PARIS, Aug. 2 (Xinhua) -- The women's road race at the Paris Olympic Games on Sunday sees the riders cover 158 kilometers in a 110-kilometer loop around the French capital, before returning to town with two 18.4-kilometer finishing circuits, which include a steep climb up Montmartre.
Like the men's race 24-hours earlier, the women compete over a course which has a lot in common with the spring 'Classic' races such as the Tour of Flanders and Liege-Bastogne-Liege, with long distance mixed with short-sharp climbs and some rough road surfaces and that should suit a 'Classics' rider.
Here are some of the riders to look out for in Sunday's race.
Lotte Kopecky (Belgium)
Kopecky may have been disappointed slightly in failing to win a medal in the time trial last weekend, but she was another rider betrayed by the treacherous road surface and that will only have motivated her more for Sunday.
Kopecky comes to Paris as reigning world champion after winning the Strade Bianche and Paris-Roubaix one-day races, as well as finishing second in the recent Giro d'Italia.
She has also won twice in the Tour of Flanders and with the support of a powerful team, Lotte Kopecky looks set for at least a podium place.
Demi Vollering (Netherlands)
Vollering is arguably the best climber in the women's peloton and highlighted that earlier in the year with wins in the Itzulia (Tour of the Basque country) and Vuelta Feminina (Tour of Spain).
However, she is also tough to beat in one-day races, with podium finishes in Brabantse Pijl, Flèche Wallonne, Strade Bianche and Liège-Bastogne-Liège.
While Vollering may lack the sprinter's kick of other riders, she has a powerful team, which also has sprinter Lorena Wiebes - arguably the fastest finisher if she can make it up the climbs, and Marianne Vos, arguably the best female rider of all time.
Elisa Longo Borghini (Italy)
The Italian comes into the road race on the back of a brilliant season, which has shown her strengths at both stage and one-day races.
Longo Borghini comes after winning the Giro d'Italia, while in the spring, she has a run of good results in the Classics, winning the Tour of Flanders and finishing ahead of Vollering in Brabantse Pijl.
She was also third at Flèche Wallonne and second at Liège-Bastogne-Liège and will lead a powerful and cohesive team, which includes former world champion, Elisa Balsamo.
The Italians always ride smart tactical races and focus on their goal, which in this case in Olympic gold.
Anna Kiesenhofer (Austria)
Although she isn't among most people's favorites in time, we shouldn't forget reigning Olympic champion, Anna Kiesenhofer.
Kiesenhofer won in Tokyo by launching an early attack from the main 'peloton' while the race favorites all looked at each other to see who would lead the chase, while it's unlikely they will allow her to perform the same trick again, she has had a good season and comes to Paris as Austrian national and time-trial champion.
Kiesenhofer's win three years ago also highlights what makes Olympic road racing hard to predict: there are always favorites, but in a race with small teams, unless rivals cooperate, a breakaway has the chance of succeeding. â–
