The UCI Road World Championships are over, and the streets of the Australian coastal city of Wollongong are returning to normal as the riders board their long flights to Europe – a lucky few adding a rainbow jersey to their luggage.
It was a course that delivered some nail-biting racing, some unexpected winners and some expected winners in unexpected ways. All in all 13 world titles were awarded over an intense eight days, with plenty of drama both on and off the road.
For some races, the rider on the top step was an all too familiar view, for others we saw unexpected wins and some rising stars who may well be just beginning their rainbow collection. We took a look at some of the key conclusions that could be drawn from the time trials earlier this week and now it’s time for the road races.
Belgium united behind year of triumph for Evenepoel
Last year’s World Championship elite men’s road race left the home nation Belgian fans heartbroken. They’d gone into the race with Wout van Aert as a favourite and turned out in droves hoping for a home town triumph, only to get an 11th from the team leader and suggestions from Remco Evenepoel that he had the legs to win, but not the position in the team to do it from. This year, however, with the 22-year-old leaving no room for questions about his ability to deliver the big wins he came fresh from Vuelta a España victory and into a co-leadership role at Worlds.
The team was clearly putting a very public united front, with Evenepoel saying they wanted to “win it for Belgium” and Van Aert adding “our chances are bigger if we ride well together so it would be really dumb to not do it”.
A stinging solo attack from Evenepoel at around 25km to go saw all last year’s frustrations melt away. Belgium may have been half a world away but the roar from the Belgians on course as a victorious Evenepoel road past may well have been heard there, such was its passionate force. Evenepoel had salved the sting of 2021 already by adding the red jersey of a Vuelta winner to his luggage as he travelled straight from Spanish victory to Australia. Now after adding a rainbow jersey to his luggage, he will make his triumphant return home with two of the most prestigious victories in the sport to celebrate, and perhaps many more on the horizon.
Pain, fracture and domestique duties no barrier
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