September 27, 2018 (Innsbruck, Austria) – Simone Boilard of Quebec City won Canada’s first medal of the 2018 Road World Championships in Innsbruck, Austria, on Thursday in the Junior women’s road race, finishing third in a four rider sprint for the title. It is Canada’s first medal in the Junior women’s category since Clare Hall-Patch of Victoria also won bronze in 2000 – the year Boilard was born.

The 71.7 kilometre race featured two long climbs that split the field. Both times, Boilard, the Canadian time trial champion, was among the leaders. While much of the field regrouped after the first climb, the second one saw multiple attacks that whittled the lead group down to three – Boilard, Laura Stigger (Austria) and Barbara Malcotti (Italy). Boilard was dropped by the other two a couple of times on the long descent, but always fought back to the leaders.

Coming into the final two kilometres, Marie Le Net (France) bridged across, making four for the final sprint. Stigger, who recently won the mountain bike world title, attacked with 100 metres to go, holding off Le Net at the line, with Boilard coming in at the same time for third.

“I was happy with my ride in the time trial [where she finished fifth], but I knew I could do better,” said Boilard, “so I really wanted this medal today. Stigger’s attack was really decisive, and I saw the Italian following her, and I thought, ‘this is it, I have to push’. I had to push really hard to catch them because it was a big gap to close. So it was three of us and then the French girl came back, and I thought ‘I want a medal so I have to do something’. I was cramping, but I gave everything I had to win this medal.

In other Canadian results, Magdeleine Vallieres Mill was 38th, despite riding with a broken thumb from a crash in the time trial, Kaitlyn Rauwerda was 48th and Elizabeth was 73^rd.

Results

1. Laura Stigger (Austria) 1:56:26
2. Marie Le Net (France)
3. Simone Boilard (Canada)
4. Barbara Malcotti (Italy)
5. Jade Wiel (France) 0:14
6. Vittoria Guazzini (Italy)
7. Camilla Alessio (Italy) 0:29
8. Aigul Gareeva (Russian Federation) 0:56
9. Mie Saabye (Denmark) 1:52
10. Maina Galand (France)
11. Pfeiffer Georgi (Great Britain)
12. Erika Milena Lopez Botero (Colombia)
13. Iuliia Galimullina (Russian Federation)
14. Olha Kulynych (Ukraine)
15. Anna Baidak (Russian Federation)
16. Veronika Jandova (Czech Republic)
17. Marta Jaskulska (Poland) 1:57
18. Eva Jonkers (Netherlands)
19. Hannah Ludwig (Germany)
20. Rozemarijn Ammerlaan (Netherlands) 2:02
21. Lea Curinier (France) 4:03
22. Desiet Tekeste (Eritrea)
23. Urara Kawaguchi (Japan) 4:07
24. Alena Rytseva (Russian Federation) 4:14
25. Katie Clouse (United States Of America) 4:47
26. Maeve Gallagher (Ireland) 4:56
27. Marketa Hajkova (Czech Republic)
28. Catalina Anais Campos Soto (Chile)
29. Jasmine Soh (United States Of America)
30. Elynor Backstedt (Great Britain)
31. Abigail Youngwerth (United States Of America)
32. Anastasiya Kolesava (Belarus)
33. Kelsey Van Schoor (South Africa)
34. Matilde Vitillo (Italy)
35. Alina Abramenko (Belarus)
36. Niamh Fisher-Black (New Zealand)
37. Emeline Eustache (France)
38. Magdeleine Vallieres Mill (Canada)
39. Mireia Trias Jordan (Spain)
40. Amaia Lartitegi Ormazabal (Spain)
41. Lina Svarinska (Latvia)
42. Marina Uvarova (Russian Federation) 4:59
43. Shari Bossuyt (Belgium) 5:47
44. Martine Gjos (Norway)
45. Amalie Lutro (Norway)
46. Nika Jancic (Slovenia)
47. Sylvie Swinkels (Netherlands)
48. Kaitlyn Rauwerda (Canada)
49. Akvile Gedraityte (Lithuania)
50. Silje Mathisen (Norway)
51. Tina Zuger (Switzerland)
52. Dorothea Heitzmann (Germany)
53. Femke Gerritse (Netherlands)
54. Lara Gillespie (Ireland)
55. Anya Louw (Australia)
56. Daniela Leitane (Latvia) 6:04
57. Ricarda Bauernfeind (Germany) 6:28
58. Sarah Gigante (Australia)
59. Petra Machalkova (Slovakia)
60. Tetyana Yaschenko (Ukraine) 7:30
61. Silke Smulders (Netherlands)
62. Noemi Ruegg (Switzerland)
63. Caroline Andersson (Sweden) 7:32
64. Tereza Saskova (Czech Republic) 7:34
65. Julia Borgstrom (Sweden)
66. Svetlana Pachshenko (Kazakhstan) 7:50
67. Ariana Gilabert Vilaplana (Spain) 8:11
68. Lara Stehli (Switzerland) 8:42
69. Katharina Hechler (Germany) 8:45
70. Dominika Wlodarczyk (Poland) 9:51
71. Radka Paulechova (Slovakia)
72. Lorena De La Fuente Alcalde (Spain)
73. Elizabeth Gin (Canada)
74. Danait Tsegay (Eritrea)
75. Julia Hrtankova (Slovakia)
76. Gabrielle Lehnert (United States Of America)
77. Vivien Chiu (Hong Kong, China)
78. Sofie Kielland Bjerk (Norway)
79. Tatyana Bogdanova (Kazakhstan)
80. Vita Movrin (Slovenia) 0:11:52
81. Britney Kerr (New Zealand)
82. Hannah Streicher (Austria) 0:11:54
83. April Tacey (Great Britain) 0:13:03
84. Anzhela Solovyeva (Kazakhstan) 0:14:24
85. Mette Egtoft Jensen (Denmark) 0:15:05
86. Natalia Szymczak (Poland) 0:15:46
87. Shoko Nakatomi (Japan)
88. Emma Christensen (Denmark)
89. Karla Kozic (Croatia) 0:17:50
90. Nina Berton (Luxembourg)
91. Paulina Pastuszek (Poland) 0:17:54
92. Amy Monkhouse (Great Britain)
93. Amelia Sharpe (Great Britain)
DNF Azulde Britz (South Africa)
DNF Marina Kurnossova (Kazakhstan)
DNF Sze Wing Lee (Hong Kong, China)
DNF Ellen Hjollund Klinge (Denmark)
DNF Tina Berger-Schauer (Austria)
DNF Dorotea Cargonja (Croatia)
DNF Katharina Kreidl (Austria)
DNF Shira Biran (Israel)
DNF Hoi Ian Au (Macao, China)