Visma star Chladoňová overcomes Canada's Holmgren to win U23 women's world championship road race

The women's U23 team kicked off the road race series at the World Championships in Montreal on Thursday afternoon (Dutch time), on a 134-kilometer course consisting of ten laps around the challenging circuit in the Canadian city. With climbs including the Côte Camillien-Houde and the Côte de la Polytechnique, the total elevation gain was expected to exceed 2,500 meters.

Despite this, the race remained tight for a long time. After seeing Dutch hopeful Megan Arens drop out early due to a crash, the other favorites held back somewhat in what would ultimately turn into a grueling race. With each lap, the peloton grew smaller. In the final stretch, the race finally broke open.

Felicity Wilson-Haffenden, the newly crowned time trial world champion, was one of the attackers for Australia, but when Holmgren stood up on the pedals, that’s when things really got tough. Chladoňová was able to keep up, and that was bad news for the Canadian, who, as a pure climber, knew she had to shake off the much more explosive cyclocross rider at her side.

Because Chladoňová never lost sight of her rival for a moment, she was ultimately able to sprint convincingly from the front to claim the world title. Holmgren had to settle for silver, though she was gracious enough to thank the crowd for their support right at the finish line. Fleur Moors secured the bronze medal for Belgium in the chasing group.