The Italian squad has a chat to set its plan for the race.(Image credit: Mark Gunter)
The three riders from Mexico pose for an image after signing in.(Image credit: Mark Gunter)
Great Britain's riders sit around in the shade before the race.(Image credit: Mark Gunter)
Two of Singapore's riders have a chat ahead of the race.(Image credit: Mark Gunter)
The Italian team was first to be called to the line.(Image credit: Mark Gunter)
Judith Arndt (Germany) was all smiles ahead of the race.(Image credit: Mark Gunter)
The USA squad is another strong one that could win in Australia.(Image credit: Mark Gunter)
Hot favourite: Nicole Cooke has the ability and team to win today.(Image credit: Mark Gunter)
Ready to roll: The peloton gets set for its eight laps.(Image credit: Mark Gunter)
The women's peloton lines up ready for the race to start.(Image credit: Mark Gunter)
One of Australia's riders stick out in the crowd of competitors.(Image credit: Mark Gunter)
Germany will be strong in the women's race, with Judith Arndt just one of its options.(Image credit: Mark Gunter)
Oh, Canada! The girls haven't had the best start to the race so far, but looked happy beforehand.(Image credit: Mark Gunter)
Powerhouse: Great Britain is the team to beat today.(Image credit: Mark Gunter)
Emma Pooley (Great Britain) has a lot to smile about, with one gold already this week.(Image credit: Mark Gunter)
Malaysia's trio clocks in for the world championships race.(Image credit: Mark Gunter)
Sweden has some strong riders including Emilia Fahlin (Sweden) and Emma Johansson (Sweden) .(Image credit: Mark Gunter)
The Kiwis go marching one by one, hurrah! New Zealand's women sign on for the race.(Image credit: Mark Gunter)
South Africa's women spent much of the morning out training on the course.(Image credit: Mark Gunter)
The Belgian squad pose for an image.(Image credit: Mark Gunter)
The Italian team sends a handy message.(Image credit: Mark Gunter)
The riders wait for the flag to drop and racing to start.(Image credit: Mark Gunter)
Australia’s Geelong has put on a spectacular day for the elite women’s road race after days of wind, rain and generally cool, overcast conditions. The 123 elite women starting today’s race should face temperatures up to 22 degrees Celsius, while a breeze of 20km/h should start to blow in from sea towards the end of the day’s action.
There are several strong teams lining up in today’s field but perhaps none more so than the Australian women. Not only is the team set to battle on home soil for the rainbow jersey but it’s also riding on a high after yesterday’s victory in the U23 event by teammate Michael Matthews.
They’re not the only team that’s tasted success this week, however, and the Great Britain squad also has the riders to do the job today including Nicole Cooke and time trial winner Emma Pooley. The United States of America is also fielding a strong roster and has already claimed a gold and bronze medal this week, but the traditional cycling nations like Italy and the Netherlands will also be keen to prove they can dominate the sport on either side of the equator.
So buckle up and follow our live coverage while you check out our images from the start line.
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