Marked by his violent crash into the balustrades, but overjoyed, Mathieu van der Poel crouched on the wet asphalt at George Square and let his emotions run free.
“It’s incredible. I can’t even imagine riding in the rainbow jersey. If I hadn’t won the title, I would have had sleepless nights,” said the Dutch cycling star. At the end of a dramatic triumph, with a tattered jersey and bloody elbows, he had conquered the world championship crown in road cycling for the first time.
Undeterred by a violent fall on the slippery streets of Glasgow, van der Poel tearfully celebrated his personal happy ending at an Australian police station a year after the nightmare. “It feels like a rematch for last year,” said van der Poel, who won the maze of Glasgow with its many curves and corners by a clear margin over his Belgian rival Wout van Aert and the Slovenian Tour runner-up Tadej Pogacar.
Protest action brakes driver field
In the world championship road race, which was overshadowed by protests, the five-time cross country champion showed off his driving skills on the winding course through the Scottish industrial city and after 271.1 kilometers he single-handedly won the race. He didn’t let himself be stopped by a fall 16.5 kilometers from the finish line when he slipped into a barrier in a bend. However, the 28-year-old jumped back on the bike straight away and ultimately secured the first Dutch victory in 38 years. In 1985, Joop Zoetemelk triumphed in Giavera di Montella, Italy.
As expected, the German drivers played no role. Only John Degenkolb was able to present himself in the front field for a while, but in the end he had no chance. The long wait for the first German world title since Rudi Altig in 1966 continues. “I think it was a race like there has never been before. In the end I’m glad that somehow I made it, got a result and held up the German flag,” said Degenkolb, who finished 16th .
Politt out with a defect
National coach André Greipel spoke of an “honest result”, with the strongest drivers finishing in front. The German squad was quickly decimated by defects from Nils Politt and Jannik Steimle. Politt from Cologne, who had started the race as captain, was quickly left behind. “I had a flat tire at a pretty bad time, about 25, 30 kilometers before the lap on the hill,” said Politt. He still fought back, but the position wasn’t enough. Nico Denz also got off his bike early.
For van der Poel, the grandson of the legendary Raymond Poulidor, it is the culmination of an outstanding season with victories at the cycling monuments Milan-Sanremo and Paris-Roubaix and the title at the cross-country championships.
Just a year ago, the World Championships in Wollongong had turned into a personal fiasco for MvP. The night before the street race, there had been an argument in the hotel corridor with two girls who kept knocking on his door. After some shoving, the police arrived. Van der Poel had to be at the station for a few hours and gave up after a sleepless night later in the race.
Decision 22 kilometers from the finish
The decision in front of several hundred thousand spectators came 22 kilometers from the finish when van der Poel made the decisive attack. Before that, the Italian Alberto Bettiol had been alone at the front for a long time when it started to rain before he was swallowed up by van der Poel’s group of favorites. Defending champion Remco Evenepoel had already had to be torn down.
On the 14.3-kilometre circuit in Glasgow with its 48 corners, there was a veritable elimination race. Prominent names were repeatedly left behind in the course of the race, including the two former world champions Peter Sagan (Slovakia) and Michal Kwiatkowski (Poland) and the four-time Tour stage winner Jasper Philipsen (Belgium).
The six-man German team was quickly decimated in Glasgow. Nils Politt from Cologne, who had started the race as captain, was quickly left behind. “I had a flat tire at a pretty bad time, about 25, 30 kilometers before the lap on the hill,” said Politt. He still fought back, but the position wasn’t enough. Jannik Steimle and Nico Denz also got off their bikes early.
Before things got down to business in Glasgow, a protest by a Scottish environmental organization caused the race to be interrupted for almost an hour. Around 80 kilometers after the start in Edinburgh, demonstrators stuck to the asphalt on a country road in the Carron Valley, bringing the field to a standstill. Scottish police arrested five protesters. “It wasn’t a good time to stand on the street sweating for an hour,” said Politt.
