With 171 riders and no defending champion taking to the U23 Men’s road race World Championship, it was a massive question mark as to who would pull on the rainbow jersey after 10 laps of the 16km course.
Algeria relaxing ahead of the race.
Warm up for El Salvador.
Queueing for sign on.
Kazakstan and Russia.
New Zealand.
Belgium.
On the start line.
The race is full gas from the gun because there is no designated neutral roll out at the World Championships.
France’s Kevin Ledanois.
The course features 3 significant climbs and a few descents. Here the peloton descends down Broad Street.
The peloton arrives at the top of Libby Hill, the first of the trio of climbs that hit the riders in quick succession.
Hayden McCormick.
Jakob Kaczmarek.
Eddie Dunbar pulls a group up the climb.
Greg Daniel.
Alex Cataford.
Gabriel Cullaigh.
Lennard Kamna.
A mechanical for Mongolia.
The break.
Eddie Dunbar.
The peloton approaches.
Out of the saddle on Libby Hill.
Tao Gaogheghan Hart.
Cobbled climbing.
The photographers hug the fences as the riders take up every bit of dirt they can so as to lessen the agony of the cobbles.
Greg Daniel.
Eddie Dunbar puts in tremendous work at the front of the break away.
Silver medalist at Monday’s time trial, Max Schachmann chases solo.
The bunch.
Tao Gaoghegan Hart.
Tyler Williams.
The break, grown to include Max Shachmann, hits the bottom of the 23rd Street climb.
A strung out peloton arrives. On at least one previous lap, a few riders were spotted running up the hill carrying their bikes.
The leaders face a long descent almost immediately after reaching the top of 23rd street.
The break.
Daniel Eaton looks over his should to find a Russian and a quickly approaching peloton.
The peloton chases.
The peloton descends.
Soren Andersen briefly escaped the pack but was reeled in before too long.
By the last lap, a gentle rain began to fall. It was nothing too substantial, but it was certainly enough to slick the roads. On a wide U turn, a few riders go down. Shortly thereafter, with under 5km to the finish line, the peloton nears the top of Libby Hill when Nathan Van Hooydonck, in second position, loses his rear wheel and crashes, clogging up the cobbled road. A few opportunists benefit and Kevin Ledanois of France is eventually able to jump away.
His lead is never more than a handful of seconds, but he keeps turning the pedals.
Under 1km to the finish line.
Italy’s Simone Consonni and a teammate give chase while France’s Anthony Turgis hangs in.
The peloton is mere seconds behind.
Ledanois clearly tires but, with the finish line within spitting distance, pushes out a few last pedal strokes and nabs the rainbow jersey. Teammate Hugo Hofstetter, rounding the corner and seeing the replay on the big screen behind the crowd, pumps his fist in the air in celebration.
Bronze for Anthony Turgis.
Silver for Simone Consonni.
Ledanois.
The French pair belt out the Marseillaise.
1st Kevin Ledanois
2nd Simoni Consonni
3rd Anthony Turgis
Celebrating a team effort.
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