.fine. I can feel that! Ouch. I thought that was the climb at the

:16:02. > :16:06.castle, but that is really going to take it out of everyone, we are 200

:16:07. > :16:11.metres higher than the castle. The sprinters will struggle to hold on.

:16:12. > :16:26.Definitely, once they are up there. Might be OK for a couple of laps. I

:16:27. > :16:34.hope that is the hardest bit done. Right, that is definitely the top.

:16:35. > :16:38.That last kilometre is where the damage can be done, all the way down

:16:39. > :16:43.to the finish as well, any gap you have got at the top, it will be

:16:44. > :16:56.extremely difficult to get back on the run-in. Race you down. Game on.

:16:57. > :17:03.It is a tough course. It is very tough. That crime is harder than it

:17:04. > :17:08.looks on the profile. I did not expect it to be that hard, that

:17:09. > :17:12.first bit past the castle is OK, good legs, start the second climb

:17:13. > :17:16.and it keeps going. If it is wet it will change the race, flip it on its

:17:17. > :17:22.head, it will be completely different. It is not one for the

:17:23. > :17:27.pure sprinters, pure climbers, it is not one. You need to be in really

:17:28. > :17:41.good form. Extremely good shape. Unlike me. I need a copy. My legs

:17:42. > :17:48.are burning. -- huffy. Copy? Testing. That massive crash, when

:17:49. > :17:53.you have fallen down it is even more challenging. Simon? COMMENTATOR:

:17:54. > :17:59.Thank you, Jonathan, welcome everybody. The race noticeably

:18:00. > :18:06.affected by that crash on the last lap, a number of riders held up,

:18:07. > :18:14.many forced to abandon. There may well have been another crash, one of

:18:15. > :18:18.the riders from Israel has fallen. This rider fell a few minutes ago

:18:19. > :18:23.for Australia. Looking less than happy, gingerly taking this dissent.

:18:24. > :18:28.The news from the British point of view is positive, Lizzie Armitstead

:18:29. > :18:34.towards the front, out of trouble. Two of the big favourites, the

:18:35. > :18:40.defending champion came through the finish line 43 seconds down.

:18:41. > :18:45.Immediately after the crash. Georgia from Italy had one team-mate with at

:18:46. > :18:58.one 57. Over the last few minutes they have got back into the peloton.

:18:59. > :19:02.The bronze medal time trial winner in the Commonwealth Games looks as

:19:03. > :19:11.though her day is done at this world road race championship. World Cup

:19:12. > :19:15.winner Armitstead is prominent at the front of the race for Great

:19:16. > :19:20.Britain are staying out of trouble so far. We have seen two crashes

:19:21. > :19:33.already. We are inside the final 80 kilometres. Pleased to say that will

:19:34. > :19:43.surely more and Rob Hayles have made it back to the commentary box. Letta

:19:44. > :19:54.we caught the end of the crash. We are not up-to-date with who is back

:19:55. > :19:56.in the peloton. There is a bell Russian rider who looks like she has

:19:57. > :20:12.received a bash. -- rider from Belarus. The Italian felt

:20:13. > :20:19.quite hard, did not look like she would get back up and get back in.

:20:20. > :20:23.It would be interesting to know how Voss is and how that crash has

:20:24. > :20:27.knocked her about. It takes a toll on your mental condition. Her

:20:28. > :20:46.team-mate looked like she was struggling. We had a little look.

:20:47. > :20:51.Belgian lost a couple of riders. Some very heavy fall is. -- for

:20:52. > :21:02.loans. Germany trying to control most of

:21:03. > :21:08.this women's road race so far. They go over the second of the two climbs

:21:09. > :21:12.per lap, this will be the key part of the race as the race goes on.

:21:13. > :21:22.This may be where it is won and lost. You can see the Italians

:21:23. > :21:36.getting together. In the black helmet with two white lines. That is

:21:37. > :21:46.Georgia. The Italians are still there, they have got themselves

:21:47. > :21:52.together. It will be interesting to see if they stick to the plan.

:21:53. > :22:12.Australia looking weekend. -- looking week. It is not a great

:22:13. > :22:15.situation, it was an awful crash, travelling at such high speed.

:22:16. > :22:29.Alison Powers fell heavily in that crash. Good signs for the Italian

:22:30. > :22:34.rider, it will have taken a lot out of her, the crash. She is upfront

:22:35. > :22:43.with her team-mates, that will help her psychologically. The Italian

:22:44. > :22:52.hanging in there. As the riders head up the climb. One kilometre long,

:22:53. > :22:59.this second climb. Kelly Taylor, one of the Australians we saw, made it

:23:00. > :23:03.back. She managed to make it back, so a few riders back in the peloton,

:23:04. > :23:21.they will have worked extremely hard to get there. Pauline was in sixth

:23:22. > :23:41.place towards the front of the peloton. Last is in good company at

:23:42. > :23:48.this stage of the race. We have seen Hannah Barnes as well. Last is doing

:23:49. > :23:53.a good ride, proving her spot here. They will be aware of this part of

:23:54. > :23:58.the ride. There will be gaps opening up, trying to get their confidence

:23:59. > :24:11.back. Four kilometres away from the next passage over the line. 68

:24:12. > :24:18.riders in that front group. Just off the back, the Netherlands, Italy.

:24:19. > :24:22.The Germans must be planning something because they are really

:24:23. > :24:26.driving the pace on the front, splitting up towards the back of the

:24:27. > :24:31.bunch. They look like they have control of this race at this point.

:24:32. > :24:37.The Italians starting to gather towards the front, keeping a close

:24:38. > :24:40.eye on things. There will be a lot of fatigue starting to creep into

:24:41. > :24:51.the legs. This is where you have to watch out. When gaps start opening

:24:52. > :24:56.you need to be wary of that quickly, can't afford to let a big gap go and

:24:57. > :25:00.try and chase it down, unless you have team-mates with you. Those

:25:01. > :25:06.riders that have positioned themselves well at the front, been

:25:07. > :25:10.out of the accident, dodging around riders on the ground, they will have

:25:11. > :25:16.an advantage mentally and physically going into the next lap here and the

:25:17. > :25:21.next climbs. They have not had to deal with that. And the nervousness

:25:22. > :25:30.of seeing an accident can play on your mind, you get more tense and

:25:31. > :25:40.cautious. Not hanging around on this dissent in towards Ponferrada. Two

:25:41. > :25:45.calamitous to the line. Whatever happens on the last lap, it will be

:25:46. > :25:48.a wild chase down this twisting, technical dissent before they reach

:25:49. > :25:52.the flat roads leading to the finish. On the back of the peloton,

:25:53. > :26:01.just off the back, the Russian rider. About 15 seconds there from

:26:02. > :26:06.the front of the peloton to the last ride on the back. Position will be

:26:07. > :26:13.key going into the last lap will stop a long way to go. Looking

:26:14. > :26:14.forward to the last lap and the descent into the finish. You really

:26:15. > :26:27.have to be up near the front. Here we are, back with the front of

:26:28. > :26:41.the race, we will see them coming through the finish in the not too

:26:42. > :26:52.distant future. Almost three laps in the bag now. This is about the only

:26:53. > :26:57.place on the circuit where there seems to be some kind of recovery.

:26:58. > :27:02.Riders just getting their breath, plenty having a drink. Keeping up on

:27:03. > :27:10.the fluids, it is fairly warm out there now. Hannah Barnes may come

:27:11. > :27:17.into your picture shortly on the left. There she is, Hannah Barnes.

:27:18. > :27:23.Lizzie Armitstead always staying near the front without having to

:27:24. > :27:27.show her face. That is Evelyn Stevens, a big smile at the back of

:27:28. > :27:34.the peloton, she is one of the favourites of the race in the USA.

:27:35. > :27:38.She will be glad to be in one piece after a couple of her team-mates

:27:39. > :27:45.ended up on the deck. Hannah Barnes at 21. Finishing her first with the

:27:46. > :27:49.American squad, United health care. A couple of good early-season

:27:50. > :28:03.results. Made a good early impression with her team. The

:28:04. > :28:21.Swedish rider we just saw. The national champion of Sweden only

:28:22. > :28:29.last year, Emily. Four laps to go. The German leading the way ahead of

:28:30. > :28:45.Lauren Hall from the United dates. -- United States. Last in the top 25

:28:46. > :28:49.as they came over the line. Someone from the Netherlands doing a bicycle

:28:50. > :28:56.change, very quick change, back onto the back of the peloton. Lizzie

:28:57. > :29:03.Armit said, 27 rider, over the line. -- Lizzie Armitstead. She has not

:29:04. > :29:08.had any moments of panic as a result of crashes so far. The adrenaline

:29:09. > :29:12.will have been coursing through the veins of the Italian rider, Georgia.

:29:13. > :29:18.After that crash three kilometres from the finish at the end of the

:29:19. > :29:21.lap, Georgia was nearly two minutes down when she went past the

:29:22. > :29:25.commentary position here. Her team-mates will have worked hard to

:29:26. > :29:34.get her back into that peloton. The peloton regrouped.

:29:35. > :29:41.You can have all of the prerace talk of favourites, who is in form, who

:29:42. > :29:49.is out of form, but a crash like that, it's decimated the field.

:29:50. > :30:00.The rider in the black, with the White helmets, up towards the front,

:30:01. > :30:04.up towards the front of the peloton, as they rode past.

:30:05. > :30:12.Stephen just happy to ride at the back, the American rider, but she

:30:13. > :30:17.has certainly been one to keep an eye on. Fifth in the World

:30:18. > :30:23.Championship road race last year, already has a medal from the World

:30:24. > :30:44.Championships. Her specialised squad were winning that one.

:30:45. > :30:53.Eight in the Pan-American Championships of three years ago,.

