The world is waiting to see a showdown of the top women in professional bike racing in the road race at the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro on Sunday. The demanding course will no doubt cast the backdrop for an all-out battle of the punchiest climbers from 38 nations for the gold medal.
The road race course is a doozy. It will take the 65-rider peloton on a 141km race along two circuits before finishing back along the coastal shores to Fort Copacabana. The women will race for 38km out to the first circuit held around the Grumari Natural Park. They will contest the 24.8km loop, which includes short, pitchy climbs and a cobbled section, twice.
At the 115km mark, the women will take on the second circuit, which is where the real race for gold is expected to happen. The Canoas/Vista Chinesa loop is 25.7km. It includes the main attraction; an 8.9km climb. Some have tipped the course for pure climbers because of this final ascent; others suggest it is better suited to punchy climbers who also have strong technical skills because there is a fast descent following the main climb, and then a 12km flat section to the finish line.
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Marianne Vos (Netherlands)
Marianne Vos is the defending champion and the biggest question mark. After taking more than a year off due to injury and over training, she returned to the peloton this spring; her form was a major unknown.
She has had strong performances at Tour of California, Aviva Women’s Tour and Thuringen Rundfahrt, among other one-day races like La Fleche Wallone, La Course by Le Tour de France, but her strength has been far from what cycling expects from the three-time road world champion and Olympic gold medallist.
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