Valverde finally clinches world ‘road race’ crown

Bardet settles for 2nd as Woods takes 3rd

Left to right: 3rd placed Michael Woods of Canada, winner Alejandro Valverde of Spain and 2nd placed Romain Bardet of France cross the finish line of the Men’s Elite road race of the 2018 UCI Road World Championships in

Innsbruck, Austria on Sept 30, 2018. (AFP) INNSBRUCK, Austria, Sept 30, (AFP): Veteran Spaniard Alejandro Valverde ended years of frustration to win the world championships road race on Sunday after outpacing France’s Romain Bardet and Canada’s Michael Woods in a thrilling sprint for the finish line.

The trio had boosted their victory chances after crossing the summit of the notoriously difficult Hottinger hill ‘Hell’ climb, featuring one steep section at a whopping time-trial title on Tuesday and was on target for a double before the fall 90 kilometres from the finish. Even after crashing, she still finished seventh.

“Can’t believe it. So many emotions now. Will heal, but will take time... (weeks),” she wrote underneath an x-ray of her knee posted on her Twitter account. “I felt okay even if my knee was painful, I can’t explain it,” she said.

Her compatriot Anna van der Breggen won the road race.

Meanwhile, the International Cycling Union (UCI) wants to reschedule its calendar to put more emphasis on one-day ‘classic’ races and sell TV rights for them collectively, its president David Lappartient has announced. Lappartient said he had met all the main race organisers, and they all agreed to the main thrust of his proposals.

“We want to focus on the classics,” he said, speaking at the world championships in Innsbruck.

“The season would start with oneday races before moving on to oneweek races until the Tour of Romandie (which takes place at the end of April).

“Then after the one-week races and the Grand Tours (we will) start having a one-day race every week as of the second half of August.”

“We want to make it a global calendar and I won’t count out having races in Asia or Latin America,” he said. Lappartient said the UCI would target 20 races but that could rise to 25. He said some races could change format, such as the Tour of Abu Dhabi, currently a five-stage event in February.

“For example the Tour of Abu Dhabi would become a one-day race, a classic,” he said.