| Women's road race | |
| Series: | 2020 UCI Road World Championships |
| Date: | 26 September 2020 |
| Stages: | 1 in Imola, Italy |
| Distance: | 143 |
| Unit: | km |
| Time: | 4h 09' 57"[1] |
| Speed: | 34.327 |
| Type: | medals |
| Previous: | 2019 Harrogate |
| Next: | Leuven 2021 |
The Women's road race of the 2020 UCI Road World Championships was a cycling event that took place on 26 September 2020 in Imola, Italy.[2] Annemiek van Vleuten was the defending champion.[3]
Anna van der Breggen from the Netherlands became the first rider in 25 years to win both the road race and time trial titles at a single World Championships, after a 40km (30miles) solo attack.[4] She finished 80 seconds clear of her closest competitors,[5] to win her second world title in three years. The silver medal went to compatriot van Vleuten, who was riding the race with a brace on a fractured wrist – having completed a U-turn on competing in the race – following a crash the week prior at the Giro Rosa.[6] [7] [8] The bronze medal was taken by Italy's Elisa Longo Borghini, losing out to van Vleuten in a two-up sprint.[4] [5]
The race took place on a 28.8km (17.9miles) course, starting and finishing at the Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari (a motor racing circuit).[9] Heading out from the Autodromo into the Emilia-Romagna countryside, the course used two climbs with an average gradient of 10% separated by the town of Riolo Terme, before returning to the Autodromo. The women's road race lapped the course five times, making a total of 143km (89miles).
Following the withdrawals of Chloé Dygert and Rotem Gafinovitz after the time trial two days prior to the race, 143 cyclists from 41 nations were listed to start the 143km (89miles)-long course.[10] Three further riders did not start the race. The number of cyclists per nation is shown in parentheses.
Of the race's 140 entrants, 105 riders completed the full distance of 143km (89miles).[1]