It was Villumsen who first beat Armstrong’s time as she claimed victory at an event in which she had won two silver and three bronze medals between 2009 and 2013.
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Villumsen’s lead nearly slipped from her grasp as the final rider Anna Van Der Breggen nearly came close to spoiling the party, but a late burst wasn’t enough.
Linda Villumsen finally got her rainbow jersey – it only took 10 years of trying.
“I hit the right notes all the way through the race”.
Armstrong is a 42-year-old mother of two from Boise, Ida. who has twice retired and now hopes Richmond 2015 will get her ready for the Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro in 2016.
“Everything played out my way”.
“I don’t really know exactly what times I had out there”. This year, she participated in three UCI time trials, finishing second at the Pan-American Championships and sixth at the Amgen Tour of California Invitational. “Everything was working my way today”, Villumsen said. But with van der Breggen and Brennauer still on the course, she had to weather a few tense minutes in the hot seat.
She later conceded those going out later in the day had an advantage. At the same time, I gave it everything I had and fought to the end. “I think I started out a bit quick, but I always do”. Evelyn Stevens (USA) had started slowly, 7th through the first time check, but she was increasing her speed all the time and at the second time check she was 2nd, 8 seconds down on Villumsen.
Danish-born Villumsen won her first bronze medal competing for Denmark at the 2009 worlds and the next four years won medals for New Zealand, silver in 2011 and 2013 and two more bronze in 2010 and 2012. “I wanted to do well in this country and I’m a little disappointed not to bring home a medal”, she said.
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Seven of the 44-strong field were still to finish at that stage, but none could match the time of the nervous 30-year-old as she watched on. “The wind over the bridge was really hard coming back so it felt fast over the James (river) and then as soon as you came up the chicane and back onto the bridge it was brutal headwind so that was a really tough slog”.
