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Italian rider Elisa Balsamo claims world championship title
APTOPIX Belgium World Road Cycling Championships - AP Photo/Olivier Matthys

Italian rider Elisa Balsamo claims world championship title

LEUVEN, Belgium (AP) — Elisa Balsamo upset Dutch favorite Marianne Vos in a sprint finish to claim the world championship title in the women’s road race on Saturday.

Balsamo, a 23-year-old Italian, launched the sprint early with hot favorite Vos in her wheel. Vos, a triple world champion, pushed hard to catch Balsamo but could not match her in the last 50 meters.

“I’m speechless, it’s unbelievable,” said Balsamo, who burst into tears after crossing the line. “It was a dream for me after this long season.”

Vos finished runner-up ahead of Katarzyna Niewiadoma of Poland.

The mighty Dutch squad had seven riders in the finale. They took regular turns at the front to keep Vos safe in the leading pack and tested their rivals with attacks but could not open gaps before the sprint.

The 157-kilometer (97.5-mile) race started in the port city of Antwerp and featured a series of 20 climbs on two different circuits in the cycling-mad Flanders region of Belgium.

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