Ooh, Kirsten Wild blows it, perfect lead-out, but Diedricksen comes off her wheel and gets past her!

I believe that win makes twenty year-old Amalie Dideriksen (DEN) the youngest winner of the elite women's road race since none other than the great Marianne Vos (who first won in 2006). She's also the first Danish world champion (or medallist, for that matter).

Behind Kirsten Wild* (NED; who was agonisingly pipped), Lotta Lepistö (FIN) bags her country's first-ever medal; Lizzie Deignan did very well to come fourth on a course that wasn't even a major season target and didn't play to her strengths; not to mention she was clearly delighted for her Boels team-mate.

[* Still, a WCh silver medal isn't a bad gift for her birthday.]

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For the record, three of the top four have also won international championship medals on the track.

She certainly wasn't thinking that way when the TV cameras were on her afterwards. Age 34, next three WCs are Bergen, Innsbruck, Yorkshire.....I'd be crying too.

The Dutch did not do themselves any favours in the last 2km, seemed to lose their train very quickly and the pace and line that they rode didn't shake off to many of the big names who just sat at the back of the train.

Still, passing Wild in a sprint is pretty impressive, so hats off to her.

Who are Germany riding for tomorrow? Greipel, Kittel or Degenkolb.

France, Italy and Australia have dilemmas with a couple of options but not three like those.

AFAIK Degenkolb and most of the other Germans will work for Greipel. Kittel will have to wing it by himself.

Indeed.

It's worth noting that even in this most glorified of crits (thereby bearing little in the way of attrition-inducing obstacles, weather aside), 38 of the 142 starters did not finish the race (and another was disqualified).

I don't fancy Cav for tomorrow, like I have done in the past. If they go the full distance, I don't see it being a pure sprint and maybe too far for Kittel, Bouhanni, Kristoff and plenty of others.


I would go for Gaviria, with Demare, Terpstra and one of Viviani or Nizzolo.

McLay could get himself involved if he is our back up sprinter.

Here's the start list for the elite men's road race on Sunday.

199 competitors from 48 nations are expected to make the start line. For all the talk of Scheldeprijs or the Champs-Élysées stage, this is the race all sprinters want to win...this year, anyway.

The conclusion from today that it is the younger, lighter, more economical riders will win? The rider who generates higher power in these distances is at a disadvantage. They cannot shed excess heat in the high temperatures. Diderikson looked quite unstressed compared to the flushed Wild.

Diderikson missed her appointment with the Queen but no doubt that will be soon rectified : https://www.instagram.com/p/BLja8Rgh72E/

Today's BBC co-commentator, Millar shared his doping past with the New York Times: http://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/16/op...th-doping.html

Temperature 35 degC, wind NNW 15mph, and humidity 30%.

Heading out north before turning 180 degrees: http://www.dohacycling2016.com/wp-co...-elite-map.jpg

Cavendish has been acclimatising for a week; Sagan arrived mid-week. https://twitter.com/petatodd/status/787558281912913920

The wind might make it a bit more exciting, hope so, got up early to watch the start, would hate for a boring race now

Well team GB tactics seem to have backfired, they split the field up and ended up with few if any at the front, although cav could be hiding at the front

Most of Group 1?

Boonen, Belgium
Boasson Hagen, Norway
Cavendish, GB
Blythe, GB
Kristoff, Norway
Matthews, Aust
Sagan, Slovakia
Viviani, Italy
Van Avermaet, Belgium
Kolar, Slovakia
Bonnet, France
Petit, France
Keukileire, Belgium
Naeson, Neth
Hayman, Aust
Nizzolo, Italy
Terpstra, Neth
Rolandts, Belguim
Bennett, Ireland
Nielsen, Denmark
Guarnieri, italy

Chase group not a happy camp!

The chase group needs to make some alliances and stop getting angry about those that arent contributing because they have team mates up the road

Chase group is falling away.

4th group on the road is pulled out of the race.

I presume there are some "fans" watching at the end!!

The Tissot timings are now reporting on those left on each lap: http://live.tissottiming.com/?id=000...1&style=Tissot

Chase now 2 minutes down.

Degenkolb has lost it!

First time I have seen frustration expressed that way with a bottle.

Degenkolb probably will be fined or relegated.

Kittel using the bottle more conventionally earlier: https://twitter.com/CyclingTodayEn/s...23800422662144

Degenkolb, Kittel retire utterly dejected, with 3 laps to go.

Looks like the entire Spanish team getting pulled out in the third group 10 mins down, Spanish press will not be happy.

Everyone is wanting to sprint it out, no sign of any long distance action at all.

3rd group pulled out of the race, nearly 11 minutes down. Only 20k to go.