Annemiek van Vleuten wins UCI World Championship race in Wollongong with a BROKEN ELBOW

Annemiek van Vleuten has recorded an amazing come-from-behind victory in the UCI Road World Championships in Wollongong – just three days after fracturing her elbow in a horror crash.

The 39-year-old Dutch cycling legend won her second world road race title with an attack in the last 600m that caught the other eight leaders by surprise.

On Wednesday, van Vleuten crashed during the mixed team relay and fractured her elbow, leaving many to think her chances of taking out Saturday’s big event were gone.

van Vleuten crashed three days beforehand and fractured her elbow and wasn’t expected to win the event

Fortunately for van Vleuten, medical clearance came on Friday and after 164.3km racing, the Dutch rider stole an unlikely win in the Women’s Elite Road Race.

The 2019 world champion and reigning Olympic world time trial winner claimed cycling’s triple crown this year when she landed the Italian, French and Spanish tours.

But for the veteran, who will celebrate her 40th birthday in October, what she achieved on Saturday was something else.

‘Maybe this is my best victory. … I am still speechless. I still can’t believe it,’ she said.

‘It took me some time to realize I’d really pulled it off because I’m waiting for the moment that they tell me there was someone in front or it was a joke. I had the feeling it cannot be true.’

The 39-year-old veteran won her second world road race title with an attack in the last 600 meters that caught the other eight leaders by surprise

The amazing win with a fractured elbow adds to the van Vleuten legend as one of the toughest riders in the world.

‘It was hell,’ she said of riding with the injury.

‘I could not go out of the saddle so I had to do everything seated and my legs were exploding on the climb.

‘Normally I really like to go out of the saddle and attacking. I had a so different plan. I want to attack.

It was a game of cat and mouse in the final few kilometres of the race as no one in the peloton made a move.

The Dutch rider believes the victory may be the greatest of her incredible career

Then van Vleuten suddenly emerged from the rear of the group and began sprinting with the finish line not far away.

The chasing peloton began closing in on van Vleuten ominously. However, the lead was just enough to reach the line first.

‘I felt like I was waiting for the moment,’ said van Vleuten.

‘The only thing I was thinking was ‘I need to attack from behind. That’s the only, only, only chance I have’.

‘I was waiting and waiting until they come with the sprint over me, but they didn’t catch me,’ she said.

It’s the second time in as many years that van Vleuten has won at the UCI Road World Championships, claiming the 2019 title. 

The win means van Vleuten will spend what is likely her last full season wearing the iconic rainbow jersey

Since 2016, the Dutch rider has experienced great hurdles in her career, riding the highest of highs and lowest of lows. 

The world’s number one rider in the women’s peloton has continued to set targets and achieve her outlandish goals despite these setbacks.

The win means van Vleuten will spend what is likely her last full season wearing the iconic rainbow jersey.

‘It’s so beautiful to be able to wear the rainbow jersey. Especially, I had it in the COVID year and it was not the best year to have it, the rainbow jersey.

‘I still enjoyed it, but now I will fully enjoy it next year.’

The UCI Road World Championships concludes on Sunday with the Men’s Elite Road Race from 10.15am.