Annemiek van Vleuten soars to victory in World Championships road race despite broken elbow

The Dutch rider took the second road world title of her career with late attack

Annemiek van Vleuten
(Image credit: getty images)

Riding with a fractured elbow, Annemiek van Vleuten (Netherlands) stunned her rivals in the finale of the women's road race, attacking from behind to win her second career road title at the World Championships

The 39-year-old, who crashed on Wednesday in the mixed relay time trial, fought hard against the pain of her injury throughout the race, before delivering an awe-inspiring coup in the final 500m to claim victory in Wollongong, Australia.

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Tom Davidson
Senior News Writer

Tom joined Cycling Weekly as a news and features writer in the summer of 2022, having previously contributed as a freelancer. He is the host of The TT Podcast, which covers both the men's and women's pelotons and has featured a number of prominent British riders. 


An enthusiastic cyclist himself, Tom likes it most when the road goes uphill and actively seeks out double-figure gradients on his rides. 


He's also fluent in French and Spanish and holds a master's degree in International Journalism.