Great Britain’s Harry Hudson produced a stunning 36km solo ride and made history as the first ever British rider to win the junior men’s road race at the Road World Championships in Kigali, Rwanda on Friday.
After just under three hours of racing, filled with drama right up to the final few kilometres, Hudson arrived at the line alone, having launched his counter-attack as the final man from the early breakaway, Beckham Drake (USA), was caught – and it proved a perfect move.
Attacks were launched from almost every nation behind, but it was Spain’s Benjamín Noval who at one point looked set to break Hudson’s heart. Noval stormed up the penultimate climb of the day and reduced the Brit’s advantage down from 40 seconds to just 15 with the cobbled Côte de Kimihurura and uphill rise to the line still to come.
But suddenly, the TV broadcast changed views and Noval had crashed bizarrely off-screen on a wide part of the road inside the final 3km, seemingly leaving only Johan Blanc (France) within striking distance.
The Frenchman hit the cobbles with the 18-year-old Brit in sight, but it became clear he was spent and only a late charge from the peloton could have stopped Hudson from claiming the rainbow jersey.
That move came from Poland’s Jan Michal Jackowiak, but, despite his huge surge, it was too late, and Hudson had already made it alone and ahead across the cobbles, able to roar in celebration as he made history. Blanc came around Jackowiak to take second, with the Pole rounding out the podium.
More later…
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