In some ways it’s remarkable the 2020 Road World Championships happened at all. When the Swiss hosts cancelled the event due to COVID-19 restrictions, new organisers in Imola, Italy had just weeks to pull everything together. They did an impressive job, delivering a memorable Worlds at very short notice.
Sure, the event was scaled back to just four events — time trials and road races for the elite women and men — but those events delivered plenty of excitement that will be remembered for some time to come. Our photographers were in and around Imola to capture all the action. Here’s what they saw.
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- Denmark’s Emma Cecilie Norsgaard put in a strong early ride in the women’s ITT, eventually landing seventh on the day.
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- Teniel Campbell rides for UCI team Valcar-Travel&Service but on Thursday she was representing her home nation of Trinidad & Tobago.
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- At 45 years young, two-time former champ Amber Neben finished sixth.
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- Marlen Reusser is one of the rising stars of women’s time trialling. The Swiss rider took a silver medal on the day …
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- … only behind new world champion Anna van der Breggen.
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- Pre-race favourite Chloe Dygert was leading the race and looking set to win a second-straight gold medal …
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- … but a horror crash saw her leave the race with a badly injured leg.
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- Lisa Brennauer was a spent force at the end, and would have to settle for fourth.
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- Less than a week after winning the Giro Rosa, Van der Breggen rode her way to her first Worlds ITT title.
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- Former world champ and teammate Ellen van Dijk was on hand to congratulate Van der Breggen …
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- … after finishing third herself.
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- Three-time U23 TT world champ Mikkel Bjerg struggled a little in his debut elite men’s Worlds ITT, finishing 17th.
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- Thomas rode strongly in the Worlds ITT.
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- Former world champ Tom Dumoulin didn’t get the result he was after, taking 10th on the day.
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- Likewise world hour record holder Victor Campanaerts who ended up eighth, nearly a minute off the pace.
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- Wout van Aert continued his impressive run of form …
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- … riding to a silver medal, 26 seconds behind the eventual winner.
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- Defending champion Rohan Dennis couldn’t produce the same dominant display as in the past two years, and eventually finished fifth.
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- The day belonged to Italy’s Filippo Ganna who stormed his way to a gold medal …
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- … with an average speed of nearly 53 km/h for the 32 km course.
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- Ganna first, Van Aert second, and Switzerland’s Stefan Kung third, to add to his bronze medal in the road race at last year’s Yorkshire Worlds.
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- Despite breaking her wrist in the Giro Rosa a week earlier, defending champion Annemiek van Vleuten was able to start the road race thanks to a wrist brace.
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- Van Vleuten increased the pace on the penultimate lap in a move that would ultimately set up her Dutch teammate Van der Breggen.
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- Van Vleuten’s tempo had some riders in trouble, including Lizzie Deignan.
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- Van der Breggen set sail from the lead group with around 40 km to go. Once she was gone, she was gone.
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- Two years after winning the Worlds road race in Innsbruck, Van der Breggen doubled up by winning solo by 1:20 in Imola.
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- Behind her, there was a tight tussle for second between Van Vleuten and local hero Elisa Longo Borghini.
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- Van Vleuten nabbed silver on the line to add to her gold medal from a year earlier. Not bad with a fractured wrist.
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- That’s two gold medals in three days for Van der Breggen. She’ll surely do the rainbows proud again as she moves towards her final season as a pro racer.
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- Julian Alaphilippe was one of the pre-race favourites for Sunday’s men’s race. His partner, former pro and current FranceTV commentator Marion Rousse, was on the sidelines seeing him off.
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- A breakaway got clear early but was always going to get caught.
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- Strong crowds came out to support on the Cima Gallisterna climb, the second and final ascent on the circuit.
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- Tour de France champion Tadej Pogacar put in an impressive attack at the same spot as Van der Breggen a day earlier. While Pogacar got a lead that grew to more than 20 seconds he would eventually be caught by a motivated peloton.
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- Belgium, led here by Tiesj Benoot and Tim Wellens, rode strongly on the front in the closing laps to help set up Wout van Aert, the big favourite to win the rainbow bands.
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- Alaphilippe attacked on the final climb exactly as so many expected.
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- But knowing he would attack didn’t mean his rivals were able to do anything about it.
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- What started as a small lead kept growing in the 13 km to the finish.
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- A formidable chase group formed behind, but most seemed reluctant to commit fully to the chase, knowing they’d be helping the fast-finishing Van Aert.
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- Alaphilippe held on to win by 24 seconds.
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- Behind him, Van Aert easily won the sprint for second place while Marc Hirschi pipped 2014 world champion Michal Kwiatkowski in the sprint for third.
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- That’s two silver medals for Van Aert at the 2020 Road Worlds. For Hirschi, bronze is a brilliant result to add to his breakout Tour de France.
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- And as for Julian Alaphilippe, he’s the very definition of a deserving world champion. It’s going to be an exciting year ahead with the dynamic Frenchman in rainbows.
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