:30:54. > :30:57.The Australian making contact with the back of the peloton, she is back

:30:58. > :31:09.in there, to strengthen the team. With Tiffany Cromwell. Comfortably

:31:10. > :31:17.sitting near the front. Not as animated as we thought it would be

:31:18. > :31:21.maybe everybody, perhaps the teams are trying to get together and

:31:22. > :31:28.communicate with one another. As well, by the time we have got to

:31:29. > :31:36.today, we have seen a few races go out earlier, over the last couple of

:31:37. > :31:39.days. They begin to form a pattern. The riders coming back to the hotels

:31:40. > :31:45.in the evening, the younger riders, asking how it was, there is

:31:46. > :31:49.discussions. You come into this week with a loose plan. Once you begin to

:31:50. > :31:54.talk to the other directors and riders in the team, you realise, it

:31:55. > :31:59.is very difficult out there, and all of a sudden it is going to hit you,

:32:00. > :32:03.especially if it is warm like it is today. They could very well be

:32:04. > :32:07.planning for things to happen extremely late on in the last two

:32:08. > :32:22.laps. Those who we know have abandoned the race, which must be as

:32:23. > :32:30.a result of the crash, include Lizzie Williams, six in the time

:32:31. > :32:44.trial, Canadian, no longer in the race, Kerchman out of the race, and

:32:45. > :32:52.Anastasia Chulkova. Silver, of Brazil, Emily Collins, New Zealand,

:32:53. > :32:56.she is out of the race, -- Silva. From the Czech Republic, Martina

:32:57. > :33:10.Sablikova. Martina Sablikova did very well, in

:33:11. > :33:15.11th, in the time trial. She is a three-time Olympic gold medallist

:33:16. > :33:19.and ten time champion speed skater, she does cycling as a means of

:33:20. > :33:21.keeping fit in the summer. Here she is performing at the top level, but

:33:22. > :33:35.sadly, she is out of the race today. From yarn of man, Anna Christian,

:33:36. > :33:36.leading the way for Great Britain, one of the more promising British

:33:37. > :33:49.riders. She does not like to just turn up,

:33:50. > :33:53.she likes to animate a race as long as she is involved. She could

:33:54. > :33:57.possibly be the youngest rider in the race, it was said earlier on

:33:58. > :34:00.Twitter, she does not have experience competing at this level

:34:01. > :34:05.because she is so young. Interesting to see that she is thriving on this

:34:06. > :34:09.atmosphere. She is a racer, she enjoys being out there. Clear role

:34:10. > :34:12.to look after Lizzie Armitstead and she is certainly living up to

:34:13. > :34:16.expectations. British road race champion last year, 25th in the

:34:17. > :34:21.world junior road race this time last year in Florence, big step up

:34:22. > :34:29.to go in with the seniors. Anna Christian, just 19 years old. I

:34:30. > :34:33.mention the Commonwealth Games rider, she finished 18. Lizzie

:34:34. > :34:38.Armitstead, winner of the World Cup, season-long competition, she has

:34:39. > :34:52.nearly packed in towards the front of the peloton. Bujak From Poland

:34:53. > :34:57.leaving her side of the course, she joins the list of TNFs, which will

:34:58. > :35:06.be growing considerably. I think there is going to be one or two

:35:07. > :35:09.more. -- DNFs. The Germans still on the front driving the pace, really

:35:10. > :35:13.good race to this point. I guess there will be some spectators and

:35:14. > :35:17.people watching on thinking that the Germans may have done too much too

:35:18. > :35:23.early, they have taken up a lot of the pacemaking, the first part of

:35:24. > :35:26.the race. They have come into the race with a game plan and they have

:35:27. > :35:48.not faltered from that even the crash.

:35:49. > :35:56.Steady climb up to Confederacion. Five kilometres long. Three parts of

:35:57. > :36:02.the climb reaching 8% in the first two kilometres, the average gradient

:36:03. > :36:08.4.6. Long old drag. Alison Powers, shorts torn, on the back end of the

:36:09. > :36:15.peloton. United States team regrouping. Stevens, 22, looking

:36:16. > :36:21.good. Powers, back in the main field. Also for the United states,

:36:22. > :36:28.Megan, in front of us, number 18. And the Dutch rider just in front of

:36:29. > :36:32.her. She was struggling to hold the pace but she is in among the wheels

:36:33. > :36:38.once again. Alison Powers, as you can see, quite a heavy fall in that

:36:39. > :36:42.crash. The American personnel will be shaking their heads in disbelief

:36:43. > :36:48.at the back like they have had. They have lost calm and small before the

:36:49. > :36:52.race began. She had a accident out training, free riders came down,

:36:53. > :36:56.Stevens was one of them. She was able to start the team time trial

:36:57. > :37:02.and the individual team trial, she got the bronze medal but having had

:37:03. > :37:10.the crash with powers. -- Carmen Small. -- time trial. They have a

:37:11. > :37:20.very strong team here. Shelley Goltz, being one of the sprinters.

:37:21. > :37:26.Abbott. -- Shelley Olds. And indicated that she was there or

:37:27. > :37:37.thereabouts. She definitely has form, she has had a consistent year

:37:38. > :37:38.this year. Very reliable domestique. A steady pace on the climb to

:37:39. > :37:51.Confederacion. It'll be interesting to how long up

:37:52. > :37:58.the climb those three mountain bikers on the other side of the road

:37:59. > :38:04.are able to cheer them on. Not too much longer, judging by the 1 at the

:38:05. > :38:08.back. I think that is an electric bike, man at the front, giving a

:38:09. > :38:18.wave and a smile! But they did well, holding pace with the peloton for a

:38:19. > :38:27.few seconds! Making sure they keep hydrated in this race. 127.4

:38:28. > :38:30.kilometres long. There is a mechanical with one of the Italians,

:38:31. > :38:37.you can see, going back through the peloton. Could be a puncture. Could

:38:38. > :38:44.be some kind of mechanical. Coming through on race radio about that not

:38:45. > :38:51.yet. Ukraine up at the front at the moment. One of the riders from

:38:52. > :38:58.Slovenia decides to make a move at the front. The riders being aided by

:38:59. > :39:03.a crossed tail wind up here, if you are feeling good, it can go do you

:39:04. > :39:08.into wanting to attack, if it was a blocked a headwind, it would put you

:39:09. > :39:11.off, the peloton behind, not too concerned. Only the 1 rider going

:39:12. > :39:26.clear, happy to let that go with 66.7 kilometres remaining. Stella

:39:27. > :39:27.Kern may be on the front, riders still coming past the commentary

:39:28. > :39:47.position, in little groups. She will have been relying on her to

:39:48. > :39:51.be in it a little bit longer. We knew that Hanson would not have

:39:52. > :39:55.great support towards the end of the race.

:39:56. > :40:05.Stella Kern Leading the way. 24-year-old, riding the Giro

:40:06. > :40:17.d'Italia this year, she was 18th in the Giro Tostano, that is a

:40:18. > :40:22.pre-championship event towards the end of the season. We saw one of the

:40:23. > :40:27.riders from Israel go off the front. A little bit further back for

:40:28. > :40:51.France. A problem at the back. Looking painful, looking like hard

:40:52. > :41:01.work. That looks like a face that is saying, that is a day for me.

:41:02. > :41:07.Giorgia Bronzini one Copenhagen. -- won. It is not going to work out for

:41:08. > :41:14.her today. The leader, out on the road, Kern. The gap is 20 seconds,

:41:15. > :41:19.it is a long way to go. An awful long way through for an individual

:41:20. > :41:22.rider to go clear. Trying to keep that going. She is going to be, I

:41:23. > :41:27.should imagine, she will be hoping that one or two other riders come

:41:28. > :41:34.across to her. Nobody seems interested in going clear of the

:41:35. > :41:41.bunch. From the Netherlands, Van Dijk. And next to her, the defending

:41:42. > :41:45.world champion, Marianne Vos. The Dutch have three defending world

:41:46. > :41:56.champions. -- three World Championships. -- three world

:41:57. > :41:59.champions. They have a very strong team, the Dutch. Missing a couple of

:42:00. > :42:16.big hitters through injury. They have nine riders, they have a

:42:17. > :42:19.very strong team, but they have lost Anna Van der Breggen coming into the

:42:20. > :42:36.race. And so that was a big blow. And riders, have gone out. Here is

:42:37. > :42:42.the leader. Even before she had made the attack, we saw her riding on the

:42:43. > :43:26.front of the peloton. Shell account. -- should ?pela Kern.

:43:27. > :43:32.Two of the big favourites had work to do to catch up to the front,

:43:33. > :43:37.Mariella Voss, who was about three quarters of a minute down, she was

:43:38. > :43:40.able to get back on, as was Giorgia Bronzini, from Italy, not long after

:43:41. > :43:46.the crash was nearly two minutes back. The peloton regrouping. Those

:43:47. > :43:52.riders back in the main field. Anna Christian, we can see, up towards

:43:53. > :43:57.the front. From Great Britain. It is good to have your team-mates upfront

:43:58. > :44:01.in vision. Also shows everyone else is the strength in depth, early in

:44:02. > :44:06.the race. They said that Fallon had been dropped from the peloton, we

:44:07. > :44:17.saw her, number 31, back in the main field, the Dutch squad, losing the

:44:18. > :44:22.rider. That is the daughter of a former world champion, back in 1978.

:44:23. > :44:35.She is a strong rider herself, well-placed the spring. Fifth in

:44:36. > :44:40.that race. She is unable to contribute anything more today.

:44:41. > :44:49.First time at the World Championships.

