Elite road race
The 13.2km road race circuit around Trento which includes the 3.6km long and 4.7 per cent steep Povio and a 250 metre elevation gain per lap set the scene for the Elite road race. The final four kilometres were on flat city roads yet featured several of turns before the finishing straight in the centre of Trento. Eight laps of the circuit, making a total of 107.2km, and the eight ascents of the Povio promised a course that would be attritional. Despite the absence of Anna van der Breggen, the Dutch team remained the strongest team remain with previous European road race winners Marianne Vos, Amy Pieters and the defending champion Annemiek van Vleuten, all vying for another title. However, Denmark’s Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig, Swiss rider Marlen Reusser and Elisa Longo Borghini of Italy all hoped to snatch the championship crown. When a break was eventually able to go clear, it consisted of Van Dijk, Biannic, Paladin, and Kasper, with Biannic later being dropped from the group with just under 50km remaining, and Kasper following suit around 15km later. With her teammates subsequently taking charge in the peloton, the gap to the leaders was reduced, and Van Dijk saw her opportunity to attack on the Povo ascent with just over 20km left, and was eventually able to drop Longo Borghini. In the field behind, a group consisting of Lippert, Leleivyte, Niewidadoma, Van Vleuten, Vollering, Amialiusik, Cavalli, Reusser and Longo Borghini went in pursuit of the Dutch rider. Despite attempts by Lippert, Van Dijk was able to take advantage of a lack of ability to work together to pull back the gap, eventually taking the win with a lead of 1:18 minutes, ahead of Lippert and Leleivyte, to be crowned the new European champion.
