Arndt reaches rainbow

Raced over nine laps and 132.75 km on a rough and rolling Verona, Italy circuit, the Elite Women's race remained wide open until the final ascent of the short Torricelle climb, a 3.1 km leg-drainer that took on Everest proportions in the final laps.

Russian rider Svetlana Bubnenkova was the first to launch the hostilities, attacking hard on the final turn up the Torricelle. Shoulders buckling and pounding a monster gear, the Russian -- despite an unorthodox style -- maintained a slim advance until just before the Torricelle summit, when all chaos was unleashed in the chase.

At the crest of the climb, the race whittled down to an elite group of six: Tatiana Guderzo (ITA) Svetlana Bubnenkova (RUS), Judith Arndt (GER), Nicole Brandli (SUI), Edita Pucinskaite (LTH) and Joane Somarriba Arrola (ESP).

German Arndt, in presence of high-octane race favourites Pucinskaite and Brandli, didn't sit in for the sprint, instead launching a gravity-defied solo descent that sent her 15 seconds off the front with five kilometres to ride.

Tucked in the drops and time-trialing for the line, Arndt -- silver medallist in Tuesday's Elite Women's race-against-the-clock -- soloed home for an emphatic win, 10 seconds better than runner-up Guderzo.

Highly touted contenders Nicole Cooke of Britain and Frenchwoman Jeannie Longo rode an anonymous race, trailing in for 24th and 21st place respectively.