The Swiss women did not go far from the feat in the road race of the Wollongong Worlds. But they had to settle for 9th place for Elise Chabbey in an event won by a heroic Annemiek van Vleuten.
The Genevan and Marlen Reusser (13th at 11”) were in the game when the race was decided in the last 15 kilometers. The Bernese tried to go alone 12km from the goal, to take a fifteen-second lead, but she was caught at the top of the last bump of the course.
Unable to follow the 5 counter-attackers out 8km from the finish, Elise Chabbey was finally able to get back to the lead of the race approaching the last kilometer, thanks to the work of Marlen Reusser. But as expected, the former kayaker mightn’t do anything in the sprint for 2nd place. Noemi Rüegg, 3rd best Swiss, finished 32nd at 4’57” to clinch 7th place in the U23 category.
Van Vleuten Héroïque
Heroic 3 days following breaking an elbow during the team time trial, Annemiek van Vleuten took advantage of the hesitation that followed the regrouping to place a decisive attack. She can also thank the Swiss, without whom she might not have found herself in the lead in the final.
The Dutchwoman, victorious in the 3 Grand Tours this season, was one second ahead of the Belgian Lotte Kopecky (2nd) and the Italian Silvia Persico (3rd). The double Olympic medalist from Tokyo (gold in time trial, silver in the road race) picks up a 2nd world title in the queen event, following 2019.
ats/bur
Chabbey wanted to have no regrets
“The problem for both of us (red: Marlen Reusser and Elise Chabbey), is that we are not sprintersunderlined Marlen Reusser. But there were a lot of sprinters up front, and they didn’t work.”
“Marlen played well by attackinganalyzed Elise Chabbey. I lacked very little to switch with the leading group. Afterwards, we made a lot of effort to come back, stupidly no doubt. But I wanted to have no regrets.”
The program (Swiss time)
Sunday 25.09:
2:15 am: men’s elite road race (266.9 km)
The Swiss elite selection
Time Trial M: Bissegger, Küng.
Line race D: Elise Chabbey (1993/La Croix-de-Rozon), Elena Hartmann (1990/Baar), Nicole Koller (1997/St. Gallenkappel), Marlen Reusser (1991/Hindelbank), Noemi Rüegg (2001/Oberweningen)
Time Trial D: Hartmann, Reusser.
