There’s no getting away from it, The Netherlands is very flat. The only exception to this statement being a strip of land sandwiched between Belgium and Germany known as Limburg which will host the World Road Championships for the 5th time in Septmeber 2012. The women’s route is comprises of 8 laps of a 16.1km anti-clockwise circuit.
The circuit is defined by two significant climbs. The first at around 7km in the circuit being Bemelerberg Hill, a 900m, winding, steady climb averaging 5% gradient and peaking at 7%.
The second significant climb begins in the 13km of the course, the infamous Cauberg. The first 350 metres sees the gradient gradually increase from 2 to 6%, then the climbing gets serious! A steep S-bend rises out of the town, reaching 9% for a 100 metre stretch just when your legs feel like they can’t take anymore the next 200 metres continues to rise at a 12% before the final 500m levels out to a deceptive false flat. One ascent of the Cauberg is unlikely to cause too many issues for the riders but by the 8th and final climb it will really take its toll on the riders.
The Teams:
For the Elite Women’s road race the top 5 ranked nations: Netherlands, Germany, United States, Italy and Great Britain will each have 7 starters. The next 10 nations – Australia, Sweden, Russia, Canada, Belgium, France, New Zealand, South Africa, Brazil and Belarus will have 6, and 5 riders per team for the folloing 5 nations. Any other nations will is entitled to a team of 3 riders.
To supplement the above, additional places are available for athetes who won Olympic, World or Continental championships. This rule means that Netherlands, Italy, Belgium, Cuba, Chinese Tapei, South Africa, and Australia get an extra rider each, in the for Marianne Vos, Giorgia Bronzini, Evelyn Arys, Yumari Gonzalez, Mei Yu Hsiao, Ashleigh Moolman and Gracie Elvin.
| Year | Gold | Silver | Bronze |
| 2011 | Giorgia Bronzini (ITA) | Marianne Vos (NED) | Ina-Yoko Teutenberg (GER) |
| 2010 | Giorgia Bronzini (ITA) | Marianne Vos (NED) | Emma Johansson (SWE) |
| 2009 | Tatiana Guderzo (ITA) | Marianne Vos (NED) | Noemi Cantele (ITA) |
| 2008 | Nicole Cooke (GBR) | Marianne Vos (NED) | Judith Arndt (GER) |
| 2007 | Marta Bastianelli (ITA) | Marianne Vos (NED) | Giorgia Bronzini (ITA) |
| 2006 | Marianne Vos (NED) | Trixi Worrack (GER) | Nicole Cooke (GBR) |
| 2005 | Regina Schleicher (GER) | Nicole Cooke (GBR) | Oenone Wood (AUS) |
| 2004 | Judith Arndt (GER) | Tatiana Guderzo (ITA) | Anita Valen (NOR) |
| 2003 | Susanne Ljungskog (SWE) | Mirjam Melchers (NED) | Nicole Cooke (GBR) |
| 2002 | Susanne Ljungskog (SWE) | Nicole Brandli (SUI) | Joane Somarriba (ESP) |
| 2001 | Rasa Polikevic(iu-te. (LTU) | Edita Puc(inskaite. (LTU) | Jeannie Longo (FRA) |
| 2000 | Zinaida Stahurskaia (BLR) | Chantal Beltman (NED) | Madaleine Lindberg (SWE) |
| 1999 | Edita Puc(inskaite. (LTU) | Anna Wilson (AUS) | Diana Žiliu-te. (LTU) |
| 1998 | Diana Žiliu-te. (LTU) | Leontien van Moorsel (NED) | Hanka Kupfernagel (GER) |
