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2007 UCI Road World Championships - Women's Road Race


The 2007 UCI Road World Championships – Women's Road Race took place on September 29, 2007 around the German city of Stuttgart. The race started at 9:00.

The race was won by Italian Marta Bastianelli, who broke away 15 km from the finish and held a gap over the chasing group. Last year's champion Marianne Vos of the Netherlands took silver with Giorgia Bronzini of Italy taking bronze to cap a dominant performance by the Italian team. It was Bastianelli's first victory of the season.

Although the sun was out at the start of the race, the road were still wet and treacherous. The first victim of the conditions was Toni Bradshaw of New Zealand, this was the first of many early crashes, which included Zulfiya Zabirova.

The race started at a gentle pace but the climbs immediately stretched out the field. Rosario Rodriguez Maria of Spain attacked but was not successful, so the front of the peloton remained quiet. The first lap was completed in just over 33 minutes, with an average speed of 34.709 km/h.

The second lap was equally uneventful, except for Christine Thorburn of the United States who suffered a slight mechanical. Her cahin came off on an uphill section, bringing her to a standstill and impeding the progress of several other riders. The second lap was completed in 33'07", an average speed of 34.604 km/h.

The Brazilian Clemilda Fernandes Silva attempted to attack on the third lap, but was marked by the strongest teams. The peloton completed the third lap marginally slower, in 33'32" (average speed 34.494 km/h).

The Italian rider Tatiana Guderzo launched an attack on lap four. Katheryn Curi (USA), Oxana Kozonchuk (Russia) and Hanka Kupfernagel (Germany) responded immediately. Kupfernagel marked attacks throughout the race, attempting to ensure a sprint finish for teammate Judith Arndt, Kupfernagel had already won a gold medal in the time trial. Trixi Worrack was the second rider to drop her chain on a climb, but a passing teammate gave her a little push to get her going again. Lap four was completed nearly a minute faster than the previous lap, with an average speed 34.66 km/h.


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