Álvarez wins U23 European Championships road race to give Spain revenge for missed world championship title

Ashlin Barry pulled off an amazing feat in Montreal, Canada. The American clinched the world title with a long solo breakaway. His rivals were absolutely devastated, but eight riders in the top ten got another chance just a week later. The European Cycling Championships were on the schedule in Slovenia, and Saturday was the day for the U23 riders.

After Nienke Vinke narrowly missed out on gold in the women’s event (she finished second behind Switzerland’s Mara Winter in the sprint), it was the young men’s turn in the afternoon. And many of the top contenders for the World Championship were also there in Slovenia. For the Netherlands, riders like Ryan Gal, Daan Dijkman, Guus van den Eijnden, and Jurgen Zomermaand were hoping for a medal.

The first eighty kilometers of the course were flat, and strangely enough, no early breakaway was launched. As a result, the entire peloton crossed the finish line in Sencur together for the first time. But the local loop that followed included a two-kilometer climb with a gradient of just over 10 percent. As a result, about forty riders remained after the first lap.

The Italians then attempted a long breakaway with Roberto Capello, but behind them, the Belgians took control. Matteo Vanhuffel set the pace, while Max Bock (Germany) also joined the fray. But the top favorites quickly closed the gap, including Héctor Álvarez. The Spaniard finished second at the World Championships and third in the time trial, and launched his attack with 35 kilometers to go.

Dijkman joined the chasing group, where three Belgians—Vanhuffel, Niels Driesen, and Matisse Van Kerckhove—had to do most of the work. That group of eight was joined by a second group, which included Dutch rider Zomermaand and Belgian Viktor Soenens. But even with that reinforcement, the fast rider Álvarez continued to pull away. He began the final lap with a lead of more than thirty seconds.

The big, heavy Álvarez had never been the best climber to begin with, so the flyweights wanted to close in on him. Bock climbed brilliantly, but couldn’t shake off Driesen and Jan Jackowiak (Poland). The second group, with the Netherlands setting the pace, had to concede a lot more ground. But just before the summit, they caught up with the lone leader, and suddenly there were four contenders.

Once at the top, Álvarez and Jackowiak—the tallest, heaviest riders at the front—proved to be the strongest. They managed to shake off the smaller climbers and fought a fierce duel between the two of them. The Spaniard still showed no signs of fatigue and opened up a gap on the descent. He took a lot of risks and pulled away from his rival.

The gap at the bottom of the descent was ten seconds. Was that enough? It seemed so, as Álvarez extended his lead on the flat. The No. 3 rider in the World Time Trial Championships showcased his sprinting skills and raced to the European title. Behind him, Jackowiak narrowly claimed the silver by staying ahead of the charging Driesen, who finished third. Dijkman finished sixth.

1. Héctor Álvarez
2. Jan Jackowiak
3. Niels Driesen
4. Max Bock
5. Mattia Negrente
6. Daan Dijkman
7. Matisse Van Kerckhove
8. Erazem Valjavec
9. Daniel Filipe Moreira
10. Richard Riska