:44:50. > :44:57.The Dutch team is very difficult to get into. Stevens. Interesting

:44:58. > :45:01.character, she gave up a high-powered business career to race

:45:02. > :45:06.as a cyclist? That is correct, and she has just decided that she is

:45:07. > :45:16.going to sign with a new team. They are becoming a super-team. We may

:45:17. > :45:22.see the strength transfer over. Did see Armistead. -- they have a new

:45:23. > :45:24.addition in Chantelle Black, they have Lizzie Armitstead, they have

:45:25. > :45:30.Van Dijk. . The lead of Spela Kern from Slovenia

:45:31. > :45:47.is over half a minute. The road goes uphill. Yet again. Up

:45:48. > :45:49.and over and round, and then on the top left hand of the screen that is

:45:50. > :46:02.where it begins to level off. They have climbed 200 metres at this

:46:03. > :46:05.point, above where they start. The first section of the climb down at

:46:06. > :46:17.the castle. Beautiful shot. Early on. Here, we can see, going over the

:46:18. > :46:22.top. Spela Kern getting her rhythm. None of the big nations are showing

:46:23. > :46:24.their hand so far in this race. It is interesting, there has not been

:46:25. > :46:29.any real attacks from the big nations. There was talk about

:46:30. > :46:32.Marianne Vos, playing a more conservative role with the Dutch

:46:33. > :46:39.team, and not going out on the attack and opening themselves up...

:46:40. > :46:42.They want to save themselves for the end of the race. Marianne Vos can

:46:43. > :46:50.kick off on that climb like nobody else. It is possible they will be

:46:51. > :46:54.relying upon that. We will see. A lot of talk and confusion in the

:46:55. > :46:59.week among people who are quite close to it, as to quite what her

:47:00. > :47:10.condition is. There has been a big question mark over what has

:47:11. > :47:16.happened. She pulled out of a couple of races. Yes, and she pulled out of

:47:17. > :47:20.another Tour before the finish. Some people were saying that she was not

:47:21. > :47:25.quite right, that she was injured. We have heard so many stories, that

:47:26. > :47:28.she had knee pain, back pain, no problems. That her form is not

:47:29. > :47:34.there, that she was sick. At the end of the day, a report from her

:47:35. > :47:37.brother today, saying that they were playing it safe coming into the

:47:38. > :47:42.World Championships. Some people see it as a negative, in reality, it may

:47:43. > :47:48.have been a positive indication, she was going 100% for the World

:47:49. > :47:54.Championships. Would we see anything into the way that she Road in the

:47:55. > :47:59.team time trial? It may have been playing it safe. Unfortunately for

:48:00. > :48:03.her, it may have saved her. -- fortunately for her. The horrific

:48:04. > :48:11.accident, she had already dropped off back. Was it nerves? Was it

:48:12. > :48:16.form? Was she thinking that she was going to go hard and then pull up,

:48:17. > :48:21.with a very short effort. That is what we do not know, Marianne Vos

:48:22. > :48:24.knows how to peak for a World Championship. We can only assume

:48:25. > :48:28.that all of these things that have been indications of form may not be

:48:29. > :48:33.there, it may be the complete opposite. What about the unity of

:48:34. > :48:40.the Dutch team? Some riders have been team-mates but moving

:48:41. > :48:51.elsewhere. Next year. Traditionally there has been a lot of Dutch riders

:48:52. > :48:55.on Rabobank. There has been a few announcements that if you of the

:48:56. > :48:58.riders from that team are leaving to go to other teams for new

:48:59. > :49:03.opportunities, or just a change. It is not a negative thing, riders

:49:04. > :49:07.deciding they will leave a strong team, perhaps it can be that they

:49:08. > :49:10.want a change, they want something different, women cycling is

:49:11. > :49:13.developing to the point where there is other teams and places to go,

:49:14. > :49:18.where the environment is very professional. In the past it was

:49:19. > :49:22.national funded and controlled teams that were very stable. As it becomes

:49:23. > :49:29.more professional we see there is options out there. If you are a very

:49:30. > :49:34.strong rider and you fancy yourself, opportunities are likely

:49:35. > :49:38.to be few and far between, because Marianne Vos is the big name in the

:49:39. > :49:44.sport, she is the leader of the team. The gap back to the peloton

:49:45. > :49:58.from Stella Kirn is coming down, she is not being allowed to gain too

:49:59. > :50:04.much ground. -- Spela Kern. She's very much within range. Number 40,

:50:05. > :50:09.you can see. Anna Christian. Centre of the picture. Just out of the

:50:10. > :50:26.saddle. Still in the leading group. And just in front of her, another

:50:27. > :50:32.rider. In terms of riders, maybe just below that, who could spring a

:50:33. > :50:37.surprise, would you include her? She would be in my top ten, she is a

:50:38. > :50:41.punchy rider, she can do very well. She has the power on the steep

:50:42. > :50:54.climbs. She is somebody who on the top game could match the likes of

:50:55. > :50:59.Marianne Vos and Lizzie Armitstead. She came over from South Africa to

:51:00. > :51:02.Europe, she established herself, one of those riders that would do

:51:03. > :51:06.anything to have an opportunity and probably do it the hard way. The

:51:07. > :51:12.first year she wrote the Giro d'Italia, she finished in the top

:51:13. > :51:16.12. -- Road. There is an indication that one day she could be on the

:51:17. > :51:20.podium at the Giro d'Italia. I would certainly put there in the top ten.

:51:21. > :51:23.You may remember the coverage of the women's race at the Commonwealth

:51:24. > :51:29.Games, the road race, tremendous print between her and Stephanie

:51:30. > :51:33.Cromwell of Australia for the bronze medal and the South African just

:51:34. > :51:38.managed to get it. -- Tiffany Cromwell. I did not think that I

:51:39. > :51:41.could pick it, I knew the strength of Ashleigh Moolman, I knew that she

:51:42. > :51:51.had done sprint work, and Tiffany has been sprinting well as well.

:51:52. > :52:16.They are the best of the crime is. -- climbers. INAUDIBLE

:52:17. > :52:23.Feeling quite good and quite confident, she is a rider who could

:52:24. > :52:27.possibly take a win or a medal here at the World Championships because

:52:28. > :52:30.she is a racer and she fears nothing. She has a couple of

:52:31. > :52:42.team-mates from Australia there, we senior she has the support of some

:52:43. > :52:47.of her team-mates. She was looking pretty relaxed at the hotel.

:52:48. > :52:52.Yesterday she must have spent three hours painting nails with the

:52:53. > :52:55.Australian flag. Every now completely different, very

:52:56. > :53:00.intricate, very impressive painted patterns. She had finished her left

:53:01. > :53:06.hand, I ask her about her right hand and she said, OK, that one is going

:53:07. > :53:09.to be tricky! She left it undone but when she got around to it she

:53:10. > :53:13.managed to make them both look beautiful! 20 of hours to fill when

:53:14. > :53:17.you are away on international duty, not I'm suggesting you painted your

:53:18. > :53:21.nails! LAUGHTER In terms of downtime and filling

:53:22. > :53:26.time. -- plenty of hours. You cannot go wandering around the town. The

:53:27. > :53:35.least amount of time that they can spend on their feet is the best. It

:53:36. > :53:43.can be difficult. It is a little bit easier these days, not that Wi-Fi

:53:44. > :53:47.was working particularly well in the hotel, but it is easier to be able

:53:48. > :53:50.to pass the time of day. There is only so much time in the week and

:53:51. > :53:54.today is heading into the championship that you would like to

:53:55. > :53:58.spend on the bicycle. A few little hits, maybe one or two longer rides

:53:59. > :54:06.in the week preceding the race. Other than that, a lot of time spent

:54:07. > :54:13.with roommates in the hotel. Spela Kern is 40 seconds clear. And

:54:14. > :54:17.leading the peloton over, some of the names up towards the front,

:54:18. > :54:24.Lizzie Armitstead, Great Britain, fifth place, and Tiffani Cromwell,

:54:25. > :54:37.of who we were speaking, from Australia. Ashleigh Moolman as well.

:54:38. > :54:44.And Lisa Brennauer is there, and Elisa Longo Borghini. Giorgia

:54:45. > :54:51.Bronzini is in the top 20 going over the top. Taylor, from Australia.

:54:52. > :54:55.Olds up towards the front. Emma Johansson, 24. Hannah Barnes up

:54:56. > :54:59.there for Great Britain as well. Plenty of big names towards the

:55:00. > :55:07.front. Marianne Vos, defending champion, still in the main field as

:55:08. > :55:12.well. Keeping her powder dry. We saw Warwick moved to the front for the

:55:13. > :55:17.Germans to close this gap and not let it get out too far. In fact they

:55:18. > :55:26.definitely have a plan. We have seen her on the front, it means they may

:55:27. > :55:37.be working. Trixi Worrack. -- Worrack. This could be an indication

:55:38. > :55:51.that they they are putting all of their efforts into Lichtenberg. She

:55:52. > :55:56.races -- she is an experienced rider. I wonder about Lisa

:55:57. > :56:00.Brennauer, but she has been prominent at the front of the

:56:01. > :56:03.peloton in the early stages, suggesting she is not trying to stay

:56:04. > :56:10.out of the way and save her energy quite as much. She could also be

:56:11. > :56:14.pretty tired after riding two major events, team time trial, individual

:56:15. > :56:17.time trial. Winning the both of them, she may have said, I do not

:56:18. > :56:22.want to take my chances today, I want to be a support rider. And

:56:23. > :56:31.let's race fresh legs in the German team. She should be proud of their

:56:32. > :56:39.achievements are up-to-date. Inside the last couple of calamities in the

:56:40. > :56:51.latest lab. -- last couple of kilometres in the latest lap.

:56:52. > :57:00.Spela Kern has lost a little bit of ground, gaining uphill, seems to,

:57:01. > :57:06.first 37, then 40, both times eating into the lead. No doubt she will

:57:07. > :57:09.continue to do so. In extremely difficult for an individual rider on

:57:10. > :57:14.this circuit to stay up clear. -- extremely difficult. Two other

:57:15. > :57:21.riders coming across to her. Small-group. Sometimes, you find one

:57:22. > :57:25.or two riders going up the road and then another and then another, and

:57:26. > :57:29.before you know it, you have ten or so riders, eight, ten riders

:57:30. > :57:42.upfront, and then the peloton can be in all sorts of bother. Peloton did

:57:43. > :57:49.not react specifically to the move, he is a member of a new team, from

:57:50. > :58:06.Slovenia. BTC, development team. They look pretty comfortable.

