Ben Healy put in several attacks in the final of the World Championships in Zurich on Sunday, hoping to get clear and ride to a medal having been one of the main animators of the action for the final 70km.
However, while Healy's multiple efforts were closed down by Mathieu van der Poel (Netherlands), who wasn't letting the Irish rider out of his sight, when Ben O'Connor (Australia) made his one move he was allowed ride away to silver.
So why did O'Connor find it so easy to break free from van der Poel while Healy was so closely marked and closed down?
Speaking after the event, O'Connor said he had probably gotten his timing right and had also carefully picked out where in the group he would attack from. For his part, bronze medal winner Van der Poel said he simply could not close down all of the attacks in the final run-in.
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O'Connor - who finished solo just 38 seconds down on winner Tadej Pogačar (Slovenia) - said he was delighted to be on the podium. He said he was not expecting it and that his Australian team mates had really motivated him when he did not feel good on the opening laps.
"I had really good timing in the end to come away with the silver," said the Australian of his late attack that succeeded to getting a gap when Healy's efforts were closed down by Van der Poel and the Irishman eventually finished in 7th.
"I wanted to be at the back (of the group) and slip through the middle cos as soon as you go from the side, everyone can see you. So, I don't know, it's just how bike racing works; tactics, being smart, I don't what I'd put it down to.
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"I found a great moment and as soon as you get a jump like that, you have to commit. I've a very, very happy man. For my own personal sake, it's a really, really top world class one-day race result. I haven't really done a tonne of one day races so to get 2nd in the World Champs, at the biggest of them all, is really sweet.
Van der Poel said he really wanted to get a medal - and was very happy with bronze on such a hilly course - and that was why he tried to attack on the last climb. He added when some riders were jumping off the front in the final few kilometres - including Ireland's Healy and Switzerland's Marc Hirschi - he reacted because he wanted a medal so badly.
"I was really eager to get a medal and I knew this situation was going to happen, they knew I was the fastest in the sprint," he said of the others trying to get away from him.
However, he simply could not chase down everyone and it was O'Connor who benefitted from that rather than Healy and Hirschi.
"I knew they would attack me but I couldn't respond to everybody. In the end I was really focused on trying to get a medal, so I'm happy to be on the podium. I can be really proud of my performance, it's one of my best on a course like this."
Asked why he and Evenepoel did not team up and bring Pogačar back, he said: "I think everybody tried, but everybody was just on the limit. It's difficult to explain how hard this race was. The attack from Tadej was unexpected, from 100km to go, he was just full gas until the finish line. He was just incredibly strong."
Van der Poel added when Pogačar went with 100km to go, and the whole Belgium team started to chase him, he assumed the Slovenian would be caught and had "thrown away" his chance to become champion. However, Pogačar was "on another level", with Van der Poel adding he had never seen such an impressive performance.
