browser icon
You are using an insecure version of your web browser. Please update your browser!
Using an outdated browser makes your computer unsafe. For a safer, faster, more enjoyable user experience, please update your browser today or try a newer browser.

2015 Worlds: Charismatic Sagan Wins in Style

Posted by on September 27, 2015

Representing 44 nations, 192 riders lined up at the University of Richmond in Sunday’s elite men’s road race for a short neutral roll out before beginning the 261.4km course that included 16 laps of 16km through Richmond, Virginia. The course, with just 3 climbs; 2 of them cobbled, the longest within the final kilometer, and a false flat dragging into the finish, left the experts with a lengthy grocery list of possible winners. Peter Sagan, Alexander Kristoff, John Degenkolb, Michael Matthews, Niki Terpstra, Greg Van Avermaet, Alejandro Valverde were among the favorites and, if the rain clouds were to downpour as forecasted, another handful of names had to be added to the contenders.

 

In a part of the country where pro cycling does not have a strong foothold, the winding climb up Libby Hill and punchy 23rd Street were packed with fans well before the race got underway.

 

The Dutch led by Jos van Emden.

DSC07805

 

Belgians Nikolas Maes, Philippe Gilbert, and Tom Boonen.

DSC07808

 

The field completed an early lap.

DSC07823

 

Greg Henderson and defending world champion Michal Kwiatkowski.

DSC07831

 

Though only a 6 man team, the Americans rode a strong race, eventually placing both Ben King and Taylor Phinney in the break and launching a late attack from Tyler Farrar. Below: Lawson Craddock, Farrar, and Brent Bookwalter.

DSC07848

 

Great Britain’s Alex Dowsett in the bunch.

DSC07850

 

Luka Mezgec, Bookwalter, and Danielle Bennati.

DSC07867

 

With just 2 teammates, Peter Sagan hid himself for most of the race.

DSC07872

 

A mechanical saw Phinney spend time at the neutral Shimano service vehicle and the American car before he eventually swapped bikes.

DSC07883

 

Ben King.

DSC07886

 

Racing his 11th world championships on Sunday, Alejandro Valverde has earned 2 silver and 4 bronze medals, finishing outside the top ten only twice, but never the gold.

DSC07891

 

Phinney.

DSC07903

 

A quick wheel change for a Ukrainian.

DSC07905

DSC07909

 

Gilbert, participating in his 16th consecutive world championships, with Simon Geschke and Tony Martin of Germany.

DSC07916

 

Luke Durbridge, Rui Costa, and Sam Bewley.

DSC07918

 

Costa Rican Andrey Amador.

DSC07920

 

Kiwi Jesse Sergent, taking a pull, was in the early break which included Colombian Carlos Alzate, Serbian Ivan Stevic, Irish Conor Dunne, Ukrainian Andriy Khripta, Romania’s Serghei Tsvetkov, South Korea’s Sung Park, and American Ben King.

DSC07926

 

The peloton let the break hover around 3 to 4 minutes, occasionally pulling back to under 2 minutes before sitting up and letting it stretch out once more.

DSC07929

 

Richmond-born King was greeting with massive cheers every lap of the course.

DSC07942

 

Maciej Bodnar, who played an important role in Kwiatkowski’s 2014 world championship, again served his national teammate and friend.

DSC07945

 

Alexander Kristoff.

DSC07960

 

A relaxed peloton finished the last of 3 climbs in quick succession, knowing they had 12 flat kilometers to recover before repeating the climbs.

DSC07986

 

Kwiatkowski, Christian Knees, Matt Hayman, and John Degenkolb.

DSC07989

 

Tom Dumoulin.

DSC07990

 

The original break shed a few riders over the laps.

DSC07997

 

Dropped from the break and riding in no man’s land, Serbia’s Ivan Stevic gave the crowd an enthusiastic thumbs up for their support.

DSC08002

 

The Netherlands and Poland were among the countries that most often sat on the front of the peloton.

DSC08005

 

Dylan van Baarle.

DSC08007

 

Ben Swift and Kristijan Koren.

DSC08008

 

Kristoff and Sagan, 2 Classics sprinters expected to perform well on the Richmond course.

DSC08024

 

A powerful domestique with an aptitude for the Classics and bunch sprints, Lithuania’s Ramunas Navardauskas was considered a dark horse among dark horses.

DSC08032

 

Van Emden spent an enormous amount of time on the front.

