Rory Townsend's breakaway ride was the highlight of Team Ireland in the men's race at the UCI World Road Championships in Glasgow, where Mathieu van der Poel (Netherlands) won a classic edition of the world title race.
While Ben Healy looked like Ireland's best chance of a top 10 today, or even a medal if he'd had the rub of the green, it turned out to be a below par day for the 22-year-old EF Education-EasyPost rider. And when it became clear Healy was perhaps not firing on his usual all cylinders today, Townsend's ride out front became the highlight for Ireland.
Unfortunately, his time in that breakaway came to a frustrating end on the circuits around Glasgow, and while his breakaway still had over two minutes on the remains of the bunch, Townsend suffered a puncture and then his chain slipped off as he gave chase.
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He was forced to dismount again and by the time he got going once more, on the Montrose St climb on the course, the breakaway was gone - and on a course where the chances of catching a group again were minimal.
Almost immediately the field reached the circuits - a very twisty 14km around the city - it split. Out of every corner, any rider who wasn't in the top 20 was sprinting to close up to the wheel ahead. The elastic was snapping early and often, with just 51 men finishing. Unfortunately, none of the Irish riders were among them.
As well as Townsend and Healy, the team was comprised of Sam Bennett, Ryan Mullen and elite Worlds debutants, Rás Tailteann winning and runner-up, Dillon Corkery and Cormac Mcgeough. Aside from Townsend up front - in a breakaway that went early and gained more than eight minutes - the other Irish riders were simply the victims of the constantly whittling down on the field; the elastic snapping somewhere ahead of them and the ever-decreasing bunch riding away.
On the first lap - and with about 150km to go - Mcgeough was among those exiting the back door of the peloton while Bennett would lose contact a short time later. The Bora-hansgrohe man was hit by a mechanical and had to change bikes, with any issue like that on this course proving a case of 'lights out'.
Mullen (Bora-hansgrohe) and Corkery (CC Etupes) were also dropped on the opening laps of the circuit, though Healy was still in with the big names and Townsend was still flying the flag up front. However, on the fourth lap - with some crashes in the bunch - the group split and Healy was on the wrong side of it.
That resulted in Healy - who can be a real contender for a medal in future years, something that can breathe real life into the Irish team going forward - lost his place in the bunch, despite trying to chase back on.
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Then at the end of lap five, Townsend suffered his puncture in the breakaway and, in the immediate aftermath, dropped his chain on the Montrose St climb. He passed the finish line over two minutes down on the breakaway and the following lap was his final one in the race.
Up front, one of the best final breakaway groups you'll see went on to contest the finish: Van der Poel, Mads Pedersen (Denmark), Wout van Aert (Belgium) and Tadej Pogačar (Slovenia). Alberto Bettiol (Italy) had attacked with about 40km to go and when he was caught by the four big guns, with 22km remaining, van der Poel attacked and broke clear.
While Van Aert was on his wheel, with Pedersen and Pogačar also digging in to keep pace, Van der Poel was simply too strong and the quality of his kick too rapid when he went with real force. While Van der Poel rode away, Pogačar and Van Aert tried repeatedly to get clear of the three-man chase group, though they stayed together - none of them having the power to shake off the others.
Van der Poel very nearly threw it all away on the final lap, crashing hard and breaking his shoe. However, he simply got back on his bike - his kit ripped and a fastener on his right shoe broken - and got back to work, opening the gap all the way to the line.
In the end, he won by 1:37 from Van Aert, who got away from the others to make sure of the silver medal. Just eight seconds back, and exhausted but very determined Pogačar got the better of Pedersen for the bronze medal.
More to come.
