August 10, 2008 (Beijing, China) – A light rain greeted the riders for the start of the women’s RR now underway with 66 starters who will cover 126.34km beginning with a flat 78.8km road section leading to the 23.8km Great Wall circuit which they’ll complete twice – it’s apparently raining quite heavily at the Great Wall.

Canada has three riders Alex Wrubleski, Erinne Willock and Leigh Hobson (celebrating her 38th birthday today) while strong contenders include Nicole Cooke (Great Britain), Marianne Vos (Netherlands), and Germany’s Judith Arndt and Hanka Kupfernagel. The peloton is all together as the riders stretch their legs and feel each other out during this initial flat section of the course.

64km
There have been several attacks all reeled in as the women reach the 1/2 way point of the race (64km) and the rain has picked up as the peloton approaches the Great Wall circuit where the action will begin.

78km
The riders have reached the circuit and Russia’s Natalia Boyarskaya has attacked and is up the road but the peloton has not reacted yet. Boyarskaya’s lead stretched to over a minute but the group is now chasing her down and her lead is down to 45 sec.

100km
The riders will soon cross the finish line and head into the final lap. Canada’s Wrubleski and Willock were well placed with Hobson close behind but apparently Wrubleski crashed is trying to get back on. Emma Pooley (Great Britain) is leading the charge to catch the leader Boyarskaya.

106km
The women are on the final lap with about 20km to go as they come together again and more attacks begin with Arndt and Trixi Worrack (Germany) at the front.

112km
Italy’s Tatiana Guderzo has attacked with about 12km to go and has a slight lead as Cooke and others try to chase her down. Emma Johansson (Sweden) and Christiane Soeder (Austria) are with Cooke as they catch Guderzo.

120km
Ardnt is leading the charge behind as the break of five riders looks like it could stay away to the finish. The peloton is charging but won’t catch them as they’re coming to the finish – Cooke is leading and takes the gold.

Results

1. Nicole Cooke (Great Britain) 3:32:24 (35.706km/h)
2. Emma Johansson (Sweden)
3. Tatiana Guderzo (Italy)
4. Christiane Soeder (Austria) 0:04
5. Linda Villumsen Serup (Denmark) 0:09
6. Marianne Vos (Netherlands) 0:21
7. Priska Doppmann (Switzerland)
8. Paulina Brzezna (Poland)
9. Edita Pucinskaite (Lithuania)
10. Zulfiya Zabirova (Kazakhstan)
11. Jolanta Polikeviciute (Lithuania)
12. Julia Martisova (Russian Federation)
13. Christel Ferrier-Bruneau (France)
14. Maryline Salvetat (France)
15. Noemi Cantele (Italy)
16. Min Gao (China) 0:28
17. Leigh Hobson (Canada)
18. Nicole Brändli (Switzerland)
19. Anna Sanchis (Spain)
20. Trixi Worrack (Germany)
21. Susanne Ljungskog (Sweden)
22. Yevgeniya Vysotska (Ukraine) 0:31
23. Emma Pooley (Great Britain)
24. Jeannie Longo-Ciprelli (France) 0:33
25. Kristin Armstrong (United States) 0:43
26. Anita Valen De Vries (Norway) 0:53
27. Modesta Vzesniauskaite (Lithuania)
28. Joanne Kiesanowski (New Zealand)
29. Oenone Wood (Australia)
30. Grete Treier (Estonia)
31. Miho Oki (Japan)
32. Tatiana Stiajkina (Ukraine)
33. Amber Neben (United States)
34. Marissa Van Der Merwe (South Africa)
35. Sharon Laws (Great Britain)
36. Mirjam Melchers-Van Poppel (Netherlands)
37. Erinne Willock (Canada) 0:59
38. Sara Carrigan (Australia) 1:01
39. Hanka Kupfernagel (Germany)
40. Natalia Boyarskaya (Russian Federation)
41. Judith Arndt (Germany) 1:27
42. Oksana Kashchyshyna (Ukraine) 1:49
43. Alexandra Burchenkova (Russian Federation)
44. Lieselot Decroix (Belgium) 4:11
45. Alessandra Giusseppina Grassi (Mexico)
46. Monika Schachl (Austria) 4:13
47. Chantal Beltman (Netherlands) 4:38
48. Lang Meng (China) 5:18
49. Sigrid Corneo (Slovenia) 7:05
50. Alex Wrubleski (Canada) 7:12
51. Clemilda Silva (Brazil) 8:37
52. Christine Thorburn (United States) 8:44
53. Catherine Cheatley (New Zealand)
54. Daniely Del Valle Garcia Buitriag (Venezuela) 11:01
55. Marta Vilajosana (Spain)
56. Sara Mustonen (Sweden)
57. Angie Sabrina Gonzalez Garcia (Venezuela)
58. Sungeun Gu (Korea) 13:35
59. Cherise Taylor (South Africa) 16:09
60. Yumari Gonzalez (Cuba) 19:15
61. Chanpeng Nontasin (Thailand) 19:27
62. Aurelie Halbwachs (Mauritius) 19:47
DNF Heejung Son (Korea)
DNF Vera Carrara (Italy)
DNF Katherine Bates (Australia)
DNF Jennifer Hohl (Switzerland)