Home > News

Julian Alaphilippe is the world champion, Woods places 12th

The first French elite men's road champion since 1997

September 27, 2020
Share on SMS

In what seemed inevitable, Julian Alaphilippe won the world championship on Sunday, soloing to the victory after a powerful move on the race’s final climb. A Frenchman earned the rainbow jersey for the first time since Laurent Brochard in 1997. Michael Woods placed 12th.

The Course

The elite men’s course was 258.2 km in length, nine laps of a 28.8 km route, each lap containing the Mazzolano climb, 2.2 km of 7.1 percent; and Cima Gallisterna, 2.3 km of 7.3 percent and a very steep final kilometre.

Canada had four entrants: Woods, Hugo Houle, Guillaume Boivin and Alex Cataford, who was his nation’s sole representative in Friday’s time trial.

Seven riders broke away early and enjoyed flying their flags over the first few laps.

By the start of Lap 7 only three fugitives were left out front, with Slovenia, Switzerland and Denmark pulling in the peloton. The appearance of Alaphilippe and his French crew near the front on the Gallisterna sounded the alert bells and spelled the end of the breakaway.

France led into Lap 8 but Great Britain grabbed the reins before Mazzolano. Belgium and Italy massed at the front before the Gallisterna. But it was Tadej Pogacar with the attack on the steep climb at the same place Anne van der Breggen made her move on Saturday. He tipped over with an 8-second lead.

Pogacar heard the bell of the final lap with a 26-second gap over the Belgium-driven peloton. Tom Dumoulin attacked when the peloton had the Slovenian in sight on the Mazzolano. The duo came back with 21 km to go. Woods was still in the streamlined peloton. Wout Van Aert, Vincenzo Nibali, Mikel Landa and Rigoberto Uran burst away at the top of Mazzolano but they couldn’t stay away on the descent.

On the way to the foot of the final passage up Gallisterna, the group split, with Woods in the second group, but it came back together. Tour de France revelation Marc Hirschi led up the ascent. Alaphilippe attacked over the top.

Jakob Fuglsang, Primoz Roglic, Van Aert, Hirschi and Michal Kwiatkowski made up Alaphilippe’s chase group. The Frenchman entered the Ferrari motor circuit with a 15-second lead. The pursuers’ heads went down as they realized it was over for them.

Alaphilippe celebrated passionately. Twenty-four seconds later Van Aert and Hirschi sprinted onto the podium.

2020 UCI Road World Championships Elite Men Road Race
1) Julian Alaphilippe (France) 6:38:34
2) Wout Van Aert (Belgium) +0:24
3) Marc Hirschi (Switzerland) s.t.
12) Michael Woods (Canada) +0:53
61) Hugo Houle (Canada) +19:42