Anna Kiesenhofer storms to gold as runner-up crosses line thinking she had won

Annemiek van Vleuten (right) thought she had won (Martin Rickett/PA)

Anna Kiesenhofer took a shock solo win for Austria in the women’s Olympic cycling road race as the peloton got their sums wrong in chasing down the mathematician.

Kiesenhofer, without a professional contract since 2017, was on the attack from the very start of the 137-kilometre race to the Fuji International Speedway, and was rewarded with a truly stunning victory after going solo for the final 40km of the race.