:58:07. > :58:13.Several members of the team in the world road race championship... The

:58:14. > :58:27.Slovenian, also riding for that team. Little bit of pressure on the

:58:28. > :58:31.pedals. Lizzie Armitstead for Great Britain. Towards the front. That is

:58:32. > :58:37.where she has been for most of the way so far. Annie Last, doing

:58:38. > :58:42.reasonably well, reasonably well placed, as they come towards the

:58:43. > :58:46.line for the latest time checks. 72.8 kilometres covered. Spela Kern

:58:47. > :58:53.leading the way, maybe not too much longer. She has been ahead for about

:58:54. > :59:02.three quarters of a lap. The rest of the peloton coming across the line.

:59:03. > :59:06.British team have done well, they still have a few riders supporting.

:59:07. > :59:12.Three laps to go, we may see something happen. A few riders from

:59:13. > :59:17.each nation that may not be the favourites, but may go away, just to

:59:18. > :59:18.see... Clear indication now that the Italians are protecting Giorgia

:59:19. > :59:33.Bronzini, they are riding for her. Armitstead over the line, safely

:59:34. > :59:37.tucked into the pack. Last alongside her. Just ahead of Armitstead.

:59:38. > :59:47.Hannah Barnes just a couple of places behind. Barnes is still there

:59:48. > :59:52.for Great Britain. Christian as well still in that group. That is the

:59:53. > :00:03.situation. The Slovenians still reading. Pleasantly warm afternoon,

:00:04. > :00:12.not too hot for the riders. Little wind to speak of on the streets of

:00:13. > :00:19.Ponferrada today. The world title is at stake, will Marianne Vos win for

:00:20. > :00:26.the fourth time? She is an incredible athlete. She has been

:00:27. > :00:34.first or second every year since 2006. She was second about five

:00:35. > :00:36.years in a row at one point. Unbelievable, she is a phenomenal

:00:37. > :00:40.athlete and amazing person, the amount of emotion she has done for

:00:41. > :00:44.women's cycling and gone out of the way to juggle developing and

:00:45. > :00:48.promoting women's cycling and being at the top of her game and a leader

:00:49. > :00:53.of her team, probably does a lot of management in the team as well, she

:00:54. > :00:59.is a phenomenal person, you don't come across somebody so talented in

:01:00. > :01:08.so many areas. It is not just wrote, cyclo-cross, the track, world aren't

:01:09. > :01:14.world champion. I have seen her cheering on team-mates in races she

:01:15. > :01:20.has not been competing in. She was hosting a busload of VIPs in the

:01:21. > :01:25.World Cup. Showing them because, explaining what cycling is about to

:01:26. > :01:28.them. And standing on the side of the road, passing up bottles to

:01:29. > :01:34.team-mates. Quite a phenomenal person and very lovable, just a real

:01:35. > :01:38.great role model for women's cycling. Hectic schedule, I remember

:01:39. > :01:43.the day she came to ride in the ride London race, women's Grand Prix, on

:01:44. > :01:48.the Saturday, in August last month, she was in Belgium in the morning

:01:49. > :01:54.with a previous engagement, but Lupin, took part in a race, nearly

:01:55. > :02:00.won, beaten by Bronzini on the line. She did that to support racing in

:02:01. > :02:05.the UK. She was at the women's Tour. She decided, OK, there are so many

:02:06. > :02:11.loyal supporters in the UK, I want to get over there. She had scheduled

:02:12. > :02:20.team time trial training in Belgium, got a private jet in the afternoon

:02:21. > :02:24.to race in right London. The recruitment officers at on Friday

:02:25. > :03:06.youth centre, the voluntary army is burgeoning. Alvarez leads a few

:03:07. > :03:12.miles from Ponferrada. -- lips. This summer I was working for three

:03:13. > :03:17.months in Italy. It was really nice. I saw this and I said, OK, I will

:03:18. > :03:25.take this opportunity because we don't have an opportunity like that

:03:26. > :03:30.every day. And then I am here. Now I am talking French, then meet

:03:31. > :03:33.somebody from Germany, taught in English, somebody from France

:03:34. > :03:41.talking in French, I love that. Among the many finish line

:03:42. > :03:46.volunteers, this man has come from Cordoba to be close to his heroes. I

:03:47. > :03:51.am accompanying some of the guys from anti-doping. It is an amazing

:03:52. > :03:55.experience from any cycling fan. I wanted to be here and the only way I

:03:56. > :04:00.thought I could be here was volunteering, I took it. It is a bit

:04:01. > :04:03.like the Olympics, all of the volunteers are the ones that make

:04:04. > :04:14.it, without them we would not be here. I will remember it for the

:04:15. > :04:21.rest of my life, I our big fan of Bradley Wiggins, it is amazing. -- I

:04:22. > :04:24.am a big fan. The volunteers certainly make all of the difference

:04:25. > :04:28.in the world, these World Championships, from what we have

:04:29. > :04:34.seen, have been extremely well organised this week. They were

:04:35. > :04:38.keeping the pedestrian crossings well in order yesterday when I was

:04:39. > :04:43.at the side of the road watching the men's under 20 Three Rd race. Great

:04:44. > :04:51.job iPods rather, there is the centrepiece of the town. -- great

:04:52. > :04:57.job by Ponferrada. Still no sign as to which direction is women's road

:04:58. > :05:04.race may go. That is our leader from Slovenia. Not a particularly

:05:05. > :05:09.well-known rider, it has to be said. She is doing a good job, she looked

:05:10. > :05:12.over her shoulder and saw the peloton was close. Most riders would

:05:13. > :05:24.have given up, she put pressure on the pedals. 14 seconds is a gap

:05:25. > :05:29.between her and the peloton. Kern has shown already in this race she

:05:30. > :05:35.has a good pair of climbing legs on her and is likely to stay where she

:05:36. > :05:38.is at the front. The peloton will not be unduly concerned, they will

:05:39. > :05:44.be happy for her to be where she is at the moment, very much in range,

:05:45. > :05:56.with 50 kilometres to go here. In the Spanish sunshine. Still a big

:05:57. > :06:00.peloton. We expect something to happen on this lap, whether at the

:06:01. > :06:04.start of this crime or toward the end of the lap when it gets a little

:06:05. > :06:08.bit steeper, with only three to go you would expect there would be a

:06:09. > :06:14.few riders who want to test their legs. The Italian team, we wondered

:06:15. > :06:18.whether they would race hard from the start or surround Bronzini and

:06:19. > :06:21.get her to the finish. Her confidence will be building, though

:06:22. > :06:34.she had that maps the accident early in the race. -- nasty accident. We

:06:35. > :06:40.have not seen to what extent she was involved in that accident. She has

:06:41. > :06:44.made up a couple of minutes she was delayed, hopefully she has been able

:06:45. > :06:49.to regain composure and is very much in it once again as she hunts for

:06:50. > :06:56.what would be her third world road race title. One American sprinter is

:06:57. > :07:00.still hanging in there, interesting to see if the sprinters get to the

:07:01. > :07:09.finish. If they start to like this race up it will be very tough.

:07:10. > :07:13.Shelley is a rider who many felt would find it difficult with the

:07:14. > :07:18.amount of climbing on this course, but she has been doing plenty of

:07:19. > :07:24.work in preparation for this to make sure her climbing is as good as it

:07:25. > :07:33.possibly can be. 16 seconds, Kern leading the way on the climb.

:07:34. > :07:36.Talking about preparation for the World Championships, the women's

:07:37. > :07:41.calendar has a couple of flat races in Holland and Belgium, leading into

:07:42. > :07:47.the World Championship. When there is a hill race, they have to decide

:07:48. > :07:51.whether to do flat, fast racing or staying in altitude in the mountains

:07:52. > :07:57.and do hill work, different athletes choosing different things. The likes

:07:58. > :08:06.of Marianne Vos chose to stay in Holland on the ladies Tour, the two

:08:07. > :08:11.are in Belgium. -- the Tour in Belgium. She has not been in

:08:12. > :08:17.altitude preparing for this race. It is possible that Marianne Vos does

:08:18. > :08:22.not consider this hilly. The Latvian was the first rider off in the time

:08:23. > :08:26.trial on Tuesday, she is hanging on Tuesday, she is hanging onto the

:08:27. > :08:32.coat-tails. Number 31 from Sweden, Emilia Fahlin, on the back of the

:08:33. > :08:40.peloton, as she was on the last lap in this part of the course. About to

:08:41. > :09:00.go past one of three Brazilian riders in this field. One of the

:09:01. > :09:06.spectators trying to get a feel for what it might be like to be in the

:09:07. > :09:10.peloton. I sense not for long. Quite amazing spectators can get so close

:09:11. > :09:14.to the athletes, riding along five metres by their sides, taking

:09:15. > :09:26.photographs. They can feel like they are a part of it. Looking at the

:09:27. > :09:32.riders who have retired, Heidi Dalton from South Africa has gone.

:09:33. > :09:39.Seeing if any of the big names have gone. Earlier we mentioned a rider

:09:40. > :09:47.who is out of the race for Belarus, she was one of the fancied riders.

:09:48. > :09:50.She fell heavily. She had a great season and prepared specifically for

:09:51. > :09:56.the World Championships, fancying her chances of being on the podium.

:09:57. > :10:00.She has stood out this year. A lot of people taking notice of how

:10:01. > :10:05.strong she is, versatile as well. Alice Barnes and Lucy Garner out of

:10:06. > :10:12.the race for Great Britain, two of the British riders out of the race.

:10:13. > :10:19.Moira abbot of the United States is out as well, she is a really good

:10:20. > :10:23.climber. Belgium lost three as a result of the crash, so did Canada.

:10:24. > :10:35.The Canadians only came with four to start with. Lizzie is down to three,

:10:36. > :10:40.last, Barnes and Christian, it may put more pressure on her, but she

:10:41. > :10:44.seems to have kept herself out of trouble until now. Being well placed

:10:45. > :10:50.in the peloton all the way through this race. It is as you were with

:10:51. > :11:07.Kern at the front of the race, just dangling in front of the peloton.

