2020 World Championships Women RR Race Preview
The details of this year's 2020 World Championships Women RR are falling into place. Find the latest route profiles and maps below, followed by our strategic preview of the race.
The peloton heads to Imola for a course that should suit the puncheurs and the climbers rather than the pure sprinters, with the finishing circuit around the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari providing a demanding test that could well produce a race of attrition given the accumulated fatigue of repeated ascents.
The route takes the riders through the Emilian hills before hitting the finishing circuit multiple times, and with the total elevation gain significant enough to thin out the bunch, teams with multiple cards to play will hold a considerable advantage. The weather is also expected to be a factor, with cool and potentially wet conditions likely to add an extra layer of unpredictability to proceedings.
Anna van der Breggen arrives as one of the clear favourites, and the Dutchwoman has been in imperious form throughout a season disrupted by the pandemic. She won the Strade Bianche and the Giro Donne earlier in the year and will be backed up by a formidable Dutch squad that includes Annemiek van Vleuten, herself a genuine contender for the rainbow jersey and a rider who tends to produce her very best on demanding courses like this one.
Van Vleuten's record at major championships speaks for itself, and she will be eager to add the world title to her palmares. The question will be how the Dutch manage their internal dynamics when both riders are capable of winning.
Italy will be desperate to perform on home soil and Elisa Longo Borghini represents their best hope, a punchy climber who knows these roads and will draw energy from the local support. Elizaveta Gorbounova could also feature for a nation looking to make a statement on their own roads.
Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig of Denmark has the climbing ability to trouble the best on a circuit like this and should not be discounted, while Marianne Vos, though perhaps not at her absolute peak in this kind of terrain, remains dangerous and capable of finding ways to compete at the very highest level. Amanda Spratt of Australia is another rider who could feature if the race comes back together at any point, though the course seems unlikely to produce conditions that entirely suit her.
The repeated climbs are the defining element here, and anyone hoping to win will need to be able to sustain a high pace on the ascents while also possessing the finishing speed or the tactical awareness to deal with whatever emerges in the closing kilometres. If the Dutch commit to riding for van der Breggen, she becomes very difficult to beat. If van Vleuten goes on the attack and the team splits its loyalties, the race could open up dramatically. That internal dynamic within the Netherlands camp is arguably the most fascinating subplot heading into the day.
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