Hello and welcome to Eurosport's live coverage of the UCI Road World Championships women's elite road race. Racing kicks off from Bradford in about ten minutes. Stay tuned for now...

We're starting the climb at Lofthouse now. Lizzie Deignan is among the riders at the front

The sun is out in Yorkshire today. Some of this year's UCI world road race championships have been a total washout, with huge volumes of standing water taking out riders in some events, but thankfully for today's racers it looks like rain will hold off until this evening, long after the winners are decided.

Tomorrow is very likely to be very wet for the men's final into Harrogate, though.

Leah Thomas (USA) is among those on the front of the peloton. The US team is very strong, its seven team members including Chloe Dygert and Coryn Rivera, one of today's favourites.

Their young team mate, Megan Jastrab, won the under-23 women's road race yesterday.

British riders will no doubt be keen to stay on the front ahead of Lofthouse Summit. If an attack happens there, they'll likely want riders in a breakaway

It's around 8km to the next and major climb in today's race, Lofthouse Summit, that may see the race ignite.

In the meantime here's some info about the Harrogate course, a technical course riders will lap three times.

The leader of the Aussie team is Amanda Spratt. Australia has never yet won in the women's elite road race. 29-year-old Aussie Rohan Dennis won the men's time trial on Wednesday, however, on the 54km course between Northallerton and Harrogate.

Australian riders are at the front of the race at the moment. Australia has seven riders in today's race: Jessica Allen, Brodie Chapman, Tiffany Cromwell, Chloe Hosking, Lucy Kennedy, Lauren Kitchen and Amanda Spratt.

Hosking won the points classification in this year's Tour Down Under. She was also the road race champion in last year's Commonwealth Games.

Now for something a little different. The Aussie team having a bit of a sing before today's race

Lizzie Banks just had a bike change. It was a fairly calm affair at this point in the race, and no doubt she'll be back in the peloton soon

The terrain for now is flat, and the race is fairly calm for the time being.

Coming up, at 101km to go is the Lofthouse climb, which is double the height of Norwood Edge, at around 400m. That could see a similar attack from the Dutch riders, or indeed other nations' teams.

The British team are regrouping now at the front of the race.

A New Zealand rider, Ella Harris, has stopped, and is in need of a wheel change at the back of the race

Small tumble off the back of the peloton - nothing major, though. Looks like it was a touch of wheels

Lizzie Banks was in there - the second stop for the British rider already

The peloton is back together after that effort by the Dutch team, but expect more of the same in this race. A fair amount of effort would have been expended by other riders to bridge that gap

Dutch riders have launched an attack off the front on that punchy climb, and have managed to string out the riders. The Dutch, who have the biggest team today, of eight riders, are definitely a team to watch today. Their strength, and strength in numbers mean they can use their riders to wear down other teams.

Riders are heading into the early slopes of the race, of Norwood Edge. It's a steep climb, reaching almost 16% at it's sharpest. Today's course heads North to the edge of the Yorkshire Dales, an area called Nidderdale AONB, before looping South towards Harrogate

Banks is safely back into the rear of the peloton already

Elizabeth Banks has a mechanical, and has stopped at the side of the road. Her chain has come off, a problem we saw a lot in yesterday's under-23 women's road race.

The riders are about to reach the first climb of the day, at Norwood Edge

This is the question

The peloton is now passing through Lizzie Deignan's home town of Otley. Lizzie has moved to the front of the pack for the moment. What an honour to represent your country at this event, in the very town where you were born.

Racing for Britain today, with team leader Lizzie Deignan, are sisters Alice and Hannah Barnes, Elizabeth Banks, Anna Henderson and Nicola Juniper.

Henderson won two firsts in this year's under-23 British National Road Race Championships, in the road race and time trial events

Alice Barnes also won first place in two events at this year's National Road Race Championships: the road race and time trial