'Sparkling' Aussie lands world championships silver

Grace Brown has fixed Australia a flying start to the UCI Road World Championships successful Wollongong, winning a metallic medal successful the elite women's clip proceedings connected Sunday.

It is the archetypal satellite championships medal for the 30-year-old Victorian, who enactment immense unit connected the star-studded tract with a sizzling aboriginal thrust of 44m 41.33s.

As Brown and her household watched connected with tense smiles, a historical Australian golden successful the lawsuit looked a genuine anticipation erstwhile pre-race favourite Annemiek van Vleuten - the 'Queen of Dutch cycling' - finished good disconnected the pace.

Watch Stan Sport's exclusive sum of the 2022 UCI Road World Championships from September 18-25 with each contention streaming ad-free, unrecorded and on-demand

Australian Grace Brown competes successful the idiosyncratic clip proceedings astatine the UCI World Championships. Photo: Brook Mitchell (Sydney Morning Herald)

But different Netherlands rider, Ellen van Dijk, stormed location to snatch golden from Brown by 12.73s with a clip of 44m 28.60s.

"The astir sparkling show of her vocation truthful far," commentator Anthony McCrossan said of Brown connected Stan Sport's coverage.

Brown finished a heartbreaking 4th astatine the Tokyo Olympics.

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"I don't deliberation anyone expected her to beryllium up of Annemiek van Vleuten by much than a minute," erstwhile Aussie pro Rochelle Gilmore said.

"I deliberation she rode to perfection. Silver medal astatine a location satellite championships, she'll ne'er hide that one."

Olympic golden medallist Scott McGrory predicted Brown - 5 years younger than van Dijk - would interruption through for a satellite championships rainbow jersey wrong the adjacent 2 years.

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Switzerland's Marlen Reusser finished 3rd portion different Aussie, Georgia Baker, was eighth.

A delighted Brown told Stan Sport that she knew she was 1 of the 4 strongest riders heading into the race.

"It was a precise long, tense hold (after mounting the aboriginal clip to beat)," Brown said.

Grace Brown of Australia sprints during the UCI Road World Championships. (Getty)

"I got progressively tense (watching on) but I'm feeling truly arrogant of my ride.

"It was agonising but Ellen van Dijk had a phenomenal time and deserved the win.

"I'm stoked with second. It was a method course... you conscionable had to go hard erstwhile you could and retrieve erstwhile you could.

Australian rider Grace Brown waits nervously arsenic Dutch cyclist Ellen van Dijk pips her for gold. (Brook Mitchell)

"It gives maine a batch of assurance that successful years to travel I tin beryllium 1 of the apical names successful clip trialling. Now I'm truly making my people which is cool."

The satellite championships proceed connected Stan Sport connected Sunday with the elite men's clip proceedings from 1.30pm AEST.

Luke Plapp is Australia's starring anticipation successful a classy tract headlined by Italy's Filippo Ganna, Belgium's Remco Evenepoel and Slovenia's Tadej Pogacar.

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