The Tour de France Femmes champion, Demi Vollering, won the longest-ever edition of the women's UCI world road race championship in a brutal and compelling sprint finale in Montreal.
The 29-year-old's success climaxed a remarkable season in which she has also won a second Tour de France title, the Giro women, Liège-Bastogne-Liège and the Tour of Flanders.
In what proved to be an enthralling race, the biggest names in the women's peloton duelled their way over the multiple climbs on the Canadian circuit, before the Dutch rider applied the coup de grace in the closing metres.
"It was an amazing race and I was very proud to be part of it," Vollering said. "I worked so hard towards this goal and it takes guts to truly believe. I'm so proud of everybody from the team. They rode the whole race from the front."
Eight laps of a 13.4 kilometre circuit, which included the steep grades of the Voie Camillien-Houde, took their toll on a diminished peloton, which lost leading favourite Paula Blasi, of Spain, midway through the race, who, after crashing for a second time, abandoned with 90km remaining.
Defending champion and home favourite, Magdeleine Vallieres was another of a group of 15 riders to crash while speeding downhill, with 95 kilometres to race, along with Great Britain's Flora Perkins, Tour of Britain winner, Kim Le Court, and Blasi, winner this year of the Vuelta Femenina.
A battered and bruised Vallieres finally abandoned her title defence with a little over 60km to race. Her departure opened the door to a volatile and intriguing race, that again showcased the drama and unpredictability of women's racing.
The resulting ebb and flow saw numerous changes in the lead, until on the final lap, the three leading riders in this year's Tour de France Femmes – Vollering, Kasia Niewiadoma, of Poland, and Italian national champion, Elisa Longo Borghini – traded blows en route to the uphill sprint finish.
With less than 200m to go, Vollering and Niewiadoma were side by side, but the Dutch rider's last-gasp acceleration finally proved too much for her longstanding rival, who crossed the line apparently suffering from cramp.
Vollering's initial attack, which came with 40 kilometres of racing remaining on the gruelling Montreal circuit, and characteristically, on the steepest section of road, had almost backfired when she was recaptured with less than 20 kilometres to go.
"There were so many moments when I thought I'd taken off too early," she said. "It was so close. When they came back (to me) I was like 'Oh shit — this is still not over.' But never give up until the finish line."
When her initial attack came, the race looked likely to follow a familiar script of Vollering soloing to success.
The Dutch rider was chased by a select group of eight, that included Tour de France runner-up, Niewiadoma, world time trial champion, Marlen Reusser, and Longo Borghini.
With 20km remaining the group fractured, under the impetus of 2024 Tour de France winner Niewiadoma and Longo Borghini, with Vollering surprisingly wilting after 20km spent alone in the lead.
But in a finale that encapsulated the compelling nature of the race, the favourites regrouped at the start of the final lap, and Longo Borghini launched her own last-ditch attack.
The relentless Vollering, however did not give up, finally mustering the energy to attack again, this time decisively, to repay the best efforts of her expertly drilled Netherlands team.