| 1997 | Alessandra Cappellotto (ITA) | Liz Tadich (AUS) | Catherine Marsal (FRA) |
| 1996 | Barbara Heeb (SUI) | Rasa Polikevic(iu-te. (LTU) | Linda Jackson (CAN) |
| 1995 | Jeannie Longo (FRA) | Catherine Marsal (FRA) | Edita Puc(inskaite. (LTU) |
| 1994 | Monica Valvik (NOR) | Patsy Maergerman (BEL) | Jeanne Golay (USA) |
| 1993 | Leontien van Moorsel (NED) | Jeannie Longo (FRA) | Laura Charameda (USA) |
| 1992 | No race | No race | No race |
| 1991 | Leontien van Moorsel (NED) | Inga Thompson (USA) | Alison Sydor (CAN) |
| 1990 | Catherine Marsal (FRA) | Ruthie Matthes (USA) | Louisa Seghezzi (ITA) |
| 1989 | Jeannie Longo (FRA) | Catherine Marsal (FRA) | Maria Canins (ITA) |
| 1988 | No race | No race | No race |
| 1987 | Jeannie Longo (FRA) | Heleen Hage (NED) | Connie Meyer (NED) |
| 1986 | Jeannie Longo (FRA) | Janelle Parks (USA) | Alla Jakovleva (URS) |
| 1985 | Jeannie Longo (FRA) | Maria Canins (ITA) | Sandra Schumacher (FRG) |
| 1984 | No race | No race | No race |
| 1983 | Marianne Berglund (SWE) | Rebecca Twigg (USA) | Maria Canins (ITA) |
| 1982 | Mandy Jones (GBR) | Maria Canins (ITA) | Gerda Sierens (BEL) |
| 1981 | Ute Enzenauer (FRG) | Jeannie Longo (FRA) | Connie Carpenter (USA) |
| 1980 | Beth Heiden (USA) | Trude Jahre (SUI) | Mandy Jones (GBR) |
| 1979 | Petra de Bruijn (NED) | Jen De Smet (BEL) | Beate Habetz (FRG) |
| 1978 | Beate Habetz (FRG) | Keetie van Oosten-Hage (NED) | Eva Lorenzo (ITA) |
| 1977 | Josiane Bost (FRA) | Connie Carpenter (USA) | Minnie Brinkhof (NED) |
| 1976 | Keetie van Oosten-Hage (NED) | Laura Bissoli (ITA) | Yvonne Reynders (BEL) |
| 1975 | Tineke Fopma (NED) | Geneviève Gambillon (FRA) | Keetie van Oosten-Hage (NED) |
| 1974 | Geneviève Gambillon (FRA) | Bayba Tsaune (URS) | Keetie van Oosten-Hage (NED) |
| 1973 | Nicole Vandenbroeck (BEL) | Keetie van Oosten-Hage (NED) | Valentina Rebrovskala (URS) |
| 1972 | Geneviève Gambillon (FRA) | Lyubov Zadorojnala (URS) | Anna Konkina (URS) |
| 1971 | Anna Konkina (URS) | Morena Tartagni (ITA) | Keetie van Oosten-Hage (NED) |
| 1970 | Anna Konkina (URS) | Morena Tartagni (ITA) | Raisa Obodovskaia (URS) |
| 1969 | Audrey McElmury (USA) | Bernadette Swinnerton (GBR) | Nina Trofimova (URS) |
| 1968 | Keetie van Oosten-Hage (NED) | Baybe Tsaune (URS) | Morena Tartagni (ITA) |
| 1967 | Beryl Burton (GBR) | Lyubov Zadorojnala (URS) | Anna Konkina (URS) |
| 1966 | Yvonne Reynders (BEL) | Keetie van Oosten-Hage (NED) | Aino Pourenen (URS) |
| 1965 | Elisabeth Eicholz (GDR) | Yvonne Reynders (BEL) | Aino Pourenen (URS) |
| 1964 | Emma Sonka (URS) | Galina Yudina (URS) | Rosa Sels (BEL) |
| 1963 | Yvonne Reynders (BEL) | Rosa Sels (BEL) | Aino Pourenen (URS) |
| 1962 | Marie-Rose Gaillard (BEL) | Yvonne Reynders (BEL) | Marie-Therese Naessens (BEL) |
| 1961 | Yvonne Reynders (BEL) | Beryl Burton (GBR) | Elsy Jacobs (LUX) |
| 1960 | Beryl Burton (GBR) | Rosa Sels (BEL) | Elisabeth Kleinhaus (GDR) |
| 1959 | Yvonne Reynders (BEL) | Aino Pouronen (URS) | Vera Gorbatcheva (URS) |
| 1958 | Elsy Jacobs (LUX) | Tamara Novikova (URS) | Mariya Loukchina (URS) |
