Isabella Holmgren eighth as France takes first road gold at worlds
Junior women the first to take on the puncheur's course in Glasgow
Junior world cyclocross champion Isabella Holmgren was eighth in the first road competition at the 2023 UCI World Championships in Glasgow, Scotland on Saturday. The Canadian finished behind France’s Julie Bego, who bagged the first road gold.
For years, the road world championships started with time trials and ended with road races, the elite men last. However, in Glasgow, road races sandwich the chronos, and the weekend began with Junior women and men and the elite men square off on Sunday. The final competition is the elite women’s road race next Sunday.
The Course
Ninety eight Junior women were the first to taste the 14.5-km Glasgow circuit. There were several short climbs of moderate grade, Montrose Street offering a little more resistance with a maximum pitch of 14.5 percent. Five laps made for 70.3 km.
The Canadian contingent was a foursome: Isabella Holmgren, Eloise Camire, Alexandra Volstad and Nora Linton.
The first 20 km could find no separation in the peloton, although plenty popped off the back. Brit Caris Lloyd went solo on the middle lap, forcing the Italians to chase.
With two laps to go, the pack was down to around 40 riders, with Holmgren representing Canada. Volstad and Linton were around 30 seconds back.
With 22 km to go, after her teammate Célia Gery made a dig, Bego burst from the greatly-reduced pack. Belgium and Britain toiled to bring her back. Bego’s lead kept growing. Just before they heard the bell, Holmgren took up the pace-making. Bego had 17 seconds over the 14-strong chase as the rain started to tilt down.
The gap kept growing. Cat Ferguson of Great Britain made her bid for the podium with 2.3 km to race. Ferguson earned silver and Fleur Moors of Belgium rounded out the podium.
Junior Women Road Race World Championship
1) Julie Bego (France) 1:54:53
2) Cat Ferguson (Great Britain) +0:09
3) Fleur Moors (Belgium) s.t.
8) Isabella Holmgren (Canada) +0:15
40) Alexandra Volstad (Canada) +6:56
54) Nora Linton (Canada) +12:08
