‘Everyone wants to win, sometimes that means everyone wants to lose’ – Dutch attack, attack, and attack, but end up with fifth after confusing World Championships road race

On paper, the Dutch team was by far and away the strongest for the elite women’s road race at the World Championships on Saturday. There was a double world champion in Marianne Vos, a Tour de France Femmes winner in Demi Vollering, solid domestiques who could also be leaders in Riejanne Markus and Pauliena Rooijakkers, and the coming things in Puck Pieterse and Mischa Bredewold.

With 20km to go of the race, the Dutch were in an excellent position. Vollering, Markus and Vos were still there, and rarely does anyone bet against the latter in a sprint. However, 20km later, Lotte Kopecky of Belgium won the sprint, and Vollering finished fifth. Vos and Markus finished eighth and ninth. There was consolation in Pieterse winning the race for the under-23 jersey, but this will do little to stop the thought that the Worlds was there to be won.