On day eight, she raced. The reigning champion always stirs interest ahead of the world championships, but no one dominated the preliminaries more than Annemiek van Fluten ahead of Saturday's women's road race in Imola. Will she be able to .......

Just a week ago, when van Vleuten broke her left wrist in a crash on stage 7 of the Giro Rosa in Maddaloni, it looked as if she had lost two of the most prestigious jerseys in women's cycling all at once.

When the Dutchwoman refused to compete in the world championships last weekend, it seemed more a gesture of defiance than a true statement of intent. But as the week progressed and the wrist brace was tested, it became increasingly clear that van Breuten was not prepared to loose her title.

Van Vleuten was officially cleared to race by the Dutch Federation doctor on Friday afternoon, and as she made her way through the mixed zone of the Enzo e Dino Ferrari Automobile Stadium before Saturday's start, she sounded upbeat. If I wasn't a contender, I wouldn't be here. I am not here just to participate. The course suits me better than last year.

Twelve months ago, Van Vleuten won the world title in Yorkshire with an amazing 100km solo run. This time, he helped teammate Anna van der Breggen tee it up with just over 40km to go to take the win in Sima Gallisterena, but settled for a silver medal. Van Breugten attempted to bridge on the false flat at the summit, but eventually settled into a policing role between the chasers in the back.

"When Anna went, I tried to jump over. With two people in front of me, I would have had the confidence to win, but I couldn't keep up with her at that moment. It shows how strong she was riding at that moment," Van Vleuten said.

The 37-year-old followed Elisa Longo Borghini's move on the final climb of the Galistina and beat the Italian by 1:20 from Van der Breggen in a two-man sprint contest. Van Vleuten lost the world title, but won the gamble.

"I think it's a day to celebrate, first and second place. Anna was the strongest today," she said as she sat beside Van der Breggen at the post-race press conference. I thought my season was over after my crash at the Giro Rosa eight days ago. I feel lucky to be here."

"I am very grateful to the doctors who helped me to stay here. I am very proud to be here today as a potential winner. It's been a roller coaster of emotions."

The Dutch have won the world championship women's road race 13 times since 2006. This feat was initiated by an exceptional talent, Marianne Vos. She won in Salzburg in her first year out of junior school and then went on to set a crazy record by winning silver medals five years in a row.

Vos finally began producing rainbow bands worthy of her quality when she won a solo victory on her home road in Valkenburg in 2012. This victory was a watershed for Dutch women's cycling. Vos won her third title a year later in Florence, and three more Dutch riders have won the last four: Chantal Black (2017), van der Breggen (2018 and 2020), and van Vleuten (2019).

"We get a lot of questions about our secrets. In general, Dutch women are quite independent," van Breuten said. 'In the Netherlands it is quite normal for women to be top athletes as well as men. I think Dutch women win more Olympic medals than men. Maybe it is easier to ride a bike in the Netherlands because the infrastructure for cycling is better than in other countries."

On Saturday, after Vos won the sprint in fourth place, two minutes behind Van der Breggen, the Netherlands took three of the top four places. Along with van Breuten, Vos helped to crack down on the chasing group, and her finishing speed served as something of an insurance plan in case the team's long-distance offensive proved to be a dud.

The dominance of the Dutch women's team at the World Championships sometimes overlapped with that of the Flemish Classics' Dečuninck-Quickstep.

"It's about honesty. We know each other's strengths," Vos told Cyclingnews. 'Of course, it's not easy. We all want to do well on a course like this. Of course it is not easy. We all want to achieve good results on a course like this. But I think we know how to fight, and when someone is in the right place at the right moment and in the best position, that is her place. Sometimes one player, sometimes another. ......"

On the other hand.

On the other hand, the uncertainty of Van Vleuten's availability seemed to have little effect on the team's approach. As if there was no alternative, the day ended with the Dutch rainbow jersey.

"We knew she would run a good race without being distracted by her arms. 'The team is stronger with her in it.'