‘I didn’t have super legs’ – Mathieu van der Poel still chasing World Championships form

Mathieu van der Poel made repeated attempts to bend the European Championships road race to his will on Sunday, but the Dutchman’s aggression was eventually snuffed out with 25km to go and the race ended in a bunch sprint.

Tim Merlier (Belgium) claimed the title ahead of Van der Poel’s compatriot Olav Kooij, while the world champion had to settle for 30th place in one of his final outings in the rainbow jersey.