:11:08. > :11:11.Still on that grind. Not the most densely populated part of Spain, it

:11:12. > :11:16.must be said, around here, it is not close to anywhere else, even Leon is

:11:17. > :11:21.an hour and a half in the car, that is one of the closest major places.

:11:22. > :11:26.The British team are staying there. The French 100 kilometres away as

:11:27. > :11:31.well. Even if you live in Spain, it is a fair trip to come and watch

:11:32. > :11:36.these World Championships. It can be extremely difficult logistically, an

:11:37. > :11:46.hour and a half for the GB riders, if they are off earlier, it adds to

:11:47. > :11:52.the day. Early breakfast. There is a crash, let's have a look and look is

:11:53. > :11:56.involved? We peel away at precisely the wrong moment. Looked like there

:11:57. > :12:06.was an attack at the front of the peloton. It is the national champion

:12:07. > :12:10.of Italy. Seems like there was an attack of the front of the peloton,

:12:11. > :12:17.which started to stretch it out, then we had this crash near the

:12:18. > :12:22.back. She finished 10th overall in the women's Tour in the UK, in that

:12:23. > :12:29.race earlier in the year. There was the fall, caught up in that as well

:12:30. > :12:41.was Annie last. Luckily she is OK, as you can clearly see, and was soon

:12:42. > :12:45.back on the road. She looked very relaxed and calm, putting the chain

:12:46. > :12:52.back on herself and jumping on, some riders would wait for the mechanics

:12:53. > :12:59.to check out their bikes. She has taken initiative. On the mountain

:13:00. > :13:04.bikes, they do not have mechanics driving up behind them. Douglas was

:13:05. > :13:07.talking to an E in the week and said, what about the tricky

:13:08. > :13:12.descent? She said there are not any rocks on it. They have to be

:13:13. > :13:17.extremely self-sufficient, mountain bikers, when the race is under way,

:13:18. > :13:22.that is it. Right at the front of the race is an Christian, number 40,

:13:23. > :13:26.for Great Britain. And Lizzie Armitstead to her left. Armitstead

:13:27. > :13:31.looking strong and Anna Christian doing everything she can, the

:13:32. > :13:38.19-year-old, to stay with Armitstead and support her as long as possible.

:13:39. > :13:45.Still towards the back, iris of the Netherlands on the back, hanging in

:13:46. > :13:58.there. Marianne Vos in the orange colour of the Netherlands. Kern's

:13:59. > :14:03.turn at the front is over, there she is back in the main field. We have

:14:04. > :14:08.not seen much of the Japanese rider, she has come back from an Asti

:14:09. > :14:27.injury sustained in Sweden a month ago. Two riders from Japan. -- from

:14:28. > :14:31.a nasty injury. 113 is the Japanese rider, third in one of the stages of

:14:32. > :14:37.the Giro d'Italia this year. She deserves a place in the pro peloton.

:14:38. > :14:49.Top 20 finish overall in that race. She is the national champion in the

:14:50. > :14:57.road race and time trial. Everybody sensing a little bit of danger.

:14:58. > :15:02.Moving to the front is iris. On the other side of the road, was that

:15:03. > :15:05.Annie trying to come around the outside having got back into the

:15:06. > :15:10.peloton? We could do with a closer look. It may well have been, the

:15:11. > :15:16.British rider going from the back to the front. We see evidence Stephen

:15:17. > :15:20.is, she was riding off the back, she seems to be one of those who seems

:15:21. > :15:32.confident on the front or at the back out of trouble. -- even Stevens

:15:33. > :15:37.she does not look comfortable in the face. She has just made her way up.

:15:38. > :15:45.Lizzie Armitstead on the left-hand side of the screen, third from the

:15:46. > :15:48.left-hand side we look. Certainly nervous coming into the peloton.

:15:49. > :15:53.They are starting to fight for position. A little bit of looking

:15:54. > :15:56.around going on. We have not seen any of the big names show their face

:15:57. > :16:05.at the front. The Dutch team starting to move up on both sides of

:16:06. > :16:08.the peloton, left and right. The ride in the Blackadder disappointing

:16:09. > :16:16.time trial, she was not on the podium this year, though she was the

:16:17. > :16:26.past few years. -- the ride in the black had a disappointing time

:16:27. > :16:32.trial. Let's face it, she has proved so many times in the past she can do

:16:33. > :16:38.that. Looks like it might be the Dutch. Started to put the pressure

:16:39. > :16:42.on going into the descent, they realised everybody was at the front,

:16:43. > :16:48.let's start to put some speed into the peloton, stretch it out and get

:16:49. > :16:54.other people out of place, out of position. I get the feeling the race

:16:55. > :16:57.might be on. This is the last part of the climb until they go over the

:16:58. > :17:03.top and get the descent, where we have seen the peloton get stretched

:17:04. > :17:09.out. The Germans are there, well placed with two riders. USA as well.

:17:10. > :17:13.The Germans have had a good race to this point, they are losing their

:17:14. > :17:20.numbers. They have done a lot of work in the first part of the race.

:17:21. > :17:26.Becker was leading. Looks like they are supporting her. They have done a

:17:27. > :17:37.lot of work in the first part of the race. The whittling down process may

:17:38. > :17:46.start in earnest over the next few kilometres. Lizzie Armitstead moves

:17:47. > :17:49.up to the second wheel. She has that beautiful style, a lot of people say

:17:50. > :17:54.the toughest thing about racing with her is that she does not show any

:17:55. > :17:58.expression on her face or in her body until she gets under immense

:17:59. > :18:03.pressure, her composure does not change at all, she has a beautiful

:18:04. > :18:07.pedalling style. It is difficult to see if she is feeling the pressure

:18:08. > :18:12.because she really can keep her composure to the real death. She has

:18:13. > :18:16.watched everything so far, maintained her concentration through

:18:17. > :18:23.this race without having to show her face. She really has been well

:18:24. > :18:29.positioned. Italians moving up on this descent. It is not overly

:18:30. > :18:35.technical, but when they are travelling at this speed in close

:18:36. > :18:39.proximity, it can be. Is that Bronzini on the front or second

:18:40. > :18:44.place? Bronzini in second place, after the accident early on, she may

:18:45. > :18:48.have decided she needs to do the descent at the front and as to the

:18:49. > :18:53.team-mate to lead. It is likely that is her team-mate, known for her good

:18:54. > :18:58.descending skills. You can see the length of the peloton, they are

:18:59. > :19:06.getting stretched out. A great mix in the Italian team, former world

:19:07. > :19:15.champions. A wealth of experience and talented young riders. Everybody

:19:16. > :19:19.getting around that bend in one piece, fortunately. So far so good

:19:20. > :19:24.in the women's race, that corner has proven to be quite a problem in

:19:25. > :19:32.other races. It has taken several riders out over the past few days,

:19:33. > :19:45.it really has. A little look around to see if there is any damage.

:19:46. > :19:49.Tatiana keeping the pace quite high on the front. She was seventh in the

:19:50. > :20:00.World Championship last year will in 2009 she won the world title. The

:20:01. > :20:05.Italians have a good run at the World Championships. They pull it

:20:06. > :20:10.together, ride well as a team. Does not matter who wins from the Italian

:20:11. > :20:14.team. At the World Championships, they do an aptitude test before they

:20:15. > :20:21.go away, put it together. They have been consistent since 2009. It is a

:20:22. > :20:25.big thing for the Italians, perhaps more so than some of the other

:20:26. > :20:30.nations. In the lead ups to the World Championships. The team

:20:31. > :20:35.announcement, there is a lot of talk, build-up, the unity of Italy

:20:36. > :20:40.and the opportunity to wear the jersey. Absolutely, you have these

:20:41. > :20:45.riders on different proteins through the season, but they do favours for

:20:46. > :20:49.each other through the year because they have to ride together at the

:20:50. > :20:53.World Championships. Italy has been the heart of cycling for a long

:20:54. > :20:58.time, it is prestigious to be part of the Italian national team for the

:20:59. > :21:03.World Championship. If it stays like this for another couple of laps we

:21:04. > :21:09.will see the most liked for scrap on that one kilometre descent with five

:21:10. > :21:15.kilometres to go. Not much road and everybody will want it. Lizzie

:21:16. > :21:19.Armitstead getting out of the saddle. The further into this race

:21:20. > :21:23.we go and the more they have left in their legs, it means the fireworks

:21:24. > :21:28.will be bigger and brighter on that last lap. The descent will be worth

:21:29. > :21:37.watching. I would not want to be writing it. Still a tightly packed

:21:38. > :21:50.peloton. Number 40, right in front of the camera, and a Christian. --

:21:51. > :21:57.Hannah Christian. Hannah Barnes, 39, towards the back for Great

:21:58. > :22:02.Britain. Stevens to the left of our screen. She likes to be on the

:22:03. > :22:10.front. Or a couple of metres of the back. Germany still controlling

:22:11. > :22:18.things up towards the front of the peloton, as they have done for much

:22:19. > :22:23.of the race. They have really shown strength and depth today from the

:22:24. > :22:28.word go. The first lap. But riders up on the front, showed intent. They

:22:29. > :22:34.have stuck to it all the way so far. Of the big favourites, who would be

:22:35. > :22:40.the happiest so far at this stage of the race, for the race to be like

:22:41. > :22:46.this? Bronzini would normally be very content because she is the

:22:47. > :22:48.sprinter of this race. Shelley is another sprinter. Bronzini is the

:22:49. > :22:51.only one who has been able to challenge Marianne Vos in a

:22:52. > :22:56.head-to-head sprint, she will be feeling very happy it has been quite

:22:57. > :23:00.controlled until now, she will only be a little disappointed she had to

:23:01. > :23:04.do so much work earlier in the race to come back from that accident.

