Italy’s junior Lorenezo Finn soloed 60 km to a rainbow jersey in the pouring rain Thursday at the 2024 UCI road world championships in Zürich, Switzerland. The 17 year old can write his pro ticket after such a dominant display. Toronto’s Ashlin Barry, racing for the USA, was in the early mix and finished fifth. The top Canadian was Adam Smith at 30th.
The Course
Each road race route of the 2024 worlds included some combination of the circuit around Lake Greifen and the 26.8-km circuit that took in the east side of Lake Zurichsee and contained the 1.4-km, 7.2-percent Wilikon climb, with a connector between them. The junior men’s race consisted of one Lake Greifen loop and three Lake Zurich loops for a total of 127.2 km. Boy, did it tip down!
#zurich2024 MJ
🚩 Uster
🏁 Zurich
🚴🏻♂️ 127 Km
Weather: 🌧 14°C, moderate rain
Route: https://t.co/oxEIqkiPYu pic.twitter.com/RuE3XPS7gW— La Flamme Rouge (@laflammerouge16) September 26, 2024
The Canadian contingent consisted of Adam Smith, Tristan Drews, Jayden McMullen and Mikael Guilbault.
Wishing Good Luck to our rider Mik Guibault and the Canadian men’s junior team at World Road Race Championships pic.twitter.com/dN5gNdjZdH
— Ignite Junior Cycling (@Ignitejrcycling) September 26, 2024
Last year’s silver and bronze medalists, German Paul Fietzke and Norwegian Felix Ørn-Kristoff respectively, were back.
Toronto’s Ashlin Barry delayed at world TT champs, still finishes 9th
The Lake Greifen loop couldn’t produce any breakaways, only a few crashes. By the first passage of the finish line, 80 km still to race, Ørn-Kristoff was in a leading quintet, but was soon brought to heel. However, the peloton was very streamlined by the first Wilikon climb, where Fietzke and a Spaniard took flight. This move turned another breakaway featuring Fietzke, Finn, new time trial champion Paul Seixas, and Barry. Two Danes, two Spaniards and two Dutchman were in the 15.
Finn attacked before the second passage of the finish line.
As the rain tipped down, Finn’s former breakmates chased him along the heights in two groups. Finn’s resistance continued, and by the final lap with 14 km remaining, Brit Sebastian Grindley and Spaniard Héctor Álvarez were his main chasers +1:20, the other pursuers scattered in the rain behind. Grindley dumped his partner to guarantee silver. Poor Álvarez couldn’t hang on to the podium
Finn’s final kilometre…
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