 A group of thirteen riders soon broke away from the main group, driven mainly by the American Kristin Armstrong.They gained 25 seconds on the field but were pulled back by the Dutch and British teams with one lap to go.As soon as the break was caught, Marianne Vos launched a counter-attack on the Montello climb, Nicole Cooke, Judith Arndt, Trixi Worrack and Emma Johansson, and Susanne Ljungskog joined her in what was to become the winning break.