:23:05. > :23:11.Will be interesting to know what the effects of that crash are. I think

:23:12. > :23:15.Lizzie Armitstead would certainly have hoped for it to be a little bit

:23:16. > :23:19.harder, I think, especially as we go into this late stage of the race,

:23:20. > :23:23.she would want a lot more people under more pressure. Lizzie

:23:24. > :23:27.Armitstead said in her interview earlier she is not coming to a World

:23:28. > :23:33.Championship feeling more confident. She said no wider in this peloton is

:23:34. > :23:37.in condition to drop me from their wheels, it indicated she would race

:23:38. > :23:41.defensively and try to follow the moves, back herself in a sprint with

:23:42. > :23:45.whichever riders come to the finish. Here she is controlling at the

:23:46. > :23:52.front, looking around. Stretching her legs, having a look, seeing who

:23:53. > :23:57.is there. She will not want it to be an easy race to the line, she wants

:23:58. > :24:02.to take the sting out of the legs of Bronzini. She is quite fast, you

:24:03. > :24:06.would put her in the top five of speed in this peloton. No facial

:24:07. > :24:13.expression, she gave everybody the look. She is a master of the

:24:14. > :24:16.straight face. She looks great and probably in this case is feeling

:24:17. > :24:22.great as well. From the British point of view, coming into this

:24:23. > :24:27.championship with the best year of her career. In very good form.

:24:28. > :24:33.Feeling confident and quite bullish about her chances. Everybody else

:24:34. > :24:45.knows that, we saw she'd probably manage a pedal reference before the

:24:46. > :25:04.rest of the riders reacted. -- pedal revs. Tiffany Cromwell fifth over

:25:05. > :25:26.the crest from Australia. Bronzini will be happy enough at the

:25:27. > :25:29.moment with the way this race is panning out. What a race it promises

:25:30. > :25:35.to be over the closing couple of laps, 40 kilometres to go. This is

:25:36. > :25:46.the descent where there was a spectacular crash early in the race.

:25:47. > :25:50.A little bit calm now in the peloton, starting to bunch up,

:25:51. > :25:58.nobody really wanting to take up the pressure on the front. Are they

:25:59. > :26:03.waiting for the last lap is Marianne Vos going to wait for that last

:26:04. > :26:07.climb to kick? That is often enough for her. If she is on top form and

:26:08. > :26:13.the rumours are not true she is struggling, nobody can match her

:26:14. > :26:18.kick. If you get five or six seconds over the top, she can descend like

:26:19. > :26:22.no one else in the peloton. If she is on form that is probably her

:26:23. > :26:27.most... She does not want to be isolated and make wrong moves. To

:26:28. > :26:33.get over that line with a gap must be her plan. They might send a Dutch

:26:34. > :26:37.rider of the road on the last lap and let the other nations chase that

:26:38. > :26:43.down. Marianne Vos has a kick nobody can match. Do you feel Armitstead

:26:44. > :26:47.would wish to be alone coming into the finish or not too unhappy in a

:26:48. > :26:57.group? Depends on the combination of the group. With Lizzie's sprint, she

:26:58. > :27:03.tends to wait and react from the other riders. She is a fast rider,

:27:04. > :27:10.wants up to speed, but her kit is not that good. -- kick. If she wants

:27:11. > :27:16.to go head-to-head with one or two other riders who have a sprint, she

:27:17. > :27:20.needs to take control and put her move in first in the closing couple

:27:21. > :27:25.of hundred metres to get a gap. Once she is up to speed she is quick and

:27:26. > :27:31.has that track pedigree from earlier on. It is the initial getting up to

:27:32. > :27:45.speed. We look at the Italian is putting pressure on the front.

:27:46. > :27:57.Looking around to check who is there. Going back to Lizzie and the

:27:58. > :28:04.finish, she would certainly much prefer to be in this position here,

:28:05. > :28:11.on the final lap, away on her own with a good, probably at this point

:28:12. > :28:16.around about ten seconds, advantage. 10-15 seconds over a small group

:28:17. > :28:21.behind, that would be what she would be fairly guaranteed depending on

:28:22. > :28:26.who is left in that group behind. If it is a small group she is with, she

:28:27. > :28:30.definitely needs to go on the offensive and take control in the

:28:31. > :28:38.sprint. She is towards the front of the race as per usual. Two to go.

:28:39. > :28:46.There is Armitstead in the middle, just in discussion... She looks

:28:47. > :28:50.fairly comfortable at the moment. She should certainly be happy with

:28:51. > :28:55.how the race has panned out for her thus far. I am sure she will be

:28:56. > :28:58.hoping there is a little bit of animation the next couple of laps

:28:59. > :29:01.because she wants to create a situation where the likes of

:29:02. > :29:04.Marianne Vos and the stronger riders need to close some gaps and she can

:29:05. > :29:07.benefit from that. A situation where the likes of Marianne Vos and the

:29:08. > :29:10.stronger riders need to close some gaps and she can benefit from that.

:29:11. > :29:15.Rider Johansen, one of the punchier riders.

:29:16. > :29:23.Emma Johansson will not be far away, right behind us, the direction of

:29:24. > :29:27.where the climbs are, there is a rather unfriendly looking thundery

:29:28. > :29:34.clout... On the horizon. We will hope that does not start to pour

:29:35. > :29:39.down on the riders. And make life more difficult for them over the

:29:40. > :29:44.closing couple of laps. If it does it will certainly play a part. A

:29:45. > :29:56.part that we do not really want to see, on these roads especially. Big

:29:57. > :30:02.peloton still together. As they come up towards the line. For the

:30:03. > :30:09.Netherlands, Iris Slappendel, she has done a great job to get back in

:30:10. > :30:15.and be a main player. 91 kilometres in the bags for these riders. Annie

:30:16. > :30:19.Last and Lizzie Armitstead, up towards the front of the peloton.

:30:20. > :30:24.Hannah Barnes and Anna Christian towards the back. Now the race is

:30:25. > :30:32.on, the United States begin to animate the road race, with two to

:30:33. > :30:35.go. The Netherlands on the front of the peloton, just trying to take

:30:36. > :30:59.control of that. One of the riders from the USA,

:31:00. > :31:06.trying to break away. Just over two laps to go.

:31:07. > :31:16.Alison Powers has made the move, we are being told, who crashed heavily

:31:17. > :31:19.earlier in the race. We need to get back down on the road, just for

:31:20. > :31:29.confirmation that it is Alison Powers.

:31:30. > :31:43.Here she is, circling the centre of the town. She has a decent little

:31:44. > :31:46.gap, I do not think it will come to much, but it will put pressure on

:31:47. > :31:51.the peloton, lining them out and setting themselves up, not before

:31:52. > :31:54.too long they will hit the first part of the circuit where it hits

:31:55. > :31:59.the climb, that will be a bit of a sting in the legs for a lot of

:32:00. > :32:07.riders. She is a strong rider and an individual time trial. Triple

:32:08. > :32:12.national champion in the United States, Alison Powers. Winning the

:32:13. > :32:15.criterion, the individual time trial and the road race for the USA, very

:32:16. > :32:19.strong rider, she has got to get there. Very disappointed with her

:32:20. > :32:25.time trial early in the week, finishing eighth. Probably hoping

:32:26. > :32:29.for a medal or a top five, that is what we would have expected, very

:32:30. > :32:34.visibly disappointed with that. She has not given up. Perfect excuse

:32:35. > :32:38.with a big crash like that, to pull the pin on such a hard course, but

:32:39. > :32:43.not specifically suited to her style of riding. She is making the most of

:32:44. > :32:47.it. Before we have mentioned they have several cards to play, the

:32:48. > :32:53.United States. She is the first of them here. She could be setting

:32:54. > :32:58.things up nicely, Stevens. A little bit lighter than she was at the

:32:59. > :33:02.start of the race, she has lost a little bit of Bach, she will be

:33:03. > :33:07.climbing better. If it comes down to a sprint, then hanging onto Giorgia

:33:08. > :33:13.Bronzini's back wheel, I am sure that we will see Olds. 11 seconds is

:33:14. > :33:24.the gap. It has gone up to 12 seconds for

:33:25. > :33:28.Alison Powers of the United States. It has thrown out the peloton, this

:33:29. > :33:32.is the point on the circuit where we can see, visually, there is not an

:33:33. > :33:36.awful lot of recovery, the home straight seems to be the only spot

:33:37. > :33:41.on the circuit where the riders have the most of it, and they can relax a

:33:42. > :33:47.little bit, get in the wheels and recover and take a little bit of

:33:48. > :33:50.food and drink on-board, the rest of the time they are chasing, and this

:33:51. > :33:56.is what Lizzie Armitstead was hoping for. Much more of this ilk on this

:33:57. > :34:03.section of the circuit. A lot of pressure on a lot of riders. .

:34:04. > :34:07.Downhill through the town before they see the castle in the distance.

:34:08. > :34:13.That will mark the four kilometre mark in terms of this lap. More less

:34:14. > :34:20.Mark King the start of the five K climb up to the top of

:34:21. > :34:23.Confederacion. -- five kilometre climb. Alison Powers's move will be

:34:24. > :34:36.in the function of a strong team finish. Which nations will chase?

:34:37. > :34:43.She will hand in a little gap. The USA looking to draw the sting of a

:34:44. > :34:47.few others. Great move for the USA. It looks as though it is going to

:34:48. > :34:48.put pressure on the other nations if they leave it too much longer, she

:34:49. > :35:07.is a very strong rider. Definitely the rider from the United

:35:08. > :35:12.States that is leading the way, looked like the Dutch riders were on

:35:13. > :35:16.the front. There is one of them. Not wanting this to get out of reach.

:35:17. > :35:29.Trying to contain it as best as possible. . This is always a tough

:35:30. > :35:35.one, when a rider has gone clear and you know there are degree as a time

:35:36. > :35:39.trialist. She is a diesel type rider, she can stay out there for a

:35:40. > :35:44.long time and if the gap becomes too big and out of sight, and they do

:35:45. > :35:48.not pick up the pace soon enough, could be a very dangerous move. The

:35:49. > :35:58.Dutch are the ones to potentially respond on the front of the peloton.

