Halvorsen bags U-23 title with late surge

DOHA: Kristoffer Halvorsen of Norway yesterday won the Men’s U-23 World title with a spirited late surge at The Pearl.
The 20-year-old sprinter won the speed test ahead of Germany’s Pascal Ackermann and Italy’s Jakub Mareczko with a stunning push in the last few metres that astonished the pundits on day five of the UCI Road World Championships.
After flying past Ackermann, Halvorsen also thwarted Mareczko’s bid for his maiden world title.
After yesterday’s stunning win, Halvorsen has now become the third Norwegian to have bagged the world crown.
Kurt Asle Arvesen (1997) and Sven Erik Bystrøm (2014) are the other two Norwegians with U-23 world titles. Norway has now collected three Men’s Under 23 titles to equal France in second place on the all-time ranking. Cycling powerhouse Italy leads the all-time rankings with four gold medals in the U-23 bracket.
“The race was hard, but the heat wasn’t as hard as I anticipated. The team did a brilliant job of keeping me ahead. The final sprint was tiresome, but I’m so glad that I won gold today,” Halvorsen said.
“My team-mates were so good, they’ve been working so hard, I’m incredibly happy. The course was perfect for me and this was my biggest goal for this season,” he added.
Ackermann admitted he did not have the lung power to beat Halvorsen.
“The race was tough and fast. The final sprint was a little too long for me. But I’m happy with how I did,” Ackermann said.
Bronze winner Mareczko’s wasn’t complaining after his third-place finish.
“The team helped me throughout the race. In the final kilometre my team-mate suffered a fall. I could sprint well only in the last 150 metres, but it was too late. I’m still happy with the bronze,” the Italian said.
The proceedings started with a couple of crashes within the first five kilometers. As the race progressed, the heat started to take its toll and Costa Rica’s Gabriel Marin was the first to step off his bike.
Soon after a number of riders called it a day. Out of 188 riders, only 149 completed the full 165.7 kilometres in The Pearl.
With about 50 kilometres to go, the riders in lead started making their move. Norway surged to the front row, creating space for pre-race favourite Halvorsen to build on his fine start.
With three laps from the finish, the leading group enjoyed a cushion of 2.20 minutes which soon narrowed down to 1.36 minutes. In the final lap, it was Norway still in the driver’s seat with France, Denmark and Germany eyeing their chances in second row.
France and Germany made pace in the final 5 kilometres, but the Norwegian riders jumped to the front again for the final kilometre. The final sprint was a close call between Ackermann and Halvorsen, but Halvorsen closed out a tough race with a late flourish that was hard to beat.
Halvorsen said he enjoyed his ‘perfect’ ride.
“The plan was to do a good sprint, so I got the wheel of the German rider and it was perfect,” Halvorsen said.
“The pressure was high, I think it was good. The team did a great job, they were so good today,” he added.
When asked about his future plans, Halvorsen said: “Next year I will ride for Team Joker, the same team I rode for this year.”
Ackermann, the silver medal star, said it was a ‘tough race’.
“It was a fast race, with many turns, right and left. Tactical we had only five riders, we wanted to race in the back from the peloton and not in the front, and in the end we wanted to have a very hard race and to leading out,” Ackermann said.
“I was a little bit too nervous in the finale. It was a perfect lead-out from the German team. The finish was a little bit uphill, and it was a little bit too long for me with Halvorsen coming from the back and yes, he was the strongest today. He is the real winner today,” he said.
“We had a very strong team this year. But we miss a little bit mountain riders. In flat we are one of the strongest teams in the world. But we change now to the Elite and now there’s place for the young riders,” the German said.