Maximiliano Richeze won gold at the Pan American Games road race in Lima, Peru, at the weekend, becoming the first Argentinian rider to take the title since 1959.
Richeze, who was riding at the Pan-Am Games for his national team, is best known for his lead-out roles for sprinters such as Elia Viviani at Belgian WorldTour team Deceuninck-QuickStep, and is also the current Argentinian road race champion.
According to the Deceuninck-QuickStep website, Richeze went solo to close a 1:30 time gap to a front group of six riders that were still away late in the race, and then out-sprinted Mexico's Ignacio de Jesus Prado and Bryan Gomez of Colombia to win the 177km based around the Circuito de Playas de Costa Verde alongside the beach in Lima.
"I'm very happy about this victory, and to bring the medal home for Argentina," Richeze said. "It was difficult after a hard Tour de France, but I was very motivated, the team did a great job, and I managed to finish it off."
The title was last taken by an Argentinian in 1959, when the Pan-Am Games road race was won by Ricardo Senn.
"It wasn't easy today, but this only makes the win even more special. I want to dedicate this victory to my wife, my daughter, my family, and my friends," said Richeze.
The 36-year-old recently announced that he would be leaving Deceuninck-QuickStep at the end of this season to join UAE Team Emirates, where he'll be reunited with young sprinter and former Deceuninck teammate Fernando Gaviria.
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