Gilbert wins world championship in Valkenburg

Philippe Gilbert (Belgium) pulled on cycling's rainbow jersey with a perfectly-timed attack to win the 2012 world championships in Valkenburg, Holland. The Belgian attacked on the final ascent of the Cauberg, distancing a select group of pre-race favourites. Edvald Boasson Hagan (Norway) and Alejandro Valverde (Spain) rounded out the medals, while defending champion Mark Cavendish (Great Britain) abandoned after working for his team in the first half of the race.

The most decisive move of the race predictably came on the Cauberg, where Italy, through Luca Paolini, had looked to set up Vincenzo Nibali. The Italians' effort, however, ran out of steam, with Gilbert attacking in the big ring as his rivals struggled on the climb's punishing slope.

Although Alexandr Kolobnev (Russian Federation), Boasson Hagen and Valverde attempted to organise a chase they were unable to reel in the unstoppable Gilbert, who in the space of a matter of weeks has transformed his below-par season into a triumph.

"It's hard to realize what happened. The Belgians did outstanding work. We deserved to win this title," the winner said at the finish. "I was placed excellently [on the climb]. I looked back quickly and then took off. I still don't realize that I am world champion."

While Belgium celebrated its first rainbow jersey since Tom Boonen's win in 2005, Valverde and Spain were left licking their wounds having proved the most aggressive team in the race. Their stellar line-up of stars initiated each major attack in the race but Valverde, who has now been on the podium four times, could only manage third.

Norway's Boasson Hagen, who clipped away from Valverde inside the final 500 meters, praised both his teammates and the eventual winner. "It was very good to get second place, but we were close to gold," said Boasson Hagen. "Gabba (Gabriel Rasch, ed.) and Lars Petter (Nordhaug) rode well and did a great job. I am very grateful. Gilbert was very strong and there was nothing I could do."

Early encounters

After a week of racing the 2012 world championship’s final event began almost as if the 2011 race had never ended: with Mark Cavendish and his Great Britain team controlling the peloton in the early stages. Wearing dossard number 1, Cavendish had ruled himself out of an ever-expanding list of favourites due to the climbing incorporated in this year’s race. The 267km course featured a 105km jaunt through southern Limburg before tackling ten laps of the now familiar circuit course with the infamous Cauberg's crest situated 1.7 kilometres from the finish.

Although early attacks rained down, it was Great Britain who marshalled the peloton. Cavendish, along with Alex Dowsett, eventually allowed a group of Pablo Lastras (Spain), Dario Cataldo (Italy), Timothy Duggan and Alex Howes (USA), Jerome Coppel (France), Winner Anacona (Colombia), Luka Mezgec (Slovenia), Vladimir Isaichev (Russia), Vitaliy Buts (Ukraine), Fabricio Ferrari (Uruguay) and Gatis Smukulis (Latvia) to escape but the defending nation continued their pace setting, despite the pressure being on the shoulders of the home nation.

By the time the race came to life and reached the Cauberg for the first time the gap was at a steady 3:28. It was there that the Spanish played their first of many cards. Despite an earlier crash for Oscar Freire, the Armada looked an impregnable team of guile and diversity. The only question appeared to be whether they had too many leaders. But it was one of their most reliable workhorses in Juan Antonio Flecha who lit the fuse, sparking a move that included Stephen Cummings (Great Britain) Rinaldo Nocentini (Italy), Gianni Meersman (Belgium), Michael Matthews (Australia), Maxime Bouet (France),Michael Schär (Switzerland), Fumiyuki Beppu (Japan), and Jakob Fuglsang (Denmark).

It sparked a reaction from Belgium – with their two leaders in Gilbert and Boonen – sheltered behind a line of blue jersey. The increase in pace saw Cavendish retire but just as one world champion pulled out, one candidate for today’s victory, Alberto Contador, attacked.

The Spaniard used the Cauberg to ignite panic in the bunch, with Robert Gesink and Thomas Voeckler among a handful of riders who were able to keep pace.

Merging powers

Eventually Flecha’s group caught the leaders, before Contador and his collaborators joined too. It created a group of nearly thirty riders with Pablo Lastras, Alberto Contador and Juan Antonio Flecha (Spain), Dario Cataldo, Rinaldo Nocentini, Marco Marcato and Diego Ulissi (Italy), Timothy Duggan and Alex Howes (USA), Jerome Coppel, Maxime Bouet and Thomas Voeckler (France), Winner Anacona (Colombia), Luka Mezgec (Slovenia), Vladimir Isaichev (Russia), Vitaliy Buts (Ukraine), Fabricio Ferrari (Uruguay), Gatis Smukulis (Latvia),Stephen Cummings and Jon Tiernan-Locke (Great Britain), Gianni Meersman and Bjorn Leukemans (Belgium), Michael Matthews (Australia), Michael Schär and Michael Albasini (Switzerland), Fumiyuki Beppu (Japan), Jakob Fuglsang (Denmark) plus the host nation's Koen De Kort and Robert Gesink (Netherlands).