:35:59. > :36:05.At the moment it is about 12 seconds, the gap to Alison Powers.

:36:06. > :36:09.Looks like it might be more than that but it is not. At least one of

:36:10. > :36:13.the riders from the Netherlands is on the front of the peloton.

:36:14. > :36:20.Effectively out of the race, Amelia, she goes past our common territory

:36:21. > :36:26.session. The question is, which nation will take it up? 60 riders in

:36:27. > :36:32.the front of the group at the moment. 21 seconds is the gap at the

:36:33. > :36:37.moment. Lizzie Armitstead, still in a good position for Great Britain,

:36:38. > :36:41.up towards the front of the race. Meanwhile... Down in the pits in the

:36:42. > :36:47.finishing area, Jill Douglas has been speaking with Lucy Garner. You

:36:48. > :36:53.are carrying a bit of damage, after the crash, you were down twice. I

:36:54. > :36:59.was only down once actually but yes, it was a silly crash, I'm very

:37:00. > :37:03.annoyed. There was no chance I could get on the cars, they will not let

:37:04. > :37:07.me. I put in a big effort to get back, I managed to get back but then

:37:08. > :37:12.I was totally dead when I got back. For me to have done my job well, I

:37:13. > :37:18.needed no mistakes and yes, it went wrong. Huge crash involving half the

:37:19. > :37:22.field, pretty dramatic. I came down shortly afterwards and there were

:37:23. > :37:29.bodies everywhere, it can be so dangerous out there. Pretty

:37:30. > :37:33.dangerous. If you go in at full pelt and there is people a bit nervous,

:37:34. > :37:37.that is what happens. Disappointing to see you come out at this stage,

:37:38. > :37:45.but Lizzie Armitstead is still there, with Hannah as well. Lizzie

:37:46. > :37:48.looks like she is flying, all of the girls in there for her, she is

:37:49. > :37:53.flying and it looks like she could have it, she is looking very good.

:37:54. > :37:59.Jill Douglas, with Lucy Garner, not her day-to-day, but a very young

:38:00. > :38:02.rider, very promising rider. Twice the world junior road race champion.

:38:03. > :38:11.There will be better days ahead for her surely. She sounds disappointed

:38:12. > :38:15.she could not have done more. Two-time junior world champion. She

:38:16. > :38:19.is mixing it up with the best sprinters in the world. Very

:38:20. > :38:23.well-known in the peloton as one of the fastest in the world at a very

:38:24. > :38:27.young age, she would have liked this opportunity to see what she could do

:38:28. > :38:32.on a tougher circuit, really. Looked like a very heavy fall, early in the

:38:33. > :38:41.race, you could see that at the time. A bang on the right-hand side

:38:42. > :38:46.of her body. And we saw pictures of Alison Powers, she had a fall. Looks

:38:47. > :38:51.like the peloton is keeping it in check. She has done a lot of work

:38:52. > :38:58.today for the Germans, just setting the pace. The former team time trial

:38:59. > :39:03.gold medallist at the championships. The Spanish showing their faces. Ana

:39:04. > :39:09.Sanchez, Riding for the same professional team as Becker. They

:39:10. > :39:18.are taking up the pace. One of the riders from Finland still hanging in

:39:19. > :39:25.there, not sure which one it is. Poland as well, represented. At the

:39:26. > :39:30.front of the peloton. Ukraine as well. Two or three Polish riders.

:39:31. > :39:37.Russia coming to the front. A bit of pressure on. Lizzie Armitstead will

:39:38. > :39:39.be a little bit happier now. Riders jostling for position, coming

:39:40. > :39:57.through, trying to get clear of the wheels ahead. Trying to grab

:39:58. > :40:01.bottles. She is a bit of a diesel, she can sit there and tapped out

:40:02. > :40:04.this rhythm all day long. She got out of the saddle with a little

:40:05. > :40:09.discomfort, perhaps because of the fall, she is not a rider that likes

:40:10. > :40:13.racing in Europe, she has said that very vocally, she does not like the

:40:14. > :40:19.European style of racing, she spends most of her time racing in the USA.

:40:20. > :40:24.This is a position that she will be very well acclimatised to, being off

:40:25. > :40:28.the front, getting into rhythm. You can see the peloton in the

:40:29. > :40:32.background, keeping her in check. On the front, the Russian rider, but we

:40:33. > :40:38.will have to wait and see which one it was. Number one for the

:40:39. > :40:43.Netherlands, Amy Peters, just sliding back a little bit. Amy

:40:44. > :40:48.Peters was second in a World Cup race in Sweden only last month. Just

:40:49. > :41:01.beginning to lose a little bit of contact. Just hanging on. If the gap

:41:02. > :41:05.is not big, you can see the dark cloud in the distance, heading

:41:06. > :41:12.straight for it. Usually comes back together. There is a couple of flats

:41:13. > :41:21.on the way up. This could be a bit of a move. Who is it at the front?

:41:22. > :41:26.It could be Hannah Barnes, it could be Anna Christian, we will get a

:41:27. > :41:28.better picture in a moment. Lizzie Armitstead is obviously said she

:41:29. > :41:33.would like a harder race than this is, she wants to take the

:41:34. > :41:38.initiative. Alison Powers has been overtaken here very quickly.

:41:39. > :41:45.The peloton is animated here. Another of the riders from the

:41:46. > :41:49.United States making a move. Alison Powers has made her efforts of the

:41:50. > :41:51.day, as soon as she has finished, there is another coming, and one of

:41:52. > :42:08.her team-mates. My guess is that that is the young

:42:09. > :42:16.rider, Anna Christian. Just behind these riders.

:42:17. > :42:29.The Polish rider peeling off. The Israeli and rider on third wheel. --

:42:30. > :42:34.the Australian rider. Bronze medal in Commonwealth Games, only got her

:42:35. > :42:38.citizenship in the last year. At least three riders out the back

:42:39. > :42:45.here. Really will begin to whittle down from behind. The New Zealander

:42:46. > :42:53.at the front on the right, Linda Williamson. Good to see Anna

:42:54. > :42:58.Christian getting as involved as possible in the race. And now we can

:42:59. > :43:04.see a fuse box of rain. There we go... This will be nervous times.

:43:05. > :43:10.You can see the rain on the lens but also on the road, not raining on the

:43:11. > :43:14.Finnish road but at the back of the circuit... -- finish line. And if it

:43:15. > :43:20.is wet on the descent, do not go and make a cup of tea, that is all that

:43:21. > :43:26.I can say. This is going to put the cat among the pigeons. Sizeable

:43:27. > :43:31.spanner. -- and now we can see a view spots of rain. There will not

:43:32. > :43:34.be many riders who will have been watching weather like this. Lizzie

:43:35. > :43:39.Armitstead would be one of them, she says that she likes wet weather, at

:43:40. > :43:43.the Commonwealth Games she said she would to rain. She does not get

:43:44. > :43:49.rattled by the rain, she is quite comfortable. You did not mind it in

:43:50. > :43:55.London in the Olympics either, fairly damp that day, getting the

:43:56. > :43:59.silver medal behind Marianne Vos. What a race that was. They could be

:44:00. > :44:08.the only two in the peloton that are happy that it rained.

:44:09. > :44:18.Looking comfortable in the middle in the black up towards the front,

:44:19. > :44:23.Linda Villumsen. You have different types of athlete, she is switched

:44:24. > :44:28.on, bit of a jackpot, you do not know what you are going to get. Well

:44:29. > :44:34.positioned at the front, and that is an indication that she is doing

:44:35. > :44:37.nicely. Trying to make life more difficult for everybody else.

:44:38. > :44:41.Looking like Anna Christian again, first world championship, one of the

:44:42. > :44:48.youngest, perhaps the youngest in the bike race, great to see her out

:44:49. > :44:52.there. Great ride. Is that Katrin Garthwaite on her wheel? Actually it

:44:53. > :44:57.is Rachel, the silver medallist from a couple of years ago. There is a

:44:58. > :45:03.lot of looking around going on. Meanwhile, Linda looking very

:45:04. > :45:19.comfortable in the black of New Zealand. Inside the last 30

:45:20. > :45:26.kilometres of the race. -- Katrin Garfoot. There is going to be some

:45:27. > :45:30.fighting, the gaps are going to open up even more, from the front to the

:45:31. > :45:36.back, an awful lot further than it has been on the laps previous.

:45:37. > :45:43.Lizzie Armitstead upfront, alongside Anna Christian, on the right-hand

:45:44. > :45:51.side as we look. Still tightly packed up. Another move going on the

:45:52. > :45:55.right-hand side of the road. Anna Christian and Lizzie Armitstead

:45:56. > :46:01.there, interesting to see who these ones are. The second is in a

:46:02. > :46:06.strolling rider. Germany bringing it back... Hannah Barnes on the

:46:07. > :46:10.front... A lot of criticism about the British national team but they

:46:11. > :46:13.have done quite well to get this far into the race and be the ones that

:46:14. > :46:20.are animating it with less than two laps to go. Katrin Garfoot,

:46:21. > :46:23.Australia. The Australians, with Rachel and Tiffany Cromwell and

:46:24. > :46:31.Katrin Garfoot, all of them in good position. And the Finnish rider in

:46:32. > :46:35.good position. We still have not seen much from Emma Johansson today.

:46:36. > :46:40.Fair to say there is a lot less in the peloton at the top of this crime

:46:41. > :46:50.going over then there were at the bottom. -- at the top of this

:46:51. > :46:54.climb. A couple of Ukrainian riders having a dig at the front and marked

:46:55. > :46:59.closely by the United States... Look at the weather now, absolutely

:47:00. > :47:03.horrible. It has completely changed, it has really turned this race on

:47:04. > :47:08.its head. But at the finish, as dry as a bone. So far, so good. That

:47:09. > :47:13.could be Shelley Olds, the American on the second wheel, and if it is,

:47:14. > :47:15.looking very comfortable for a sprinter to be this comfortable at

:47:16. > :47:27.this stage in the race. Just taking her time off the back,

:47:28. > :47:34.Mexican rider, Veronica. As the road heads up... An awful lot of standing

:47:35. > :47:40.water on the flatter sections of the road. Australia now on the front.

