The world title was in her hands, but Annemiek van Vleuten's injury reshuffled the cards for the women's race at the World Cycling Championships on Saturday in Wollongong.
The Dutchwoman, who turns 40 on October 8, hoped to end a magical season on Australian roads in style during which she simply won the three Grand Tours of France, Italy and Spain.
But his improbable fall, Wednesday at the start of the mixed relay, makes his presence very uncertain.
Transported to the hospital, she came out a few hours later with an X-ray under her arm showing a non-displacement fracture in her right elbow.
With her team, the 2019 world champion wants to give herself some time before deciding on her participation on Saturday.
His fracture does not prevent him from pedaling but everything will depend on whether the pain is bearable or not.
On this subject, the Dutchwoman has already proven that she is quite tough on evil.
In 2018, at the Innsbruck Worlds, she rode the last 100 kilometers with a broken kneecap to still finish seventh!
“
If anyone can bounce back, it's Annemiek, we all know that
,” insists her teammate Ellen van Dijk, world time trial champion last Sunday.
Still, Van Vleuten risks being at least diminished, which could upset the hierarchy in the overpowering Dutch team, victorious in four of the last five editions and where almost all have the pedigree to win on Saturday, starting with Demi Vollering second of the Tour de France, and the eternal Marianne Vos.
Van Vleuten's injury also whets the appetite of other nations, starting with defending champion Elise Balsamo and Elisa Longo Borgini's Italy.
This is also the case of France which, in the absence of Audrey Cordon-Ragot, victim of a stroke a few days before leaving for Australia, lines up two Top 10 of the last Tour de France with Juliette Labous and Avoid Muzic.
“
The form is good and I hope Saturday will be very good.
You have to aim high, why not the jersey (world champion's rainbow), even if it will be complicated
, ”says Labous, 23, who will be the number 1 option for Les Bleues on a selective course of 164, 3 km which he likes with in particular Mount Pleasant (1.1 km with an average slope of 7.7%) to be climbed six times.
Departure at 12:25 p.m. local (02:25 GMT) for an expected arrival around 5:00 p.m. (07:00 a.m.).
