Welcome back to another edition of Pro Log. Here’s a rundown of the World Championship results before we get started:
Elite Women’s Individual Time-Trial, Sun 21st September: 1st Marlen Reusser, Switzerland, 43min 09sec; 2nd Anna van der Breggen, Netherlands, +52sec; 3rd Demi Vollering, Netherlands, +1min 05sec.
Elite Men’s Individual Time-Trial, Sun 21st September: 1st Remco Evenepoel, Belgium, 49min 46sec; 2nd Jay Vine, Australia, +1min 14sec; 3rd Ilan van Wilder, Belgium, +2min 36sec.
U23 Women’s Individual Time-Trial, Mon 22nd September: 1st Zoe Bäckstedt, Great Britain, 30min 56sec; 2nd Viktória Chladonová, Slovakia, +1min 51sec; 3rd Federica Venturelli, Italy, +2min 11sec.
U23 Men’s Individual Time-Trial, Mon 22nd September: 1st Jakob Söderqvist, Sweden, 38min 24sec; 2nd Nate Pringle, New Zealand, +1min 04sec; 3rd Maxime Decomble, France, +1min 04sec.
Junior Women’s Individual Time-Trial, Tues 23rd September: 1st Megan Arens, Netherlands, 25min 47sec; 2nd Paula Ostiz, Spain, +35sec; 3rd Oda Aune Gissinger, Norway, +37sec.
Junior Men’s Individual Time-Trial, Tues 23rd September: 1st Michael Mouris, Netherlands, 29min 07sec; 2nd Ashlin Barry, United States, +07sec; 3rd Seff van Kerckhove, Belgium, +09sec.
Mixed Relay Team Time-Trial, Weds 24th September: 1st Australia, 54min 30sec; 2nd France, +05sec; 3rd Switzerland, +10sec.
U23 Women’s Road Race, Thurs 25th September: 1st Célia Gery, France, 3hr 24min 26sec; 2nd Viktória Chladonová, Slovakia, +02sec; 3rd Paula Blasi, Spain, +12sec.
Junior Men’s Road Race, Fri 26th September: 1st Harry Hudson, Great Britain, 2hr 55min 19sec; 2nd Johan Blanc, France, +16sec; 3rd Janek Jackowiak, Poland, +16sec.
U23 Men’s Road Race, Fri 26th September: 1st Lorenzo Finn, Italy, 3hr 57min 27sec; 2nd Jan Huber, Switzerland, +31sec; 3rd Marco Schrettl, Austria, +1min 13sec.
Junior Women’s Road Race, Sat 27th September: 1st Paula Ostiz, Spain, 2hr 09min 19sec; 2nd Chantal Pegolo, Italy, +00sec; 3rd Anja Grossmann, Switzerland +00sec.
Elite Women’s Road Race, Sat 27th September: 1st Magdeleine Vallieres, Canada, 4hr 34min 48sec; 2nd Niamh Fisher-Black, New Zealand, +23sec; 3rd Mavi García, Spain, +27sec.
Elite Men’s Road Race, Sun 28th September: 1st Tadej Pogačar, Slovenia, 6hr 21min 20sec; 2nd Remco Evenepoel, Belgium, +1min 28sec; 3rd Ben Healy, Ireland, +2min 16sec.
If you would like to ask your own question you just need to , or subscribe.Two very different elite road races
The men’s road race at the UCI World Championships was somewhat predictable – Tadej Pogačar replicating last year’s feat of going on the attack well in advance by attacking with 100km to go in search of the rainbow jersey, athough this time he was defending the jersey and had Isaac del Toro, his UAE Team Emirates XRG teammate, for company. He shook off his Mexican colleague with 66.6km remaining. Where was Didi the Devil when you need him?
Even though Remco Evenepoel would have to settle for a silver medal in the road race after his time-trial success, he put in an impressive ride, coming back from multiple mechanicals and bike changes including a slipped seatpost as Pogačar began to slip off the front. At one point, he kicked a bidon away with a fierce left foot reminiscent of his footballing days. But like Pogačar he dispatched those around him with relative ease in the last 20km, however it wasn’t nearly enough to close the Slovenian down.
Ireland’s Ben Healy was one of the final two riders fighting for the last podium spot alongside Denmark’s Mattias Skjelmose. Healy managed to pull away from Skujiņš in the dying kilometres of the most brutal day of their careers to score his nation’s first Worlds medal since Sean Kelly in 1989.
Meanwhile in the women’s race, the rainbow bands surprisingly did not go to a favourite. Magdeleine Vallieres of Canada had only won one professional race when she took to the start line. That would soon change in a big way.
It was at the foot of the final climb of the day that Vallieres attacked from the leading group of three to ride solo to her second professional victory, leaving behind New Zealand’s Niamh Fisher-Black, who helped illuminate the race. It took the cycling world by storm and sets her up for a perfect scenario with the next World Championships taking place in Montreal. A homecoming for the Québécoise Vallieres, who claimed Canada’s first gold medal in the race.
Fisher-Black would race to silver with 41-year-old Mavi García completing the podium. It has been a strong season for the Spaniard with a solo victory on Stage 2 of the Tour de France Femmes.
What happened to the favourites? Too much time watching one another waiting for someone else to do the work or attack. Demi Vollering led home the big names down in seventh place, 1min 34sec back.
First standalone U23 women road race
Finally we were able to witness the first running of the U23 women’s road race. For too many years it had been a race within the elite women’s race, but no more, and it did not disappoint, with the peloton free to deploy their own tactics and ride among their peers.
It was in the last 2km on the Kimihurura climb that France’s Marion Bunel launched an attack, drawing out teammate Célia Gery and Slovakia’s Viktória Chladoňová from the leading group. It was a display of teamwork perfection as Bunel continued to set a fierce pace on the front. An outnumbered Chladoňová kicked things up a notch, yet Gery matched her tempo and managed to come around in the last 100m and sprint to glory. It was another silver medal for Chladoňová following ITT silver earlier in the week.
Notably Spain’s Paula Ostiz impressed in the junior ranks with a silver medal in the ITT followed up by gold in the road race. Certainly one to watch in the coming seasons.
Will World Championship glory translate to European success?
David Ramos/Getty Images
Last week, Remco Evenepoel and Marlen Reusser won their respective time-trial world titles. For Evenepoel, it was his third consecutive title, as for Reusser, it was a long time coming.
The job’s not done though. The European Championships start this week, with all the time-trials taking place on Wednesday 1st October and with all but the junior women racing on a 24km course with an uphill kick towards the finish. Will Evenepoel and Reusser dethrone Italy’s Edoardo Affini and Belgium’s Lotte Kopecky in Drôme-Ardèche? It’ll be a tough ask with the short turnaround and the long transfer from Rwanda, but they’re certainly in top form.
Golds for Great Britain
Harry Hudson is having an incredible season. The 18-year-old won the Junior CiCLE Classic and stormed to victory at Liège-Bastogne-Liège Juniors in May before lining up for Great Britain in Rwanda, where he became the first British winner of the junior men’s road race with a 36km solo attack as teammates Max Hinds and Matthew Peace finished fourth and fifth respectively.
And such is the calibre of Zoe Bäckstedt that a gold medal was almost a foregone conclusion. She flew to victory in the U23 women’s 22.6km ITT course, clocking a time almost two minutes faster than second place Chladoňová.
See you next week.
