Dates 22 September 2012 Distance 129 km (80.16 mi) | Stages 1 Winning time 3h 14' 29" | |
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01 ! Gold Marianne Vos (Netherlands) 02 ! Silver Rachel Neylan (Australia) | ||
The Women's road race of the 2012 UCI Road World Championships cycling event took place on 22 September in the province of Limburg, Netherlands.
Contents
Dutchwoman Marianne Vos won her second world title after finishing second 5 times since 2007. She struggled to escape for much of the 129-kilometre eight-lap race, but finally got clear on the intimidating Cauberg Hill to sprint to victory on the last two ascents. With a finishing time of three hours 14 minutes and 29 seconds, Vos beat Rachel Neylan of Australia by 10 seconds, with Italy's Elisa Longo Borghini third. Dutch time trialist Ellen van Dijk was a notable casualty in a crash involving 50 riders on the second lap.
Route
The race covered 129 km and contained eight laps on a 16.5 km circuit. The circuit included the Bemelerberg, 900 m long and maximal 7% and the Cauberg hill in Valkenburg – where the Amstel Gold Race has finished since 2003, and hosted the finish of stage 3 of the 2006 Tour de France – a 1.5 kilometres (0.93 mi) long climb with a maximum gradient of 12%. The finish was 1.7 kilometres (1.1 mi) beyond the summit of the Cauberg hill.
Final classification
Of the race's 132 entrants, 80 riders completed the full distance of 129 km (80.2 mi).