Welcome to back to the 2022 World Championships, here in Norway. After six entertaining days, we’ll finish this week – and this season – with the U23 road race. They’ll ride the same route as the elite, so let’s hope that it won’t be too hard!
Organization seems to favour the punchers with some cobbles abilities, as Leknessund and Jorgenson are the top favorites. But there are cobblers also, with Tediashvili in the pan-european team, or Rossi.
After some kilometres and two paved sectors, a group of 4 has 13 seconds on the pack: Berthet, Price-Pejtersen, Irgens Jensen and Kroonen. No specially good cobblers among them.
Lunder and Blouwe are riding behind them. The leaders soon are joined by Drizners, but the pack doesn’t relent. They finally are caught with 230 km left and a very stretched pack.
America leads the pack on the cobbles, as the first riders are dropped: Healy, Corkery and Gomez.
France is interested in the break! Delbove managed to jump out of the pack, and he earned a 1’12 gap. He’s all alone, though.
That provokes new sets of attacks, and this time, the peloton down to 138 riders, doesn’t follow.
Delbove soon is caught by a group of 11: Romo, Bagioli, Stöckli, Drizners, Pajur, Hellemose, Mulubrhan, Leemreize, Lord, Karatsivis and Matsuda. Not sure that everybody will survive the cobbles though.
We’re at the 200 km mark after a short break – what a long race this is – and indeed, Romo seems to have good legs, as he’s alone at the front. The pack is two minutes behind, with 111 men in it.
A small surprise at the head of the pack, as it’s Tediashvili taking matters in hand this far from the finish line, and he’s got Rossi – another of the great cobblers here – in his wheel.
All the favourites are here for now.
A group of 11 is back together at the head of the race, with an unidentified rider between them and the pack, which is 3’40 behind. San Marino, Norway and the US are at the front to control the race.
136 km left now, and Arensman attacks! Stan Martino and Bonello.
Soon enough, a group of 5 is chasing the head of the race: with the 3 aforementioned riders, we have Curley and Ansons. They have caught Lord and have Leemreize in their sight and Kelly some meters behind. The peloton is 1’30 behind.
And we enter in the 100 km mark. A group of 10 opens the road. 1’10 behind, we have Van Den Bossche, Arensman and Van Dijke. Wright is some more seconds behind, as are Sprenger, Martino and Molina Pagan.
The 96 men peloton is 2’47 behind the break. Johannessen and Schunk are riding.
The next 38 km are hard, and the break and the peloton explode. Only 31 riders in the peloton now, 1’52 behind Ansons. The Latvian is 1’30 behind Romo, Hellemose, Delbove and Pajur. Still no favourite dropped.
San Marino, Norway and Belgium lead the charge.
Due to the frantic pace, the peloton caught the break and lost more men! Only 19 riders now. Van Den Bossche and Giulietti are the strongest cobblers dropped, after their work in the pack, which entered the last 50Â km. Braet is working at the head of the pack.
Van Dijke and Jorgenson are the next to attack! They’re caught, and Perez, Tediashvili and Stocek counter.
To no avail, but that’s more interesting! Stocek, Schmid, Rossi and Cannister got some advantage on the cobbles.
they get a 45 seconds lead at the end of the sector.
25 km left, and let’s see who remains in the chasing group, 1’03 behind the 4 leaders: Stewart, Tediashvili, Leknessund, Perez, Jorgenson, Matsangos, Vermeersch, Louvel, Rojas, Van Dijke, Jarc and Evangelos. No helper left, so they’ll have to work together to come back!
They don’t seem able to do so, and only lost more time under the 20 km banner.
The gap is 1’30 with 13 km left. It feels good for the leaders! Cannister is the best sprinter, but Schmid has the best kick. Plenty of cobbles left to make the difference though.
Rossi ups the pace and Schmid can’t follow.
Though the Swiss manages to come back, Rossi gets a small gap. He’s the best rouleur and cobbler…
Rossi ends the cobbles with 38’’ on Schmid, now alone behind him. Does he have the legs to keep at it?
Flamme rouge! Rossi is tiring, but Schmid doesn’t seem able to come back.
He doesn’t have the strength to celebrate, but Rossi is the 2022 U23 world champion! Perfect race from the San Marinese and his team!
Schmid resists to the rest and takes 2nd. Excellent ride for the Jura rider.
And Stocek manages to keep is place on the podium, despite a sprinting Stewart.
“...the secret of the Great Stories is that they have no secrets. The Great Stories are the ones you have heard and want to hear again. The ones you can enter anywhere and inhabit comfortably."
A. Roy
Leknessund and 
Jorgenson are the top favorites. But there are cobblers also, with 
Tediashvili in the pan-european team, or 
Rossi.
Berthet, 
Price-Pejtersen, Irgens Jensen and 
Kroonen. No specially good cobblers among them.
Blouwe are riding behind them. The leaders soon are joined by 
Drizners, but the pack doesn’t relent. They finally are caught with 230 km left and a very stretched pack.
Healy, Corkery and 
Gomez.
Romo, 
Bagioli, 
Stöckli, 
Pajur, 
Mulubrhan, 
Lord, 
Karatsivis and 
Matsuda. Not sure that everybody will survive the cobbles though.
Bonello. 
Ansons. They have caught 
Wright is some more seconds behind, as are Sprenger, 
Perez, 
Stocek counter.
Cannister got some advantage on the cobbles.
Matsangos, 
Jarc and 
