Demi Vollering outsprints Niewiadoma to win women's road race world title in Montreal

Demi Vollering won the women’s road race at the UCI Road World Championships in Montreal on Saturday, outsprinting Poland’s Kasia Niewiadoma-Phinney in a thrilling finish to a record 180km race, the longest in the event’s history.

The 29-year-old Dutchwoman had launched a daring solo attack with 39km to go, but was caught with 12km remaining. She and Niewiadoma-Phinney then played cat-and-mouse over the final few hundred metres before the Pole launched her sprint inside the last 200m — only for Vollering to outkick her to the line.

Italy’s Elisa Longo Borghini took bronze for the third time, four seconds back, just holding off world time-trial champion Marlen Reusser of Switzerland.

“I can still not believe it. I worked so hard towards this goal, and it takes guts to truly believe in it with your whole heart,” Vollering said at the finish. “There were so many moments I thought I went too early. I just dared and then tried again, and never gave up till the finish line.”

The victory caps a remarkable season for Vollering, who has already won the Tour de France Femmes and the Giro d’Italia Women this year. The reigning European champion also dominated the spring classics, winning the Tour of Flanders, Liege-Bastogne-Liege, Omloop Het Nieuwsblad and La Fleche Wallonne Femmes.