Two Kiwis in Top 20 women in the World

Oct 3rd, 10. Cath Cheatley and Linda Villumsen had great rides to finish in the select front bunch at the UCI World Championships with Top 20 placings for both Kiwis.

Cheatley looked comfortable at the top of the 2nd climb of the 4th lap ©RoadCycling.co.nz

Cheatley, the top women rider in the US this year, backed up her 10th place in last year's Worlds with 11th this year while Villumsen followed up her bronze performance in the time trial with 19th place today.

Neither rider considers themself a sprinter, so when their final opportunity to break free disappeared, and their front group came together for a bunch finish, the duo knew it wasn't to be their dream day.  

They didn't sit back though, they powered away both trying to get the highest position they could.  Cheatley finished 11th and Villumsen 19th.

“That was bloody hard. I knew it would come down to a waiting game and a battle of attrition out there,” Cheatley said.

“I am pretty stoked with that performance. I have had the flu all week and was unsure how I would handle it, but I did really well over the climbs."

"Once we caught the two leaders Linda and I knew we could not match the power of the pure sprinters but we both gave it everything to hang in there.”

Villumsen agreed, saying, "It was hard work. The climbs didn't make it any easier."

In the last lap both Kiwis were gapped coming into the second climb and by the time they made it back to the front group two riders had broken free and two riders were chasing.

"The speed was too high to try to attack, and then it just came back to a bunch sprint, which isn't for either of us," Villumsen said.

"It was good to have two riders there, but it was a bit of a shame we couldn't finish it off."

Villumsen and Bradshaw mid bunch ©RoadCycling.co.nz

The final 15.9km lap saw much jockeying for position and come down to a twenty-something bunch up the final 750m to the finish.

Giorgia Bronzini (ITA), Marianne Vos (NED) and Emma Johansson (SWE) were able to overtake the early attack of Emma Pooley (GBR) and Judith Arndt (GER) to take the medals.

Twelve minutes after the winning group, Kiwis Serena Sheridan and Toni Bradshaw crossed the line after their tough race.  

Sheridan looked like she had been in a mountain bike race with dirt covering most of her body.  

"It was from riding in the gutter," she said.  

New Zealand did extremely well to finish with four riders - our Australian cousins were disappointed with their race where they only had two finishers.

Sheridan digging deep up one of the climbs ©RoadCycling.co.nz

“I can tell you that it got me up a couple of those climbs when I had to dig deep," said Cheatley, who added, “I guess it proved that my 10^th place last year was no fluke. May be I do belong on the hilly courses after all."

Both Cheatley and Villumsen are off to Delhi on Monday for the much flatter course of the Commonwealth Games road race.

“It is a flat course, a really big criterium which is the sort of course that I race on most of the year and can do well on. I am looking forward to it and Linda is racing really well also right now," said Cheatley.

Worlds Women’s road race, 128km

1. Giorgia Bronzini (ITA) 3:32.01
2. Marianne Vos (NED) same time  - her fourth silver medal in a row!
3. Emma Johansson (SWE) same time

• 11th Cath Cheatley at 3 secs
• 19th  Linda Villumsen at 3 sec
• 62nd Serena Sheridan at 11:54
• 70th Toni Bradshaw same time
• Emma Crum and Courteney Lowe DNF - read their story ....

NZ Team: Bradshaw, Villumsen, Cheatley, Crum, Lowe, Sheridan ©RoadCycling.co.nz