:47:41. > :47:44.High-performance manager of Israeli said that Rachel is in the form she

:47:45. > :47:49.was in two years ago when she was second to Marianne Vos, in Holcombe

:47:50. > :47:57.Burke. May have been right. -- Falk and Berg. She has been plagued by

:47:58. > :48:01.injury and misfortune, and an accident with a car earlier this

:48:02. > :48:12.year, but coming into form at the right time for the championships. --

:48:13. > :48:17.Valkenburg. Looking very strong here, making a move off the front,

:48:18. > :48:20.on the shiny wet roads. And they are going to be slippery, this has put

:48:21. > :48:25.an awful lot of pressure on the other teams. Which one is going to

:48:26. > :48:28.take it up? Which one is going to try to contain the mood? The

:48:29. > :48:34.Australian rider is back in the peloton, they can sit there, on the

:48:35. > :48:39.wheels, a bit of spray on their face, but they can relax a little

:48:40. > :48:42.bit. When these breaks go, Lizzie Armitstead will be banking on the

:48:43. > :48:52.Germans, the Italians, the Dutch and the United States to respond. Great

:48:53. > :48:58.move by Rachel, not the most confident, we will see her lose a

:48:59. > :49:02.little bit of time. Lottie Becker when the rain came down there may

:49:03. > :49:06.have been a bit of extra motivation to do something on the ascent, a

:49:07. > :49:13.little bit of leeway on the descent. We will keep a close eye on this,

:49:14. > :49:17.particularly the right-hander. None of the riders have done the descent

:49:18. > :49:23.in the wet in the week either, so this is going to be a new experience

:49:24. > :49:33.for a lot of the riders. How much traction on the tyres? At least she

:49:34. > :49:39.can pick her own line, she is not being overly harassed by anybody

:49:40. > :49:43.around her or affected by anybody around her. It is a lot slower and a

:49:44. > :49:50.lot more cautious going around the bend. . That was a deep breath, she

:49:51. > :49:54.is happy to be at the bottom of the descent, now she has got to work

:49:55. > :49:58.pretty hard to put the pressure on the other riders, she is very loyal,

:49:59. > :50:09.loves to ride for her team-mates, prides herself on being one of the

:50:10. > :50:15.most strongest and reliable domestiques in the line-up. The

:50:16. > :50:20.nature of the descent, with the weather changing, has really changed

:50:21. > :50:23.things. Still dry at the finish, we hope that it was just a passing

:50:24. > :50:30.shower. Disappearing off in the other direction. Rachel Neylan is

:50:31. > :50:35.coached by Bradley McGee, I heard him giving her a pep talk, she has

:50:36. > :50:48.moved to Sydney, to training during the Australian summer, under the

:50:49. > :50:53.guidance of Bradley McGee. Rachel Neylan, striking out inside the

:50:54. > :51:01.final 25 kilometres. Plenty of riders in contention, air handful of

:51:02. > :51:10.seconds behind. -- a handful. Lizzie Armitstead behind.

:51:11. > :51:17.It is fair to say this race is well and truly on, a lot different than

:51:18. > :51:25.the previous laps we have seen. 24.3 kilometres remaining.

:51:26. > :51:32.She has had her fair share of injury, Rachel Neylan, she had an

:51:33. > :51:36.accident in 2012, after she was silver at the World Championships,

:51:37. > :51:41.against Marianne Vos, it felt like a win, because she was so dominant in

:51:42. > :51:46.2012. Second at the World Championships, very impressive.

:51:47. > :51:50.Megan Guarnier, of the USA, and Charlotte Becker of Germany, they

:51:51. > :51:55.have dropped out of the back of the main chasing group as you can see,

:51:56. > :52:01.but as you can see, it is a few seconds, the gap, or Rachel Neylan.

:52:02. > :52:04.Last time check we had ten seconds. That is what it is now. Lizzie

:52:05. > :52:13.Armitstead, on the front. She's looking around, she may be

:52:14. > :52:17.looking for team-mates to pick up the pace, nobody else picking it up,

:52:18. > :52:23.she would like to keep it higher, she does not want to many fresh

:52:24. > :52:26.legs. Just behind Lisa Brennauer, the American, Shelley Olds, we did

:52:27. > :52:32.not expect her to get this far into the race. On the lest of your -- on

:52:33. > :52:34.the left of your screen, from New Zealand, the five-time World

:52:35. > :52:40.Championship medallist in individual time trials. A couple of French

:52:41. > :52:46.riders there as well. Up towards the front. Back at the front of the

:52:47. > :52:49.race, Rachel Neylan. As Rachelle the saying, silver medallist a couple of

:52:50. > :52:55.years ago. Quite bullish and confident yesterday, in the

:52:56. > :53:02.Australian press conference, head of the race, sitting alongside Tiffani

:53:03. > :53:16.Cromwell. -- as Rochelle was saying. -- Tiffany Cromwell. Not holding

:53:17. > :53:21.much back. With two very strong team-mates back in the peloton,

:53:22. > :53:24.every reason to give 100%. She will either work out our own advantage or

:53:25. > :53:28.set up the team for the best advantage. Interesting she is

:53:29. > :53:33.wearing a skin suit, a lot of riders choosing to do that in road races

:53:34. > :53:40.rather than big shorts and jersey, she has the skin suit on. In terms

:53:41. > :53:51.of the benefit you would accrue over a long race. Yes, certainly. -- bib

:53:52. > :53:56.shorts and jersey. Bradley Wiggins averaged 50 K pH, and so speed

:53:57. > :54:01.anything above 15, 20 K pH and you are... Aerodynamics plays a part...

:54:02. > :54:05.We are on the climb but you can see the speed at which they are going

:54:06. > :54:09.up. It played such an important part. This is what Lizzie Armitstead

:54:10. > :54:15.would like to happen, the Italians have bitten, they have decided they

:54:16. > :54:19.need to leads the race and straightaway, Lizzie Armitstead is

:54:20. > :54:25.following. Third at the World Championships last year, leading the

:54:26. > :54:31.chase, Rozelle Ratho. Probably for the likes of Giorgia Bronzini. --

:54:32. > :54:35.Rossella Ratto. Busy Armistead has sensed the danger, she would like to

:54:36. > :54:38.contribute to this, she is on a mission. Trying to see if Marianne

:54:39. > :54:43.Vos is in the leading group, there is a Dutch rider but I do not think

:54:44. > :54:48.it is boss... Yes, it is Marianne Vos who is there. And you can see,

:54:49. > :54:57.all of the big names, beginning to appear at the front of the race.

:54:58. > :55:01.Lizzie Armitstead leading the way. -- I do not think it is Marianne

:55:02. > :55:07.Vos, guess it is Marianne Vos actorly. Well represented the Tour

:55:08. > :55:12.group, tapping off the climb. Fortunately the roads look try once

:55:13. > :55:15.again. They say that is the moment where you can get a puncture, when

:55:16. > :55:20.the road goes from being wet to being dry, that is when you pick up

:55:21. > :55:23.things. Lizzie Armitstead bouncing on the bike, hopefully she does not

:55:24. > :55:27.have a puncture, that would be devastating. At this point, even the

:55:28. > :55:32.neutrals would say this would be so far behind you. The riders you are

:55:33. > :55:37.with, travelling so fast, you really do lose ground if you have a

:55:38. > :55:40.puncture or a mechanical. You can see the gaps opening up from the

:55:41. > :55:44.riders at the front, this small group of the front of what is left

:55:45. > :55:50.of the peloton. Lizzie Armitstead in the thick of it. Creating this, she

:55:51. > :55:56.is... So far, so good, really is to plan for her, she has got to keep

:55:57. > :56:01.the pressure on, she wants to keep the race fast.

:56:02. > :56:05.15 riders at the front of the race, they are about 20 seconds clear, we

:56:06. > :56:19.understand. Closing few minutes of the

:56:20. > :56:22.penultimate lap here. Lizzie Armitstead, enhance the rainbow

:56:23. > :56:27.jersey. Only three British women have ever been world champion

:56:28. > :56:34.before: Beryl Burton, twice in the 1960s, Maggie Jones in 1992 and

:56:35. > :56:40.Nicole Cooke, 2008. And Lizzie Armitstead looking to join that

:56:41. > :56:47.company. Cannot be many more than a dozen or so riders... 17 riders in

:56:48. > :56:52.the lead group. As they fly down the dissent. Emma Johansson, second

:56:53. > :56:55.wheel, we have not seen much of her today, but along with Marianne Vos

:56:56. > :57:01.and Lizzie Armitstead, we thought she would be there in the final

:57:02. > :57:05.moments. 20 kilometres remaining, strung out, finally getting the

:57:06. > :57:10.selection here, in the women's road race World Championship, as the

:57:11. > :57:14.defending champion, Marianne Vos, we have not seen much of her, she

:57:15. > :57:19.begins to show her face at the front. On the dissent. The next time

:57:20. > :57:23.they come down here, the race is going to be very much on, and

:57:24. > :57:38.Marianne Vos, leading the way, 17 riders at the front of the race. --

:57:39. > :57:39.on the descents. It is all to play for, and Lizzie Armitstead, Great

:57:40. > :57:50.Britain, still in the hunt for gold. STUDIO: Coming towards the end of

:57:51. > :57:54.the coverage on BBC One but we will not miss anything, we will be going

:57:55. > :57:57.straight over to BBC Two for the culmination of this. In Northern

:57:58. > :58:00.Ireland, it will be until 5:30pm that you have got to wake but for

:58:01. > :58:02.the moment on BBC