Despite each nation having two riders in the break, Belgium joined forces with the Dutch at the head of the peloton in limiting the danger to a minute. The Spanish, with Flecha and Lastras, and the French, berated into working by Voeckler, continued to push at the head of affairs but with so many stragglers and riders unwilling to work the move was always doomed.

Lastras and Bouet were used up on the 7th lap of the Cauberg but a crash in the peloton split the field. It ended a number of riders’ chances, saw Peter Sagan lose almost his entire team and reduced the bunch to 57 riders.

As the break neared two laps to go Flecha continued his work on the front but by now the escape was only 36 seconds clear. An attack from Fabian Wegmann (Germany) drew the leaders ever closer and saw a number of the early escapees even caught. By the time they crested the Cauberg and reached the finish line the escape had been neutralised.

But a definitive selection had yet to be made as unlike Valkenburg’s 1998 Worlds, when the skies opened up and made the race, this year’s light showers had no such effect with approximately 70 riders still in contention.

Andrew Talansky (USA) attempted to make sure his team’s earlier work wasn’t lost in vain and attacked on the Bemelerberg and when Ian Stannard (Great Britain) lurched across it looked as though the favourites could use the tandem as a spring board.

A combination of tired legs and a headwind scrapped any chance and on the penultimate ascent of the Cauberg tactics gave way to frustration. Vincenzo Nibali (Italy) attacked but his accelerations were shut down almost immediately, the soon to be Astana rider gesticulating for others to help him make the race more aggressive.

With Talansky and then Stannard caught, the race headed for the final lap, with a firm realisation that if the final climb up the Cauberg could not split the field then a sprint finish would decide this year’s race.

Inside the final 10 kilometres positioning became paramount. Spain moved Valverde and Rodriguez near the head of the field, as Belgium, Italy, and the outgunned Norway did the same. Alberto Contador and Samuel Sanchez took two long pulls on the front before Luca Paolini took charge, leading the peloton on the lower slopes of the Cauberg.

Moments before it had been Nibali who set the pace on the approach, a tactic that cost the Italian as he ran out of gas on the climb. At one point, with four Belgians on the Italian’s rear wheel, it looked as though a clean sweep could occur but Gilbert’s aggression and turn of speed was too much.

