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Lizzie Armitstead wins Trofeo Alfredo Binda and leads UCI Women’s WorldTour

Britain's world champion earns third win in four races this season

Lizzie Armitstead (Boels-Dolmans) is leading the UCI Women’s WorldTour again, after winning the Trofeo Alfredo Binda for the second consecutive year.

Britain’s world champion has now won three of her four races this year since winning the rainbow jersey, with the 27-year-old’s late counter-attack to bring back a lone escapee proving to be a race-winning move.

Boels-Dolmans have won all three UCI Women’s WorldTour races in its inaugural year, and Armitstead led home a team one-two with Megan Guarnier taking second.

Lizzie Armitstead has won three races out of four since becoming world champion (pic: Boels-Dolmans)

The rolling circuit was raced at a high tempo, with Rabo Liv – for whom Anna van der Breggen started the race as WorldTour leader – setting the pace.

After a short-lived attack by Emilia Fahlin (Ale Cipollini) early in the race was brought back, the pace made attacking hard until the peloton had eventually been whittled down to some 30 riders on the front.

Carmen Small (Cervelo-Bigla) and Ann-Sophie Duyck (Topsport-Vlaanderen) broke clear shortly afterwards, and led the way onto the first of four laps of the finishing circuit.

A crash in the peloton, which saw Van der Breggen and Guarnier hit the deck, disrupted the chase slightly, but the two had been brought back on the third lap.

That laid the platform for an eight riders to go clear on the penultimate climb of the Orino – Armitstead, Guarnier and Van der Breggen among them, as Emma Johannson (Wiggle-High 5) led the way over the summit.

– Lizzie Armitstead wins first race as world champion –

Now apparent this would be the race-winning move, Jolanda Neff (Servetto Footon) bid to strike out alone, and opened up a lead on the final lap.

But it was Armitstead who responded well, catching and passing Neff with a counter-attack inside the last five kilometres.

– World champion Lizzie Armitstead wins women’s Strada Bianche –

The lead was just five seconds as they passed under the flamme rouge, but Armitstead stayed clear for yet another victory.

Guarnier caught and passed Neff inside the final kilometre to claim second, meanwhile, with Armitstead now set to trade her rainbow jersey for the WorldTour leader’s jersey.

Trofeo Alfredo Binda 2016: result

1) Lizzie Armitstead (GBR) – Boels-Dolmans – 3.11.10hrs
2) Megan Guarnier (USA) – Boels-Dolmans +1”
3) Jolanda Neff (SUI) – Servetto Footon +4”
4) Emma Johansson (SWE) – Wiggle-High5 – ST
5) Alena Amialiusik (BLR) – Canyon-SRAM
6) Anna van der Breggen (NED) – Rabo-Liv Women
7) Katarzyna Niewiadoma (POL) – Rabo-Liv Women +11”
8) Annemiek van Vleuten (NED) – Orica-AIS +39”
9) Lauren Kitchen (AUS) – Hitec +1.06
10) Giorgia Bronzini (ITA) – Wiggle-High 5 – ST

UCI Women’s WorldTour 2016: standings

1) Lizzie Armitstead (GBR) – Boels-Dolmans – 240
2) Anna van der Breggen (NED) – Rabo-Liv – 180
3) Emma Johansson (SWE) – Wiggle-High5 – 155
4) Megan Guarnier (USA) – Boels-Dolmans – 150
5) Katarzyna Niewiadoma (POL) – Rabo-Liv – 140

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