One week after Marta Bastianelli’s win in the women’s race, once again it was an Italian rider who stepped on the highest step of the podium in the Road race this afternoon which was the concluding event of the 2018 European Championships programme in Glasgow (Great Britain).
In the final sprint, the rider, aged 29,from Trentino, beat the European champion and the current Cyclo-Cross World Champion Mathieu van der Poel (Nethlerlands) and Wout van Aert (Belgium).
The first part of the race was dominated by seven riders for over 100 kilometres: Robert McCarthy (Ireland), Roland Thalmann (Switzerland), Krists Neilands (Latvia), Josef Cerny (Czech Republic), Matthias Krizek (Austria), Polychronis Tzortzakis (Greece) and Mihkel Raim (Estonia) who dropped behind after about 40 kilometres.
Approximately sixty kilometres from the finish, the peloton grouped together driven by the Belgian and it was Van Aert’s teammates that controlled the decisive action in the final stages.
On the twelfth of the sixteen laps of the circuit, 10 riders were in the lead: Matteo Trentin and Davide Cimolai (Italy), Wout Van Aert and Xandro Meurisse (Belgium), Maurits Lammertink and Mathieu Van Der Poel (Netherlands), Nico Denz (Germany), Pierre Luc Perichon (France), Michael Albasini (Switzerland) and Jesus Herrada Lopez (Spain).
The attackers quickly made even more headway on their group of followers.
In the last few kilometres, the race was fast paced and the leading group broke up again, leaving five riders in front all aiming to reach the finish line first. Entering the final straight, Davide Cimolai perfectly steered Matteo Trentin to a clear victory over the two Cyclo-Cross masters Van der Poel and Van Aert.
Matteo Trentin:«Winning a European title is an unbelievable feeling, especially because this win comes after a very unlucky season due to several accidents. The Italian national team was brilliant and it all went as planned and Davide Cimolai was exceptional steering me in the sprint. I will wear the European Champion’s jersey for the first time next Sunday in the EuroEyes Cyclassics Hamburg, and then in the Vuelta España.»
Information #EuroRoad18 – click here
European Championships Glasgow 2018 website: https://www.glasgow2018.com/
