Van Vleuten stuns with cycling world title

Injured Dutch cycling legend Annemiek van Vleuten has stunned her rivals to win the women’s road race at the world championships in Wollongong.

Van Vleuten struck with 600m left, attacking the lead group for an improbable win in Saturday’s 164.3km road race.

She and her teammates were in disbelief at the finish at the remarkable win.

Her second road race title came after van Vleuten crashed in Wednesday’s mixed team relay at the worlds and suffered an elbow fracture.

It adds to van Vleuten’s legend as one of the toughest riders in world cycling.

No Australians were at the front at the finish, with Alex Manly the highest- placed home rider at 15th, 13 seconds off the pace.

A Dutch woman has finished on the women’s elite road race podium in all but three of the last 20 worlds.

AAP (C) 2022

Dutch rider Annemiek van Vleuten takes women’s road race gold at the world cycling championships. (Dean Lewins/AAP PHOTOS)