Swipe to scroll horizontally
Full Results
1Philippe Gilbert (Belgium)6:10:41
2Edvald Boasson Hagen (Norway)0:00:04
3Alejandro Valverde Belmonte (Spain)0:00:05
4John Degenkolb (Germany)Row 3 - Cell 2
5Lars Boom (Netherlands)Row 4 - Cell 2
6Allan Davis (Australia)Row 5 - Cell 2
7Thomas Voeckler (France)Row 6 - Cell 2
8Ramunas Navardauskas (Lithuania)Row 7 - Cell 2
9Sergio Luis Henao Montoya (Colombia)Row 8 - Cell 2
10Oscar Freire Gomez (Spain)Row 9 - Cell 2
11Rui Costa (Portugal)Row 10 - Cell 2
12Tom Boonen (Belgium)Row 11 - Cell 2
13Oscar Gatto (Italy)Row 12 - Cell 2
14Peter Sagan (Slovakia)Row 13 - Cell 2
15Fredrik Carl Wilhelm Kessiakoff (Sweden)Row 14 - Cell 2
16Koen De Kort (Netherlands)Row 15 - Cell 2
17Michael Albasini (Switzerland)Row 16 - Cell 2
18Assan Bazayev (Kazakhstan)Row 17 - Cell 2
19Jonathan Tiernan-Locke (Great Britain)Row 18 - Cell 2
20Lars Petter Nordhaug (Norway)Row 19 - Cell 2
21Simon Gerrans (Australia)Row 20 - Cell 2
22Stefan Denifl (Austria)Row 21 - Cell 2
23Rigoberto Uran Uran (Colombia)Row 22 - Cell 2
24Daniel Moreno Fernandez (Spain)Row 23 - Cell 2
25Greg Van Avermaet (Belgium)Row 24 - Cell 2
26Bjorn Leukemans (Belgium)Row 25 - Cell 2
27Fabian Wegmann (Germany)Row 26 - Cell 2
28Alexandr Kolobnev (Russian Federation)Row 27 - Cell 2
29Vincenzo Nibali (Italy)Row 28 - Cell 2
30Andre Fernando S. Martins Cardoso (Portugal)0:00:17
31Andriy Grivko (Ukraine)Row 30 - Cell 2
32Robert Gesink (Netherlands)Row 31 - Cell 2
33Daniel Martin (Ireland)Row 32 - Cell 2
34Nicolas Roche (Ireland)Row 33 - Cell 2
35Jurgen Roelandts (Belgium)Row 34 - Cell 2
36Ian Stannard (Great Britain)0:00:53
37Paul Martens (Germany)Row 36 - Cell 2
38Alberto Contador Velasco (Spain)Row 37 - Cell 2
39Joaquim Rodriguez Oliver (Spain)Row 38 - Cell 2
40Yury Trofimov (Russian Federation)0:01:01
41Samuel Sanchez Gonzalez (Spain)0:01:37
42David Tanner (Australia)Row 41 - Cell 2
43Andrew Talansky (United States of America)0:01:54
44Rene Mandri (Estonia)0:02:21
45Gustav Larsson (Sweden)Row 44 - Cell 2
46Marek Rutkiewicz (Poland)Row 45 - Cell 2
47Carlos Alberto Betancur Gomez (Colombia)Row 46 - Cell 2
48Bauke Mollema (Netherlands)Row 47 - Cell 2
49Rafael Andriato (Brazil)Row 48 - Cell 2
50Michael Schär (Switzerland)Row 49 - Cell 2
51Gatis Smukulis (Latvia)Row 50 - Cell 2
52Chris Anker Sorensen (Denmark)Row 51 - Cell 2
53Jaroslaw Marycz (Poland)Row 52 - Cell 2
54Takashi Miyazawa (Japan)Row 53 - Cell 2
55Karsten Kroon (Netherlands)Row 54 - Cell 2
56Tom Jelte Slagter (Netherlands)Row 55 - Cell 2
57Sylvain Chavanel (France)Row 56 - Cell 2
58Radoslav Rogina (Croatia)Row 57 - Cell 2
59Jan Barta (Czech Republic)Row 58 - Cell 2
60Ben Swift (Great Britain)Row 59 - Cell 2
61Michal Golas (Poland)Row 60 - Cell 2
62Jean-Pierre Drucker (Luxembourg)Row 61 - Cell 2
63Mathias Frank (Switzerland)Row 62 - Cell 2
64Alex Howes (United States of America)Row 63 - Cell 2
65Vladimir Gusev (Russian Federation)Row 64 - Cell 2
66Niki Terpstra (Netherlands)Row 65 - Cell 2
67Steve Morabito (Switzerland)Row 66 - Cell 2
68Winner Anacona Gomez (Colombia)Row 67 - Cell 2
69Nairo Alexander Quintana Rojas (Colombia)Row 68 - Cell 2
70Stephen Cummings (Great Britain)Row 69 - Cell 2
71Sergio Paulinho PRORow 70 - Cell 2
72Simon Geschke (Germany)Row 71 - Cell 2
73Heinrich Haussler (Australia)Row 72 - Cell 2
74Moreno Moser (Italy)0:02:34
75Luca Paolini (Italy)0:02:46
76Rinaldo Nocentini (Italy)Row 75 - Cell 2
77Marco Marcato (Italy)Row 76 - Cell 2
78Simon Clarke (Australia)0:02:53
79Johannes Frohlinger (Germany)Row 78 - Cell 2
