Olivia Dillon on her way to a really strong result in the elite women's race at the World Road Championships in Richmond (Photo: Sean Rowe)
On a day when only the strongest women in the world survived and some top names found the pressure to much to handle, Ireland's Olivia Dillon put in a storming ride for Ireland at the World Road Championships.
The US-based pro held her place in the top half of the field throughout the 129.6km event on Saturday on an undulating and technical course that produced a gripping contest.
And as the field got smaller and smaller over the testing war of a attrition, the green jersey of Dillon held her own well right into the business end of the day.
Indeed, it was not until the penultimate 15km lap, with a section of short sharp cobbled inclines towards the end of each circuit, that the Irish woman faded a little and lost her place in the very thinned out peloton.
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She eventually came home in the second large group on the road, in 71st place and some 5.14 down on new champion Lizzie Armitstead from Great Britain.
Fiona Meade's first ride at a World Championships proved a trying experience (Photo: Sean Rowe)
The intensity of the racing was reflected in the fact that just 88 women finished, with some 50 riders failing to complete the course.
While Dillon was selected for the Worlds last year, she decided just before departure to Spain that a long season had left her worn out and so she passed up her chance.
However, she had no such problems this time around and came into the event clearly with some very good late season form having taken victory in the Giro di San Francisco just a couple of weeks ago.
And she used that form on Saturday to take home a result that will prove very satisfying when she looks back in the years to come.
As the race fragmented over the last couple of laps, the eventual winner Armitstead - partner of Irish Team Sky pro Philip Deignan - covered all the right moves and found herself in the final small selection on the last lap.
Lizzie Armitstead can't quite believe she's just won the world title (Photo: Sirotti)
When she put in a huge attack on the final incline that levelled out with just 600 metres remaining but was brought back, it looked like she may have used all of her matches.
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However, despite being stuck on the front when the sprint opened, she kept her cool and constantly checked around to see which of the other women would wind it up first.
And when Dutch rider Anna Van Der Breggan took up the challenge, Armitstead briefly jumped into her slipstream before coming around her to take the world title.
The silver went to Holland via Van Der Breggan, with Megan Guarnier of the United States proving next quickest of the nine women sprinting for the medals to take home a very popular bronze for the home nation.
The fantastic Dillon was accompanied into battle by former national champion Fiona Meade, who has based herself in the US this season for full-time racing.
Ireland's Ciara Doogan in the main field during Friday's junior women's race (Photo: Sean Rowe)
However, she found the pace too much in the early stages of the race. And after being tailed off the back it looked an impossible task to finish and she soon abandoned.
Dillon's and Meade's participation in the elite women's race followed Ciara Doogan's outing in the junior women's race on Friday.
The Errigal CC teenager found herself off the back early in the 64.9km contest but fought her way on to the rear of the peloton once again.
She would then spend most of the race in a group of 13 chasing the main pack.
She fought very well to finish; coming home in 58th place some 7:31 behind champion Chloe Dygert of the United States.
Dillon fought all the way to finish arguably the hardest race in the world for elite women (Photo: Sean Rowe)
Result: Elite Women's Road Race
1 Elizabeth Armitstead (Great Britain) 3:23:56
2 Anna Van Der Breggen (Netherlands)
3 Megan Guarnier (United States Of America)
4 Elisa Longo Borghini (Italy)
5 Emma Johansson (Sweden)
6 Pauline Ferrand Prevot (France)
7 Katarzyna Niewiadoma (Poland)
