The newly crowned world champion can hardly believe it herself: “It’s an amazing feeling to wear this jersey. I trained so hard for this, and after the time trial I was even more hungry for this one. It was a very strong ride from all the girls, and I’m so happy I could finish it off. I knew I had good legs for the sprint, so I tried to stay on Isabella’s wheel and follow her move. It was a very hard sprint, so I’m super happy to be the first one across the line.”

The U23 women faced ten laps of a challenging Montréal course, with the demanding Côte Camillien-Houde, Côte de Polytechnique and Pagnuelo climbs playing a key role in the race. It took some time for the race to come to life, but Chladoňová was one of the riders to make a move.

The Slovakian attacked on the Côte Camillien-Houde and later managed to break clear on the Pagnuelo climb together with Holmgren and Fleur Moors. The three riders worked well together at the front of the race and quickly established a thirty-second gap.

With the rainbow jersey within reach, the pace increased in the final lap. Holmgren launched a strong acceleration, which proved too much for Moors, leaving Chladoňová and Holmgren to battle it out for gold.

The two riders entered the final sprint together, with Chladoňová leading into the finish. Holmgren was the first to launch her sprint, but Chladoňová immediately responded. The 19-year-old then powered clear to take a convincing victory and become U23 World Champion.