Spain’s Alejandro Valverde finally claimed his maiden rainbow jersey after winning the elite men’s road race at the 2018 UCI Road World Championships in Austria on Sunday (30th September).

The main event of the 2018 UCI Road World Championships – the elite men’s road race – was held in Austria on Sunday, with the field covering a 258.5-kilometre course that started from Kufstein and headed south-west to Innsbruck.

The race was decided on the last of nine climbs, where leader Michael Valgren Andersen was caught by a strong group that included Romain Bardet, Alejandro Valverde and Michael Woods. 3

Bardet, Valverde and Woods were caught by Dutchman Tom Dumoulin inside the last two kilometres on a flat run to the finishing line.

None of that quartet managed to pull clear in the closing stages, setting up a four-way sprint for glory.

Despite being the senior member of the group at the age of 38, Valverde had the legs to claim a long awaited maiden world title.

Bardet of France took second place ahead of Canada’s Woods, with Dumoulin missing out on a top-three finish.

It was the seventh time in the 38-year-old’s career that Valverde reached the podium at the Road World Championships, but the first time he ascended to the top step.

The Spaniard finished as runner-up in 2003 and 2005 and went on to claim third place finishes in 2006, 2012, 2013 and 2014.

Valverde received his rainbow jersey and gold medal from Peter Sagan, who’s bid for a fourth successive world title faded away on the hilly course.

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