DSC08042

 

Boonen won the world championships a decade ago.

DSC08047

 

Hugo Houle.

DSC08064

 

Done in the break, Sergent and Carlos Alzate soaked in the crowd.

DSC08066

 

The next break to go was the trio of Kanstantsin Siutsou, Guillaume Boivin, and Phinney.

DSC08069

 

Robert Gesink took a flyer off the peloton.

DSC08074

 

Durbridge.

DSC08075

 

Fresh off his first grand tour, Canadian Antoine Duchesne participated in his first elite road race at the world championships.

DSC08077

 

Mezgec and Kwiatkowski.

DSC08084

 

Ryan Roth.

DSC08085

 

National and trade teammates, Simon Gerrans and Michael Matthews both aimed for a strong person result in Richmond.

DSC08089

 

Michael Woods, riding his second world championships, will move up from Optum to Cannondale Garmin in 2016.

DSC08096

 

Winner Anacona.

DSC08102

DSC08155

 

Boivin and Phinney.

DSC08107

 

 

 

 

 

Paul Martens, Sagan, and Duchesne.

DSC08118

 

Michael Woods and Ryan Anderson.

DSC08127

 

King.

DSC08128

 

 

 

Johannes Frohlinger.

DSC08146

 

With just a couple of laps to go and their work done for the day, a large group sat up. Chris Juul-Jensen waved to Danish fans on the corner while Daryl Impey and Jay McCarthy enjoyed a chin wag.

DSC08175

DSC08176

 

The group rolled on.

DSC08182

 

Juraj Sagan and Michael Kolar of Slovakia both did not finish the race but knew their remaining teammate, Peter Sagan, was more than capable of finishing without them.

DSC08183

 

Kwiatkowski and Matteo Trentin.

DSC08189

 

Degenkolb.

DSC08190

 

Zdenek Stybar would have benefitted had the predicted rain fallen but the course stayed dry all day.

DSC08196

 

Gesink and Daniel Moreno.

DSC08214

 

In an all hand on deck approach, sprinter Andre Greipel took a huge pull on the front of the peloton to help reel in the break before sitting up.

DSC08221

 

Hitting the 23rd Street hill for the final time, Sagan emerged from hiding to surge ahead, gaining a small advantage on the following decent. The handful of seconds he had on his chasers gave him a little wiggle room on the Governor Street climb.

 

Cameras at the ready as the crowd anticipated seeing a solo Sagan fly around the corner in the final kilometer of the race.

DSC08226

 

Sagan had a few seconds on the peloton.

DSC08227

 

Turning the final corner, Sagan could see the finish line 700 meters up the road.

DSC08228

 

A group of nearly 2 dozen riders stormed up the Governor Street climb in desperate pursuit of the dangerous Slovakian.

DSC08230

 

Rigoberto Uran led the charge with Kristoff, Greg Van Avermaet, and Tom Dumoulin riding for their lives.

DSC08231

 

Van Avermaet.

DSC08233

 

Viacheslav Kuznetsov.

DSC08234

 

Michael Matthews and Rein Taaramae.

DSC08235

 

Kwiatkowski following Matthews’ wheel.

DSC08236

 

Silvian Dillier and Bookwalter.

DSC08238

 

Luis Leon Sanchez.

DSC08240

 

With the chasers barreling down upon him, Sagan crossed the finish line alone, 3 seconds ahead of the followers, with his arms open in an gesture of celebration.

 

Navardauskas was the first Lithuanian to ever stand on the podium at the elite men’s road race.

DSC08261

DSC08265

 

A sorely disappointed Matthews won the bunch sprint to earn his first elite medal at the world championships.

DSC08254

 

In what was probably the most entertaining podium ceremony the world championships has ever witnessed, the Slovakian leapt off the podium, kicking his heels together, and hugged his support crew off stage. Eschewing the stairs, the charismatic Sagan jumped back on the podium with a Slovakian flag. He also pounded his chest with a tight fist, as he did when finishing second to Ruben Plaza on stage 16 at this year’s Tour de France, a salute to Matthew McConaughey’s character in “The Wolf of Wall Street,” when he told the press he had, “big balls.” He was now ready to receive his gold medal and the rainbow jersey from UCI president Brian Cookson.

DSC08257

 

 

 

1st Peter Sagan

2nd Michael Matthews

3rd Ramunas Navardauskas

DSC08264

Comments are closed.