Thor Hushovd edged out Matti Breschel in a thrilling sprint finish in Sunday’s Elite Men’s Road Race in Geelong, Australia.
The Norwegian had too much power as he shot towards the finish line and it was left to the others to figure out the minor placings. He had shown during the Tour de France that he could survive the hills better than any other sprinter and he hung on to the peloton. He stuck himself behind the wheel of Belgium’s Greg Van Avermaet before flying around the entire group and winning by over a bikes length.
Breschel had initially led the sprint from the 100 metre mark, but he wasn’t able to hang on to the front. The Dan was visibly angry with himself as he crossed the line; he had been inches away from claiming the rainbow jersey when he was passed by the Norwegian. Allan Davis of Australia rounded off the podium position pipping Filippo Pozzato in to third who left it just a bit too late to attack.
Early Break
Before the race left Melbourne Matty Brammeier of Ireland launched an attack along with four other riders. It looked likely that one of these riders would stand on the top step after they managed to pull out an astonishing 23 minute gap. Once it hit the roads of Geelong the times started to tumble and they were soon caught.
The pace around the 15.9km circuit was very high almost immediately and several riders including favourites like Mark Cavendish were dropped. An attack by Vuelta a Espana winner Vincenzo Nibali on lap nine of 11 spelt curtains for any rider who were hoping to hang on to the group until the end. He managed to pull out a 22 second gap on a chasing group led by time-trial champion Fabian Cancellara. However, with only a handful of laps left they weren’t going to let him away that easily.
Gilbert Launches Attack
Philip Gilbert came in to this event as a big favourite with a course that seriously favoured his explosive style. He made his winning intentions known on the first of the final two climbs and had an 18 second gap on the followers. It wasn’t to be for Gilbert though and he was caught just outside the 1km to go banner. He was just able to hang on to the group and slotted in behind defending champion Cadel Evans.
The race started in Melbourne and it was the first time in the World Championships that the road race has gone from one city to another. They decided to chose the format for the men’s event after the success of the Olympic Road Race in Beijing.
For many riders this will be their last race of the season, but for the lucky few they will be heading to Delhi to compete in the Commonwealth Games.
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