8 Alena Amialiusik (Belarus)
9 Jolanda Neff (Switzerland)
10 Ellen Van Dijk (Netherlands) 0:00:09
11 Joelle Numainville (Canada)
12 Trixi Worrack (Germany)
13 Karol-Ann Canuel (Canada)
14 Ashleigh Moolman-Pasio (South Africa)
15 Christine Majerus (Luxembourg)
16 Lucinda Brand (Netherlands)
17 Tiffany Cromwell (Australia)
18 Elena Cecchini (Italy) 0:00:17
19 Rachel Neylan (Australia)
20 Lizzie Williams (Australia)
21 Malgorzata Jasinska (Poland)
22 Linda Melanie Villumsen (New Zealand)
23 Valentina Scandolara (Italy) 0:00:19
24 Evelyn Stevens (United States Of America)
25 Amalie Dideriksen (Denmark) 0:00:31
26 Emilia Fahlin (Sweden)
27 Giorgia Bronzini (Italy) 0:00:36
28 Lauren Kitchen (Australia) 0:00:46
29 Katrin Garfoot (Australia)
30 Lisa Brennauer (Germany) 0:00:49
31 Romy Kasper (Germany) 0:00:51
32 Leah Kirchmann (Canada) 0:00:52
33 Ganna Solovei (Ukraine)
34 Daiva Tuslaite (Lithuania)
35 Rasa Leleivyte (Lithuania)
36 Alison Jackson (Canada)
37 Emilie Moberg (Norway)
38 Diana Penuela (Colombia)
39 Coryn Rivera (United States Of America)
40 Lotta Lepisto (Finland)
41 Elena Kuchinskaya (Russian Federation)
42 Eugenia Bujak (Poland)
43 Ingrid Drexel (Mexico)
44 Tatiana Antoshina (Russian Federation)
45 Aude Biannic (France)
46 Amy Pieters (Netherlands)
47 An-Li Kachelhoffer (South Africa)
48 Amanda Spratt (Australia)
49 Jolien D'hoore (Belgium)
50 Loren Rowney (Australia)
51 Ane Santesteban Gonzalez (Spain)
52 Anna Plichta (Poland)
53 Audrey Cordon (France)
54 Rossella Ratto (Italy)
55 Lenore Pipes (Guam)
56 Olga Shekel (Ukraine) 0:01:11
57 Polona Batagelj (Slovenia) 0:01:16
58 Anna Potokina (Russian Federation) 0:01:25
59 Oksana Kozonchuk (Russian Federation)
60 Gracie Elvin (Australia)
61 Chantal Blaak (Netherlands) 0:01:37
62 Tatiana Guderzo (Italy) 0:02:33
63 Eri Yonamine (Japan) 0:03:33
64 Jelena Eric (Serbia) 0:04:52
65 Monika Zur (Poland) 0:05:41
66 Ursa Pintar (Slovenia)
67 Iris Slappendel (Netherlands)
68 Laura Camila Lozano Ramirez (Colombia)
69 Anisha Vekemans (Belgium)
70 Monika Brzezna (Poland)
71 Olivia Dillon (Ireland)
72 Joanne Kiesanowski (New Zealand)
73 Serika Guluma Ortiz (Colombia)
74 Hanna Nilsson (Sweden)
75 Camilla Mollebro (Denmark)
76 Marta Bastianelli (Italy)
77 Tayler Wiles (United States Of America)
78 Rushlee Buchanan (New Zealand)
79 Hayley Simmonds (Great Britain)
80 Doris Schweizer (Switzerland)
81 Roxane Knetemann (Netherlands) 0:07:34
82 Svetlana Vasilieva (Russian Federation) 0:10:11
83 Daniela Reis (Portugal)
84 Varela Erika (Mexico)
85 Paola Munoz (Chile)
86 Lauren Komanski (United States Of America)
87 Jeanne D'arc Girubuntu (Rwanda) 0:11:37
88 Sheyla Gutierrez Ruiz (Spain) 0:14:00
DNF Claudia Lichtenberg (Germany)
DNF Sara Mustonen-Lichan (Sweden)
DNF Alice Barnes (Great Britain)
DNF Ingrid Lorvik (Norway)
DNF Martina Ritter (Austria)
DNF Anna Sanchis Chafer (Spain)
DNF Amélie Rivat (France)
DNF Stephanie Pohl (Germany)
DNF Lucy Garner (Great Britain)
DNF Enkhjargal Tuvshinjargal (Mongolia)
DNF Lija Laizane (Latvia)
DNF Paz Bash (Israel)
DNF Miryan Nunez (Ecuador)
DNF Cecilie Gotaas Johnsen (Norway)
DNF Charlotte Becker (Germany)
DNF Tetiana Riabchenko (Ukraine)
DNF Kathrin Hammes (Germany)
DNF Shelley Olds (United States Of America)
DNF Annelies Dom (Belgium)
DNF Pascale Jeuland (France)
DNF Roxane Fournier (France)
DNF Natalya Saifutdinova (Kazakhstan)
DNF Zuzana Neckarova (Czech Republic)
DNF Cherise Stander (South Africa)
DNF Elise Delzenne (France)
DNF Jessie Daams (Belgium)
DNF Kaat Hannes (Belgium)
DNF Jessie Walker (Great Britain)
DNF Lauren Stephens (United States Of America)
DNF Nicole Hanselmann (Switzerland)
DNF Kathryn Bertine (Saint Kitts and Nevis)
DNF Nontasin Chanpeng (Thailand)
DNF Sofie De Vuyst (Belgium)
DNF Denise Ramsden (Canada)
DNF Molly Weaver (Great Britain)
DNF Tereza Medvedova (Slovakia)
DNF Daria Egorova (Russian Federation)
DNF Yennifer Cesar (Venezuela)
DNF Milagro Mena (Costa Rica)
DNF Katarzyna Wilkos (Poland)
DNF Fiona Meade (Ireland)
DNF Olena Demydova (Ukraine)
DNF Miriam Bjornsrud (Norway)
DNF Sarah Rijkes (Austria)
DNF Jutatip Maneephan (Thailand)
DNF Solymar Rivera (Puerto Rico)
DNS Laura Vainionpaa (Finland)
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