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Canadian cyclist Magdeleine Vallieres Mill was taken to hospital as a precaution after crashing out of the women's elite road race at the UCI Road World Championships in Montreal, where Demi Vollering won the title.
Canadian cyclist Magdeleine Vallieres Mill crashed and abandoned the women's elite road race at the UCI Road World Championships in Montreal on Saturday, ending her defence of the world title she won last year.
Vallieres Mill Hospitalized After Crash
The 25-year-old from Sherbrooke, Quebec, was involved in a large crash with 15 other riders with 94 kilometres remaining in the 180.1-kilometre race. Cycling Canada announced Saturday that Vallieres Mill was transported to hospital as a precautionary measure but is in good spirits. She was evaluated for injuries to her right side and was undergoing routine X-rays and scans, the national federation said.
Vallieres Mill got back on her bike with a badly scraped right arm and thigh and resumed racing, with teammate Adele Normand pacing her as they tried to close the gap on the lead group. The crash involved several riders and covered almost the entire width of that part of the route, according to Cycling Canada.
However, she was several minutes behind and ultimately pulled out with 60 kilometres remaining, waving to the home crowd before heading to the medical tent. The crash forced out several other contenders, including Kimberley Le Court of Mauritius and Paula Blasi of Spain. Sweden's Caroline Andersson was treated at the scene and placed in a neck brace.
Demi Vollering Wins Elite Road Race
Dutch favourite Demi Vollering went on to win the race in a sprint finish ahead of Poland's Katarzyna Niewiadoma-Phinney, crossing the line with her arms outstretched after four hours, 45 minutes and nine seconds of racing. Italy's Elisa Longo Borghini rounded out the podium in third, finishing in 4:45:13. Niewiadoma-Phinney had stayed on Vollering's wheel for much of the final lap but appeared to suffer cramp after launching an early sprint on the uphill run-in to the finish.
Vollering expressed disbelief at her win. She said she truly believed she had a dream in her heart for a reason and worked so hard towards this goal. She added that it takes guts to believe in it with your whole heart and to gather a team around you with such strong girls, and they all sacrifice for you. Vollering won the Women's Giro d'Italia in June and her second Tour de France Femmes title in August.
Canadian Riders Complete Montreal Championship
Sarah Van Dam of Victoria, British Columbia, was one of two Canadians to finish the race, placing 17th. She finished as the top Canadian in 4:53:43. Nadia Gontova of Richmond, British Columbia, was 41st. Vallieres Mill became the first-ever Canadian to win an elite road race world title last year after surprising the field in Rwanda. She found her love for cycling at just nine years old.
The UCI Road Cycling World Championships is one of the only professional road cycling races outside of the Olympic Games where athletes line up for their nations instead of their professional teams. Competition continues through Sunday in Montreal, which last hosted the world championships in 1974. It was the first time the event was held outside Europe.
CBC
CP24:This story was compiled and edited by the HeadTopics newsroom and HT AI from the reports above.
Magdeleine Vallieres Mill UCI Road World Championships Montreal Demi Vollering Women's Elite Road Race Cycling Canada Cycling Canada
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