Cycling World Championships 2023: Mathieu van der Poel wins men's road race

Posted : 07 August 2023

Mathieu van der Poel of the Netherlands demonstrated an impressive recovery from a serious crash to secure a captivating victory in the men's road race at the Cycling World Championships in Glasgow, which was earlier disrupted by a protest.

The 28-year-old launched an attack in the final 25km and managed to hold his lead despite suffering a fall that resulted in a broken shoe on the rain-soaked roads.

Wout van Aert from Belgium claimed the silver medal, while Tadej Pogacar of Slovenia managed to outpace Denmark's Mads Pedersen to secure the bronze.

A protest caused a 50-minute delay in the race, and five individuals were arrested due to this disruption.

The 271.1km route originating from Edinburgh, which was paused after around 80km of racing due to the protest, concluded with 10 laps of a 14.3km circuit in Glasgow's city center.

"It means everything. It was one of my biggest goals and to win it today is amazing," Van der Poel expressed to BBC Sport.

On his crash, he added, "I was not taking risks, I don't know, all of a sudden I was on the ground. It was super slippery. To still manage to pull it off, I wouldn't say it makes it nicer as I would have loved to have stayed on the bike. But if it cost me a world title, I would have not slept for a couple of days."

Van der Poel, a specialist in one-day classics and winner of this year's Paris-Roubaix and Milan-San Remo, made a forceful move just as Italian leader Alberto Bettiol was on the verge of being caught.

Despite having gained a lead of more than 30 seconds, the Dutch cyclist suffered a crash by sliding off his bike while negotiating a tight right-hand corner with over 15km to go.

However, he quickly got back on his bike to continue his pursuit of victory, even with a broken shoe. He managed to recover and began the final circuit with a 32-second lead over a strong chasing group comprised of Van Aert, Pogacar, and Pedersen.

Van der Poel, with a torn jersey and shorts due to the crash, was cheered on as he triumphantly climbed Montrose Street for the final time before entering the last kilometer. He placed his hands on his head in celebration after crossing the finish line with a lead of one minute and 37 seconds, triumphing over a highly competitive field.

Although defending world champion Remco Evenepoel had been a significant contender in the narrowing leading group as the race reached Glasgow, it was Bettiol who made a crucial move just as rain began to fall with 55km left. This inclement weather created challenging road conditions on the winding city center circuit.

A crash involving Ecuador's Jhonatan Narvaez, similar to the incident with Van der Poel later, disrupted the pursuing group and allowed the final top four to break away, marking the end of Evenepoel's title defense.

The highest-placed British rider was Owain Doull, who finished in 18th place. Evenepoel came in 25th, one spot ahead of British cyclist Connor Swift, while national champion Fred Wright was among those who did not complete the race.

Around 190km into the race, the leading group of riders was unexpectedly halted near the Carron Valley Reservoir due to protestors blocking the road. Great Britain's Doull was part of a nine-man breakaway that established a seven-minute lead. The main peloton was stopped farther down the road to maintain this gap as the police dealt with the situation.

The environmental group This Is Rigged claimed responsibility for the demonstration and stated that four of its activists were involved.

Cycling World Championships 2023: Mathieu van der Poel wins men's road race

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