Pirrone and Paternoster lead next Italian generation, French with cards to play, Villumsen to put bad TT behind her
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Yes! Lotta Lepistö (Cervelo-Bigla) celebrates(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Elena Pirrone and Letizia Paternoster sing the Italian national anthem on the podium(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Audrey Cordon Ragot (France)(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Linda Villumsen (New Zealand)(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Pauline Ferrand-Prévot (Canyon-SRAM) was all smiles pre-race(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Despite only having one teammate alongside her for Saturday's World Championships road race, Lotta Lepistö (Finland) is determined to be in the mix for the finale.
Last year's bronze medallist already has a medal to her name in this year's championships, from the TTT, and is enjoying her best season to date on the road. Her spring was nothing short of incredible, with wins in Dwars door Vlaanderen and Gent-Wevelgem, before a summer that included two national titles, a stage in the Giro and another WorldTour win at the Crescent Vargarda in August.
"We just have to be smart. We can't do everything. I have to play my cards well and make sure that I don't many any mistakes. Hopefully I can then be there when I'm needed." (DB)
Pirrone and Paternoster lead next Italian generation
Italy continued to dominate the women's junior events at the World Championships, again filling two of the three spots on the podium in the road race and so laying the foundations for further success in the elite women's ranks and for the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo.
Cordon Ragot: We have cards to play
Audrey Cordon Ragot believes that France will have plenty of opportunities in the women's Worlds road race on Saturday. The French team come into the race without a major favourite but they possess former winner Pauline Ferrand-Prevot in their ranks.
Villumsen looks to put bad TT behind her
Linda Villumsen didn't mince her words after what she deemed a disappointing performance in the World Championships time trial. The 2015 winner crossed the line in sixth place, with Annemiek Van Vleuten (Netherlands) taking the crown. Villumsen still has the road race to come before ending her championships, and probably her season.
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Daniel Benson was the Editor in Chief at Cyclingnews.com between 2008 and 2022. Based in the UK, he joined the Cyclingnews team in 2008 as the site's first UK-based Managing Editor. In that time, he reported on over a dozen editions of the Tour de France, several World Championships, the Tour Down Under, Spring Classics, and the London 2012 Olympic Games. With the help of the excellent editorial team, he ran the coverage on Cyclingnews and has interviewed leading figures in the sport including UCI Presidents and Tour de France winners.
