2010 Commonwealth Games - Delhi
SUNDAY 10 OCTOBER
The Women's Road Race in the shadow of the India Gate monument (Press Association/AP/Manish Swarup)
WOMEN'S ROAD RACE
Rochelle Gilmore kept up the Australian domination of the cycling at the Commonwealth Games with a well planned and executed sprint win in the Women's Road Race. Lizzie Armitstead of England was second, and Chloe Hosking of Australia third. However, Wales' Nicole Cook suffered another near miss: having appeared well placed with 200 metres to go, she found her way to the front blocked and finished fifth.
As the race came down to a big bunch finish, Australia's track endurance star Megan Dunn led out Gilmore with Cook on her wheel. In a brief flash of uncertainty Cook was swamped and blocked, leaving Gilmore to surge to the line without really being challenged. Lizzie Armitstead put in a great final sprint, but she too found herself momentarily blocked by Hosking of Australia and the resultant check and re-alignment of her run was enough to rob her of any chance of the win.
The course was very much city based on a mixture of wide tree-lined boulevards and more constricted suburban roads, with scarcely a hint of a hill. With a lot of corners, it had the feel of a very large criterium circuit and a couple of early crashes were typical circuit race incidents, one taking down Sharon Laws of England, who was forced to change bikes twice as a result.
The flat profile left very few opportunities to really apply pressure other than to sprint clear and then time-trial away, always a tough way to win a race.
New Zealand were the main activators during the first half of the race, repeatedly putting in repeated attacks, but none really stuck for more than a few minutes. The Australians and the English, usually in the form of Emma Pooley, kept everything well policed, pulling the field together promptly each time.
Of the Kiwi riders, it was Villamson who did the majority of the work to try and create a split - the tactics of the black-clad riders reflecting their lack of a true road sprinter in their team.
Wales' Nicole Cook was left without team-mates from just over two laps to go, in contrast to the other two pre-races favourites, Rochelle Golmore of Australia and Lizzie Armitstead of England, who were both able to enjoy relatively relaxed races in the middle of the peloton. That left Cook a little exposed and frequently forced to the front of affairs to mark any major moves.
Going into the last half lap, Emma Pooley moved towards the front of the field, joined by her team-mates, showing clear intent to provide Armitstead with a full lead-out. Pooley did a huge turn on the front which really set up the finish. Cheatley of New Zealand played her team's final card and panicked the field briefly with a strong move with 3km to go.
But it was the Australians, compact and well organized throughout, who constructed the perfect lead out for Gilmore, shielding her and clearing a path for her, before releasing her with some 100m to go. The result was then in no doubt.
1 Rochelle Gilmore Aus 02:49:30
2 Elizabeth Armitstead Eng 02:49:30
3 Chloe Hosking Aus 02:49:30
4 Joanne Kiesanowski NZ 02:49:30
5 Nicole Cooke Wal 02:49:30
6 Joelle Numainville Can 02:49:30
7 Tara Alice Whitten Can 02:49:30
8 Carla Swart SA 02:49:30
9 Melissa Holt NZ 02:49:30
10 Cherise Taylor SA 02:49:30
11 Kaytee Boyd NZ 02:49:30
12 Victoria Whitelaw Aus 02:49:30
13 Erinne Willock Can 02:49:30
14 Lucy Martin Eng 02:49:30
15 Anne Samplonius Can 02:49:30
16 Katie Amanda Colclough Eng 02:49:30
17 Kate Cullen Sco 02:49:38
18 Megan Dunn Aus 02:49:38
19 Heather Wilson NI 02:49:38
20 Eileen Roe Sco 02:49:38
24 Claire Thomas Sco 02:49:38
28 Sharon Laws Eng 02:49:45
31 Pippa Handley Sco 02:49:53
33 Emma Trott Eng 02:50:17
34 Emma Pooley Eng 02:50:19
35 Jane Barr Sco 02:50:32
37 Anne Ewing Sco 02:54:46
