A spectacular, late, solo attack netted Kristen Faulkner the gold for the USA in the Olympic Games women’s road race, as she dropped her closest trio of pursuers in dramatic fashion with three kilometres to go.
Silver went to veteran star Marianne Vos (Netherlands) in a three-rider chase group, with leading favourite Lotte Kopecky (Belgium) clinching bronze ahead of Hungarian champion Blanka Vas.
At the end of a scintillating, hugely unpredictable race, Faulkner and Kopecky bridged across to late breakaway duo Vas and Vos after the third and final ascent of the Butte Montmartre, with Faulkner then immediately surging away alone after crossing the Seine river.
A moment too long of hesitation meant the chasing trio lost all chance of regaining contact, allowing the 31-year-old from Alaska to take USA’s first Olympic road race gold since Connie Carpenter-Phinney in 1984.
