The Danish rider secured her fourth world title at the Czech venue last year and would once again come out on top.

Langvad looked to stamp her authority on the race by taking the lead from the start of the five-lap course.

Reigning World Cup champion Catharine Pendrel attempted to follow Langvad, with the effort moving her into second place.

The Canadian suffered the misfortune of a snapped chain, which saw her lose valuable time and slip down the field.

Langvad was able to keep growing her lead as the race progressed, heading into final lap with a sizeable advantage of 54 seconds over her closest challenger Sabine Spitz of Germany.

The Dane eventually crossed the line in a time of one hours, 28min and 45sec to claim an impressive victory.

Spitz would end as the runner-up in 1:29:41, while Switzerland’s Linda Indergand was a further 23sec back in third.

“It is surprising for me,” said Langvad.

“I really had no idea if I could achieve a good result.

“I did not ride that many races as I have spent most of this spring studying.

“I guess I did not have a proper comparison to my contenders, and I myself was surprised how well it went.

“I have by far not trained as much as I did last year.”

The men’s under-23 race also took place today, with Norway’s Petter Fagerhaug claiming the victory in a time of 1:16:39.

He would finish with a 35sec margin of victory to Latvia’s Martins Blums, who was the runner-up in 1:16:39.

Denmark’s Sebastian Fini Carstensen rounded off the podium by finishing 40sec behind the winner.

The men’s elite race will take place tomorrow, while the women’s under-23 event will also be held.