KEY POINTS:
New Zealand cyclist Joanne Kiesanowski yesterday finished an impressive eighth in the women's event at the world road race championships in Italy.
The Team Tibco professional was prominent in the sprint from the peloton after the five leading riders had broken away with one lap of the eight-lap, 138.8km race to go.
Welsh rider Nicole Cooke capped a stellar season, following her gold at the Beijing Olympics road race, with victory on an undulating course at Varese in the foothills of the Alps.
Cooke pipped two former world champions, Dutchwoman Marianne Vos and German Judith Arndt, with all three recording the time of 3h 42m 11s.
Kiesanowski, who rode strongly in the peloton, missed the final break but the Cantabrian pushed up in the sprint among the 27-strong main bunch to grab her best finish at a world championship.
Aucklander Kaytee Boyd, better known as an international mountain biker, enjoyed an impressive debut in the world road race event, finishing 21st.
Both Kiesanowski and Boyd were timed at 1m 47s behind the winner. Fellow mountain biker Rosara Joseph was 69th, at 6m 16s down.
Vos led the final break and edged ahead up the last climb before Cooke and Arndt fought back, with Cooke prevailing in the sprint home.
The championships end with the 260km men's road race today. Julian Dean and Glen Chadwick head the New Zealand charge.
- NZPA
