Remco Evenepoel has topped an incredible season and confirmed his status as perhaps the most versatile rider in the peloton, alongside Wout van Aert, after winning the elite men's race at the World Championships in Wollongong Australia.
The 22-year-old, who ended a 44-year wait by Belgium for a Grand Tour winner when he claimed La Vuelta last month and now he is the first Belgian for 10 years - Philippe Gilbert in Valkenburg in 2012 - to win the elite men's title at the Worlds.
He made his move early on the hilly course, going clear in a large breakaway before the finale really began. And with 35km to go he then broke free with Alexey Lutsenko (Kazakhstan), before riding away from him with over a lap to go as the field was split to pieces behind.
Advertisement
Evenepoel (22) then pressed on alone to win by over two minutes as Lutsenko was caught by three riders from the breakaway before all four stalled in the final 2km and were caught in sight of the finish by the remains of the peloton.
Christophe La Porte (France) and Michael Matthews (Australia) proved best in the sprint to take silver and bronze respectively after their group had looked well out of contention for medals with just a few kilometres to go.
Van Aert (Belgium) was with them and took 4th while Matteo Trentin (Italy) was 5th and Alexander Kristoff (Norway) was 6th. Three time winner Peter Sagan (Slovakia) was 7th, Alberto Bettiol (Italy) 8th, Ethan Hayter (Great Britain) 9th and Mattias Skjelmose Jensen (Denmark) 10th.
Related News
Ireland had no riders in any of the events at the worlds this year after Cycling Ireland decided not to send a team as it was short of money.
"It's on another level," Evenepoel said of his victory in the elite men's race just four years after claiming the junior title in Austria. "After such a long season it's amazing to finish like this, I'm just super happy I had the legs today."
He added after he and Lutsenko got clear of the breakaway on the penultimate lap he felt he was stronger than the Kazakhstani rider and so was determined to push on alone, with well over a lap to go.
"There was no time to waste on a circuit like this. But the last time, the climb was super hard and I could feel my legs really explode. But I knew on the top of the climb it was almost over, then the 5k flat part towards the finish."
Evenepoel added while his team car was telling him his gap to the groups behind was "getting bigger and bigger" he continued to push all the way as the world title was on the line and he did not want to lose any of his advantage, which was over two minutes.
He added the Belgians rode like a team today, with the plan for him to attack early and for Wout van Aert to follow the riders behind and sprint. But "the earlier attack made it today and I think we just deserve it, we really deserve it".
Evenepoel explained it was a dream to win the worlds and having also won Liège-Bastogne-Liège and La Vuelta this season, he was delighted with how 2022 had gone. "I won everything I could win this year, I think a better season like this I will never have," he said.
