Spanish coach Javier Minguez was feeling a little happier on Sunday evening than he had been 12 months ago. He leaves the World Championships with one less medal, but there was no bitter taste this time.
"The Worlds is like a lottery,” said Minguez. “We have neither the first nor the second prize, but we have the third. I'm happy with the team's work and with the result, but you know we always want more.
“We couldn’t keep Kwiatkowski down, because it was impossible to follow his wheel.
They say that fourth is the cruellest of finishing positions. Matti Breschel (Denmark) just missed out on his second World Championship medal in a rain-soaked race in Ponferrada.
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“Crossing the finish line being so close to the podium is obviously frustrating but in retrospect, I think we delivered a very impressive performance,” said Breschel. “Before the race, I wasn’t too happy about the rain and feared for the descent but as the race progressed I came to terms with the road surface and I felt as relaxed as humanly possible.”
Breschel came to the line as part of a small group of elite riders, who were chasing down Michal Kwiatkowski. He didn’t stand much of a chance in a sprint against the likes of Simon Gerrans (Australia) and Alejandro Valverde (Spain), but after the year he’s had it was a strong result.
“In the sprint, I just opened up full gas but they managed to pass me on the final meters. However, I’m happy with the result and our combined effort on the team.”
Longo Borghini to Wiggle Honda
Elisa Longo Borghini will join her compatriot and double world champion Giorgia Bronzini at Wiggle Honda next season. “I am already looking forward to the upcoming season, and I can't wait to race,” said Longo Borghini. “Wiggle Honda will be a really strong team which can compete for the victory in every type of race. I will ride next to top-class athletes and have the chance to keep learning about cycling.”
Longo Borghini, who took bronze at the 2012 World Championships, has spent the last three seasons with Hitec Products. She has had a strong 2014 with victories at the Tour de Bretagne, Trophée d’Or and third at Fléche Wallonne.
Wiggle Honda are in their second season and was home to riders such as Bronzini, Linda Villumsen and track starts Laura Trott, Dani King and Joanna Rowsell. The addition of the Italian will shore up their Classics team.
Bouhanni: “It’s not ridiculous”
After the highs of taking gold in the women’s road race, Sunday’s men’s race fell a little flat for the French men. Tony Gallopin made it into the chasing group behind Kwiatkowski, while Nacer Bouhanni came home in the following group and rounded out the top 10.
While they were unable to turn their numbers into a podium placing, getting two riders into the top 10 for the first time in almost two decades was a partial success said Bouhanni.
“I can not say I missed a golden opportunity because there were five or six riders better than me on the last climb,” Bouhanni told L’Équipe. “I hope to come back at a course for the pure sprinters, like in two years in Qatar. I trained hard for the title or a medal, not to finish 10th. With two French in the top 10, it is not ridiculous either.”