80Christian Knees (Germany)Row 79 - Cell 2
81Juan Antonio Flecha Giannoni (Spain)Row 80 - Cell 2
82Borut Bozic (Slovenia)Row 81 - Cell 2
83David Veilleux (Canada)Row 82 - Cell 2
84Mickael Delage (France)Row 83 - Cell 2
85Diego Ulissi (Italy)Row 84 - Cell 2
86Eduard Vorganov (Russian Federation)Row 85 - Cell 2
87Oleksandr Polivoda (Ukraine)0:03:11
88Luke Rowe (Great Britain)0:05:46
89Vladimir Isaichev (Russian Federation)Row 88 - Cell 2
90Gianni Meersman (Belgium)0:08:10
91Matej Jurco (Slovakia)0:08:55
92Carlos Oyarzun (Chile)Row 91 - Cell 2
93Aliaksandr Kuchynski (Belarus)Row 92 - Cell 2
94Siarhei Papok (Belarus)Row 93 - Cell 2
95Stefan Histrov (Bulgaria)Row 94 - Cell 2
96Evaldas Siskevicius (Lithuania)Row 95 - Cell 2
97Carlos Jose Ochoa (Venezuela)Row 96 - Cell 2
98Taylor Phinney (United States of America)Row 97 - Cell 2
99Peter Kusztor (Hungary)Row 98 - Cell 2
100Bertjan Lindeman (Netherlands)Row 99 - Cell 2
101Przemyslaw Niemiec (Poland)Row 100 - Cell 2
102Jacek Morajko (Poland)Row 101 - Cell 2
103Brent Bookwalter (United States of America)Row 102 - Cell 2
104Frantisek Rabon (Czech Republic)Row 103 - Cell 2
105Ronan Mc Laughlin (Ireland)Row 104 - Cell 2
106Matthias Brandle (Austria)Row 105 - Cell 2
107Milan Kadlec (Czech Republic)Row 106 - Cell 2
108Ryder Hesjedal (Canada)Row 107 - Cell 2
109Georgi Petrov Georgiev (Bulgaria)Row 108 - Cell 2
110Francois Parisien (Canada)Row 109 - Cell 2
111Marcus Burghardt (Germany)Row 110 - Cell 2
112Thomas Lovkvist (Sweden)Row 111 - Cell 2
113Leopold Konig (Czech Republic)Row 112 - Cell 2
114Tanel Kangert (Estonia)Row 113 - Cell 2
115Jure Kocjan (Slovenia)Row 114 - Cell 2
116Zdenek Stybar (Czech Republic)Row 115 - Cell 2
117Kristijan Durasek (Croatia)Row 116 - Cell 2
118Jacques Janse Van Rensburg (South Africa)Row 117 - Cell 2
119Laurens Ten Dam (Netherlands)Row 118 - Cell 2
120Matteo Trentin (Italy)0:09:44
121Andrey Amador Bakkazakova (Costa Rica)0:10:23
122Jonathan Castroviejo Nicolas (Spain)Row 121 - Cell 2
DNFJakob Fuglsang (Denmark)Row 122 - Cell 2
DNFKristijan Koren (Slovenia)Row 123 - Cell 2
DNFJanez Brajkovic (Slovenia)Row 124 - Cell 2
DNFGrega Bole (Slovenia)Row 125 - Cell 2
DNFVasil Kiryienka (Belarus)Row 126 - Cell 2
DNFSergey Firsanov (Russian Federation)Row 127 - Cell 2
DNFDmitriy Muravyev (Kazakhstan)Row 128 - Cell 2
DNFDario Cataldo (Italy)Row 129 - Cell 2
DNFPablo Lastras Garcia (Spain)Row 130 - Cell 2
DNFRein Taaramae (Estonia)Row 131 - Cell 2
DNFJay Robert Thomson (South Africa)Row 132 - Cell 2
DNFWesley Sulzberger (Australia)Row 133 - Cell 2
DNFAdam Hansen (Australia)Row 134 - Cell 2
DNFJerome Coppel (France)Row 135 - Cell 2
DNFVincent Jerome (France)Row 136 - Cell 2
DNFYukiya Arashiro (Japan)Row 137 - Cell 2
DNFChristopher Horner (United States of America)Row 138 - Cell 2
DNFTejay van Garderen (United States of America)Row 139 - Cell 2
DNFTony Gallopin (France)Row 140 - Cell 2
DNFKevin De Weert (Belgium)Row 141 - Cell 2
DNFIgnatas Konovalovas (Lithuania)Row 142 - Cell 2
DNFGabriel Rasch (Norway)Row 143 - Cell 2
DNFJonathan Monsalve (Venezuela)Row 144 - Cell 2
DNFMaxime Bouet (France)Row 145 - Cell 2
DNFMartin Grashev (Bulgaria)Row 146 - Cell 2
DNFGregory Rast (Switzerland)Row 147 - Cell 2
DNFOliver Zaugg (Switzerland)Row 148 - Cell 2
DNFBruno Pires (Portugal)Row 149 - Cell 2
DNFRoman Kreuziger (Czech Republic)Row 150 - Cell 2
DNFMiguel Angel Rubiano Chavez (Colombia)Row 151 - Cell 2
DNFFabio Andres Duarte Arevalo (Colombia)Row 152 - Cell 2
DNFArthur Vichot (France)Row 153 - Cell 2
DNFRichie Porte (Australia)Row 154 - Cell 2
