She had won gold at the Olympic Games and European Championships. She had won the Giro Rosa and La Course by Tour de France. But for so long, success at the UCI Road World Championships had proven elusive for Anna van der Breggen.

On four occasions the Dutchwoman had placed in the road race top 10, including second in 2015. Three times she had won the individual time trial silver medal, most recently on Tuesday. But as her compatriots Annemiek van Vleuten and Chantal Blaak added world titles to their palmares in recent years, the rainbow jersey remained conspicuously absent from Van der Breggen’s record.

That changed here on Saturday. In an astonishing piece of solo riding, Van der Breggen bridged to a strong breakaway on the penultimate climb of the 156.2km road race. She then attacked again, effortlessly riding away from Australia’s Amanda Spratt. Completing the last 39km without company, the Boels-Dolmans rider never looked at risk of being caught.

As she crossed the finish line, the relief was unmistakable. Finally, Van der Breggen could rightfully claim to be the best female rider in the world. Her 3min 42sec lead over Spratt was the biggest winning margin in decades. Italy’s Tatiana Guderzo claimed bronze.

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Van der Breggen had dedicated her 2018 season to the world championships, bypassing the defence of her Giro Rosa jersey and adopting an unorthodox race schedule – even including some mountain biking. But she said the singular focus had added pressure. “I was happy this morning that tonight, no matter how it went, it would be over and I could enjoy cycling again,” she said.

But the smile on her face suggested it had all been worthwhile. “When I crossed the finish line it was relief – that it finally worked out,” she said. “I won it this time. I am really thankful for that.”

An elated Spratt heaped praise on her victorious rival: “She was on another level. She really showed that she was so, so strong. I’m proud of the silver medal.”

A total of 149 riders began the first climber-friendly world championships in recent memory, rolling out of picturesque Kufstein near the German border under sunny autumn skies. The Polish team activated the race early, with Aurela Nerlo establishing a modest lead over the peloton before being joined by Colombia’s Ana Cristina Sanabria.

The race stretched as the riders headed towards a first potent climb, with the ascent to Gnadenwald featuring sections of 14% gradient. At one point there were four separate groups, but the key nations of the Netherlands, Australia, Italy and the United States looked untroubled.

Or at least they did, until a crash at Gnadenwald’s base among the road furniture complicated proceedings. Van Vleuten, the pre-race favourite, and Britain’s Dani Rowe were among those to fall, with the former looking particularly shaken as she exerted herself to rejoin the peloton.

Normality returned as the climb slimmed the main group to a select few, including Van Vleuten, before the race temporarily reformed on the descent into Innsbruck. But as the peloton passed a multinational crowd in the old city and headed back towards the mountains, the peloton thinned once more.

Eventually, a serious breakaway of six formed, led by Spratt. When Ellen van Dijk was dropped, Van der Breggen went ahead of the chasers to ensure the orange-clad team would be represented at the front. After joining Spratt and company on the second loop of the Olympic Circuit, Van der Breggen kept going – first with the Australian and then alone.

The Dutchwoman was unstoppable on the final circuit, building her lead right until the end. Rainbow stripes were a long time coming for Van der Breggen, but she finally claimed a world championship triumph for the ages.