TOPS
The Netherlands have been waiting for this for 38 years. Mathieu Van der Poel succeeded where his grandfather Raymond Poulidor could not do better than 4 podiums: winning the title of world champion in road cycling. Few would have predicted the Dutchman’s victory 110 kilometers from the finish. Not helped by his team and the falls of three of his teammates, Van der Poel found himself in a group of distanced, far behind the favorites. But he was able to gradually move up the places to find the outpost of the peloton in Glasgow.
It was he who first allowed the group including Pogacar, Van Aert, Bettiol and Pedersen to get into orbit by pulling themselves out of the pack of runners. Then, 20 kilometers from the finish, he placed an explosive attack leaving his breakaway companions behind. Van der Poel took such a lead that he even allowed himself to fall in a badly negotiated corner on a soggy road.
In this crazy race where the favorites attacked 90 kilometers from the finish, the Danish selection played its role of spoilsport perfectly. First passing in the lead at the entrance to the winding Glasgow circuit. With Mikkel Bjerg, Mattias Skjelmose, Tobias Johannessen and Mads Pedersen, Denmark then blasted the race. Thanks (or because of them), many favorites were caught in the trap and the race was totally unbridled. Pedersen’s 4th place and the various mechanical incidents of the latter’s teammates, however, give a taste of unfinished business to this excellent overall performance.
FLOPS
Valentin Madouas and Benoît Cosnefroy are the only Tricolores to have crossed the finish line. Glasgow did not bring luck to the selection of Thomas Voeckler. Christophe Laporte, who represented the best chance of a medal, suffered a double mechanical incident in the space of ten minutes as the Danes and Belgians toughened up the race. Alaphilippe tried to get his compatriot back in the peloton, in vain. The double world champion, dropped out, also gave up. Cosnefroy did what he could to keep Madouas in the wheels of the group of favorites, but nothing helped.
The Belgian, title holder, never really weighed on the race. Often trapped by breaks, he spent a lot of energy and that of his team to get up to the favorites. Despite a few accelerations lacking sharpness, he was let go during Van der Poel’s first big attack. Evenepoel, who is preparing to compete in the Vuelta (of which he is also the title holder) at the end of August, moderated his efforts when he saw that he had nothing more to play for. But he at least finished the race (25th).