All of the Italians have made their way up to the front of the peloton, perhaps wary of the crash on the previous lap. If you are new to road racing, it is always better to try and ride near the front to lessen the chances of being caught up in an accident.

Several Australian, Dutch and German riders are also vying to lead the peloton. Britain's Lizzie Armitstead is also well-positioned as they go over the top of Mirador and head back down to Ponferrada on the section of the course where the big accident happened.

Rochelle Gilmore
Owner and manager of Wiggle Honda cycling team on BBC TV

"We saw Bronzini fell quite hard and we didn't know if she was going to get back on and cycling."

The leading riders are hitting 70km/h as they weave down the descent from Confederacion, before braking sharply to take a tight right-hand corner over a dam, that has caught out several riders in the earlier junior races.

Just 80km remaining as they head up Mirador.

A number of riders have pulled out of the race as they reached the start-finish line and are receiving medical attention.

American champion Alison Powers has a ripped suit, road rash and is way off the pace but she still manages to offer a smile to the TV camera that is thrust into her face as she continues to push on, before coverage cuts to mechanics inspecting a couple of mangled wheels.

It looked like the peloton knocked off the pace a little there to allow those delayed by the crash to catch up. It's one of the nice unwritten rules in professional cycling - riders don't like taking advantage of misfortune suffered by their rivals in the event of a crash.

The official timecheck over the start-finish line has Vos at 43 seconds behind the leading group of 50 or so riders, with Bronzini one minute, 57 seconds down. Britain's Lucy Garner is a further minute down.

Vos has some Dutch team-mates with her who will be helping to pace her back to the peloton. And as I type that, the world champion makes contact with the leading group, as does Bronzini, as the riders embark upon the third ascent to Confederacion.

Britain's Lizzie Armitstead was untroubled by the accident. As was her team-mate Hannah Barnes, who is leading the peloton as they embark on the third lap.

Marianne Vos was slightly delayed by the crash, while Italy's double world champion Giorgia Bronzini, and one of the pre-race favourites, crosses the start-finish line a couple of minutes further down.

There are definitely a couple of Canadian riders down, a couple of Belgians and a Norwegian are also sitting on the side of the road. An American rider is motionless in the roadside ditch, with a team mechanic by her side. More on the fallers as I get it.

The crash was triggered by two riders coming together towards the front of the peloton on the left-hand side of the road.

There has been a massive crash in the peloton. There are dozens of riders littering the road on the descent from Mirador.

Image source, Getty Images

While the riders hit the ascent to Mirador, let's take a look at the French rider who Armitstead has picked out as a potential threat.

Pauline Ferrand-Prevot, 22, won the French national road and time trial races this year, the one-day classic La Fleche Wallonne and was second behind Vos at the women's Giro d'Italia - the Giro Rosa. She also won the national mountain bike championships.

"She's definitely my favourite," said Armitstead. "So I'm not going to base my race around Vos, but I'm certainly not going to take my eye off her, because she's someone who can win World Championships."

The riders are speeding down the descent from Confederacion and there are what look like big orange cushions stuck to the cliff faces to save riders who overcook a corner.

"You don't have to get it too wrong to get it completely wrong," says Rob Hayles on commentary before adding that he would be trying not to look at them because that would set you off thinking about crashing.

Israel's Shani Bloch has made a brief foray off the front of the bunch on the ascent to Confederacion. She gave a wee punch of delight to members of her support staff on the side of the hill but she is soon swallowed up by the peloton.

Image source, Getty Images

No sight of defending champion and three-time winner Marianne Vos yet. The 27-year-old Dutch rider no doubt sheltering in the peloton, knowing she has no need to show her face just yet.

While there have been recent question marks over her form, Vos has still had an excellent 2014, winning her seventh cyclo-cross world title before going on to claim the inaugural women's Tour of Britain, the Giro Rosa and the one-day La Course by Le Tour de France.

However, Armitstead told BBC Sport: "Vos at a World Championships is always the one to beat but she's definitely not as good as she normally is. She's beatable."

There is a crash in the middle of the peloton and the rider down is Britain's Lucy Garner. The 20-year-old is quickly back on to her feet but looks to have injured her left hip and is grimacing while she waits for a GB mechanic to help put her chain bike on.

Hannah Barnes drops back out of the peloton to wait for Garner and help pace her back to the main bunch.

The riders have completed the first of the 18km laps and Armitstead is well placed towards the front of the peloton in 26th place. There is still no break with German riders doing most of the legwork on the front of the bunch as they meander through the streets of Ponferrada before heading back to the climb of Confederacion.

Double junior world champion Garner and Hannah Barnes helped Armitstead win Commonwealth gold in Glasgow over the summer, while Alice Barnes and Last, with their mountain bike background, should be strong on the ascents and descents.

Armitstead has five other British riders to help support her during the race. It is their job to work for their team leader. Collecting drinks bottles, helping with pace setting, offering wheels if Armitstead were to suffer a puncture and so on.

The quintet of helpers are Lucy Garner, Anna Christian, Hannah Barnes and mountain bike specialists Alice Barnes and Annie Last.

Speaking to the BBC before the race, Armitstead said: "The course is really hard. It's relentless and that's what suits me. Repeated efforts with minimal recovery is what suits me and what I will try and benefit from.

"I came to recce the course in June which is the first time I've done that prior to a World Championships so I feel more prepared.

"It's been the best season of my career so far. People around me are saying 'Lizzie it's your course' so I guess I should listen to them."

With 115km of racing to go, it's probably about time we had a look at some of the main contenders for the race victory.

And there's no better place to start than Lizzie Armitstead, who is aiming to become the fourth British winner of the world title. Beryl Burton, Mandy Jones and Nicole Cooke went before her.

The 25-year-old from Otley in Yorkshire is in great form having won the women's World Cup this year, with a race to spare, and took the Commonwealth Games title.

However, she is yet to produce in a World Championships with a best finish of seventh in 2011. In 2012 she finished second to Marianne Vos in the road race at the London Olympics.

Rob Hayles
Former GB cyclist and BBC Sport summariser

"Sometimes it can be a struggle on the first couple of climbs on the opening laps as riders try to settle into a rhythm. There is more than 2,000m of ascending over the course of the race though so I'd expect riders to start tumbling out the back as the laps pass by."