NICE: Britain’s Lizzie Deignan won the women’s cycling race La Course on Saturday, edging a desperate rush for the line by a whisker ahead of defending champion Marianne Vos.
The one-off single-stage event preceded the start of the Tour de France which gets underway later Saturday.
The 96km course around Nice embarked with 138 riders but was blown apart on a 5.5km climb in the rolling hills outside Nice.
Deignan, who lives in nearby Monaco, was part of the escape that rushed down a steep, technical descent led by current world champion Annemiek Van Vlueten.
Once the breakaway pack of six were on the flat coastal run into Nice it was a cat-and-mouse affair until Vos attacked and opened a gap large enough to believe in victory.
But Deignan put in an irresistible late dash to finish just centimetres ahead.
