The UCI Road World Championships concluded Sunday with four Americans competing in the Men’s Elite Road Race through the countryside of Italy. Racing 258.2 kilometers over the course of 9 laps with over 5000 kilometers of climbing, this course proved to be difficult for the field of 177 riders.
With an early breakaway on the first climb of the day, a group of 7 riders quickly put distance between themselves and the peloton. Sepp Kuss (Durango, Colo.; Team Jumbo Visma), Neilson Powless (Roseville, Calif.; EF Education First Pro Cycling), Brandon McNulty (Phoenix, Ariz; UAE Team Emirates), Lawson Craddock (Houston, Texas; EF Education First Pro Cycling) sat comfortably in the peloton and kept an eye on the action. On the 5th lap, the pace picked up while the peloton was on the second climb and Craddock couldn’t stay with the group. He was dropped off the back.
During the final two laps of the race, Kuss sat top 50 in the field. Tour de France winner Tadej Pogacar (SLO) attacked on the climb and broke away from the peloton extending his lead to 26” in the final 28km of the race. Powless and McNulty weren’t able to hold the pace, they were dropped and eventually abandoned. Pogacar would be absorbed by the peloton at the start of the first climb on the final lap of the 28 kilometer loop. The Belgian team would attack on the final climb of the race and completely shatter the remaining field. At the end, it was Julian Alaphillipe (FRA) to break away with 10km to go and bring home gold for France. The top finisher for Team USA was Kuss finishing 53rd.
Final Results
1. Julian Alaphilippe FRA 6:38:34
2. Wout Van Aert BEL +:24
3. Marc Hirschi SUI +:24
52. Sepp Kuss USA +12:35
DNF. Neilson Powless USA
DNF. Brandon McNulty USA
DNF. Lawson Craddock the USA
You can watch all the racing live on the Olympic Channel. Follow @USACyclingLIVE on Twitter for live updates throughout the race along with @USACycling and @UCI_cycling. For more information on start times and who to watch, click here.
Photos By Rob Jones