DNFTimothy Duggan (United States of America)Row 155 - Cell 2
DNFMichael Matthews (Australia)Row 156 - Cell 2
DNFYing Hon Yeung (Hong Kong, China)Row 157 - Cell 2
DNFJohan Vansummeren (Belgium)Row 158 - Cell 2
DNFMatthew Busche (United States of America)Row 159 - Cell 2
DNFVladimir Miholjevic (Croatia)Row 160 - Cell 2
DNFMarko Kump (Slovenia)Row 161 - Cell 2
DNFFabricio Ferrari Barcelo (Uruguay)Row 162 - Cell 2
DNFJulian Dean (New Zealand)Row 163 - Cell 2
DNFYaroslav Popovych (Ukraine)Row 164 - Cell 2
DNFReinardt Janse Van Rensburg (South Africa)Row 165 - Cell 2
DNFVitaliy Buts (Ukraine)Row 166 - Cell 2
DNFDenys Kostyuk (Ukraine)Row 167 - Cell 2
DNFDaniel Schorn (Austria)Row 168 - Cell 2
DNFAlexsandr Dyachenko (Kazakhstan)Row 169 - Cell 2
DNFLuka Mezgec (Slovenia)Row 170 - Cell 2
DNFHayden Roulston (New Zealand)Row 171 - Cell 2
DNFFumiyuki Beppu (Japan)Row 172 - Cell 2
DNFLucas Euser (United States of America)Row 173 - Cell 2
DNFJorge Martin Montenegro (Argentina)Row 174 - Cell 2
DNFDmytro Krivtsov (Ukraine)Row 175 - Cell 2
DNFJuraj Sagan (Slovakia)Row 176 - Cell 2
DNFMaros Kovac (Slovakia)Row 177 - Cell 2
DNFTomasz Marczynski (Poland)Row 178 - Cell 2
DNFAlexandr Pliuschin (Republic of Moldova)Row 179 - Cell 2
DNFBen Gastauer (Luxembourg)Row 180 - Cell 2
DNFJeremy Roy (France)Row 181 - Cell 2
DNFPeter Velits (Slovakia)Row 182 - Cell 2
DNFMatti Breschel (Denmark)Row 183 - Cell 2
DNFChristopher Froome (Great Britain)Row 184 - Cell 2
DNFBradley Wiggins (Great Britain)Row 185 - Cell 2
DNFJesse Sergent (New Zealand)Row 186 - Cell 2
DNFTomas Aurelio Gil Martinez (Venezuela)Row 187 - Cell 2
DNFStanislav Kozubek (Czech Republic)Row 188 - Cell 2
DNFMaximiliano Ariel Richeze (Argentina)Row 189 - Cell 2
DNFDries Devenyns (Belgium)Row 190 - Cell 2
DNFLaurent Didier (Luxembourg)Row 191 - Cell 2
DNFEnzo Moyano (Argentina)Row 192 - Cell 2
DNFShinichi Fukushima (Japan)Row 193 - Cell 2
DNFYukihiro Doi (Japan)Row 194 - Cell 2
DNFAlex Dowsett (Great Britain)Row 195 - Cell 2
DNFAleksejs Saramotins (Latvia)Row 196 - Cell 2
DNFMauricio Muller (Argentina)Row 197 - Cell 2
DNFHichem Chaabane (Algeria)Row 198 - Cell 2
DNFMark Cavendish (Great Britain)Row 199 - Cell 2
DNFYusuke Hatanaka (Japan)Row 200 - Cell 2
DNFAmir Rusli (Malaysia)Row 201 - Cell 2
DNFSvein Tuft (Canada)Row 202 - Cell 2
DNFSea Keong Loh (Malaysia)Row 203 - Cell 2
DNFMartin Velits (Slovakia)Row 204 - Cell 2
DNFNebojsa Jovanovic (Serbia)Row 205 - Cell 2
DNFElchin Asadov (Azerbaijan)Row 206 - Cell 2

Thank you for reading 5 articles in the past 30 days*

Join now for unlimited access

Enjoy your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1

*Read any 5 articles for free in each 30-day period, this automatically resets

After your trial you will be billed £4.99 $7.99 €5.99 per month, cancel anytime. Or sign up for one year for just £49 $79 €59

Join now for unlimited access

Try your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1

Daniel Benson

Daniel Benson was the Editor in Chief at Cyclingnews.com between 2008 and 2022. Based in the UK, he joined the Cyclingnews team in 2008 as the site's first UK-based Managing Editor. In that time, he reported on over a dozen editions of the Tour de France, several World Championships, the Tour Down Under, Spring Classics, and the London 2012 Olympic Games. With the help of the excellent editorial team, he ran the coverage on Cyclingnews and has interviewed leading figures in the sport including UCI Presidents and Tour de France winners.

Latest on Cyclingnews