Bronze for Canadian Boilard in first road race of Innsbruck 2018

It’s been a fine UCI Road World Championships for Canada’s Simone Boilard, as she earned a bronze medal on Thursday in the Junior women’s road race after placing fifth in the Junior time trial on Monday. On Thursday, Boilard was part of a four rider move that sprinted for glory in Innbruck. Austria’s Laura Stigger thrilled the home crowd by taking the win.

The Junior women’s would be the only road race to depart from Alpbachtal Seenland. At 70.8-km, it would climb up to Gnadenwald in the first half of the race before taking on a lap of the circuit that all the other road races will negotiate. The circuit contained a 7.9-km, 5.7 percent climb.

Boilard and Stigger were part of a septet that shook loose on the Grandenwald climb. The seven headed into the circuit was over a minute’s gap on the peloton. After a few digs on the circuit’s climb, Boilard, Stigger and Italian Barbara Malcotti distanced the others, but Marie Le Net of France bridged over with 3-km to go to make it a foursome that would contest the win.

Le Net tried a late attack, but it came back together and Stigger edged out the Frenchwoman for the gold.

Check-out the photo finish seeing Laura Stigger becoming UCI Junior World Champion ? in her home-town @ibk_tirol2018 ?? #InnsbruckTirol2018 pic.twitter.com/DHxvcGhVwo

— UCI (@UCI_cycling) September 27, 2018

Boilard’s bronze is the first medal for a Canadian in a Junior women’s road race since Clare Hall-Patch in 2000.

Canadians Magdeleine Vallieres and Kaitlyn Rauwerda were 38th and 48th respectively.

In the Junior men’s race—126.8-km and two laps of the circuit—Belgian phenom Remco Evenepoel added a gold medal to the one he earned in the Junior men’s time trial. The 18-year-old, who’ll be part of the Quick Step Wolfpack for the next two seasons, crashed before the first circuit and was 2:00 behind. He deftly picked his way through the field, attacked with German Marius Mayrhofer and then went solo with 19-km remaining.

Witnessing the raise of what could be the next BIG thing in cycling…
And it's happening at the UCI Road World Championships ? #InnsbruckTirol2018 pic.twitter.com/Eg7SFX92ta

— UCI (@UCI_cycling) September 27, 2018

Friday is the Under-23 men’s road race.

Innsbruck 2018 Road World Championships Junior Women’s Road Race
1) Laura Stigger (Austria) 1:56:26
2) Marie Le Net (France) s.t.
3) Simone Boilard (Canada) s.t.
38) Magdeleine Vallieres (Canada) +4:56
48) Kaitlyn Rauwerda (Canada) +5:57

Innsbruck 2018 Road World Championships Junior Men’s Road Race
1) Remco Evenepoel (Belgium)
2) Marius Mayrhofer (Germany)
3) Alessandro Fancellu (Italy)