Valverde sprints to road race world title

INNSBRUCK: For the seventh time in his career, Alejandro Valverde stepped onto the podium after the men’s road race at the World Championships.

But for the first time he received the gold medal.

The Spanish rider sprinted to his first world title after a gruelling, mountainous race of six hours 46 minutes through the Austrian Alps, including a final climb with a maximum gradient of 28%.

Valverde led a group of four in the final kilometre and he just remained ahead in the sprint, with Romain Bardet of France taking the silver.

Michael Woods, the first Canadian in the top three since Steve Bauer in 1984, won the bronze, while Tom Dumoulin of Holland placed fourth.

The victory came 15 years after Valverde won silver in Hamilton, Canada, a feat he repeated in 2005 in Madrid.

He also came third four times, in 2006 and three years in a row from 2012-2014.

“This is the greatest day of my career. It means everything to me to take this victory,” the 38-year-old Valverde said.

“It’s my biggest pro victory.

“One that I’ve fought hard to achieve for all these years.

“Something I’ve been chasing for during my entire career.”

He became the first Spanish world champion since Oscar Freire won the title in 2004.

Valverde, who served a doping suspension earlier in his career, has won stages in all Grand Tours and was the overall winner of the Vuelta in 2009.

Sunday’s title came a year after he suffered a fractured kneecap in a fall in the Tour de France, forcing him to end his 2017 season prematurely.

“I’m so proud of wearing this jersey for the next 12 months,” he said.

“I’ve been at other World Championships where a teammate won and I enjoyed it but taking it yourself is just special.”