Jolien D'hoore wins Madrid Challenge by la Vuelta

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Jolien D'hoore (Wiggle-High5) won the final round of the Women's WorldTour, beating Coryn Rivera (Team Sunweb) in a close-run sprint at the Madrid Challenge. Roxanne Fournier (FDJ) was the only rider to come close to the pair, taking the final podium spot with a strong ride.

"It means a lot. It was the last race of the year it was also WorldTour and I won it last year so I really wanted to do it again. I'm really happy that I could do it," D'hoore said after the race.

The defending champion, D'hoore had to come from a long way back, navigating one of Rivera's lead out riders before she could launch her sprint. Once she was in full flight, there was little to stop D'hoore adding her second straight win at the one-day race.

The peloton arrived at the Plaza Cibeles intact after catching a move from Janneke Ensing (Ale Cipollini) on the finale lap. Ale Cipollini kept to the fore as they tried to set up their sprinter Chloe Hosking, but the Australian's leadout train disappeared quickly in the run to the line.

Sunweb took up where Ale Cipollini left off, with two riders remaining to support Rivera, a winner at four WorldTour events already. Rivera put her head into the wind with 150 metres remaining, while Fournier took a longer run up the left hand side of the road.

D'hoore was initially caught on the right but expertly negotiated the slowing Sunweb rider to take a run up the middle of Fournier and Rivera. From the front it looked like it might be a photo finish but an overhead shot showed that she had beaten Rivera by a wheel's length. It is D'hoore's third win in the last week after two stage victories at the Lotto Belgium Tour.

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