Rising talent Aubin Sparfel ends his under-23 career in disappointment, having finished just off the podium in fourth place in the under-23 men's race at the UCI Road World Championships on Friday.
The 20-year-old French rider came into the race as the big favourite, and was hoping to secure the rainbow jersey. Now, he will turn his attention to joining compatriot Paul Seixas in the WorldTour with Decathlon CMS CGM after spending four seasons growing through the team's development ranks.
"We are a little bit disappointed, but we gave it everything," Sparfel told Cyclingnews.
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"Of course, we were here for the victory. It's like that. I'm super proud of the team and proud of myself. I had a super amount of pressure on me after the win last week [Grand Prix de Wallonie], and I felt like I could finally dream about winning."
Sparfel had another successful season with the Decathlon CMA CGM Development programme, kicking off the year with an overall victory at Le Tour de Bretagne Cycliste, taking sixth overall at Boucles de la Mayenne-Crédit Mutuel, fourth overall at Giro d'Italia Next Gen, and winning a stage of the Tour de l'Avenir.
He capped off his season with a victory at the one-day Lotto Grand Prix de Wallonie, showing top form heading into these Worlds and setting himself up as one of the favourites.
"Of course, I learned a lot this year. I won a lot, and I think I'm ready to step up. It was a super good season, and I can thank everyone around me. My team, the France team, my coaches and my family. It was a super good year," he said.
During the under-23 men's road race, Sparfel joined a chase group that also included silver medallist Héctor Álvarez (Spain) and bronze medallist Jesper Stiansen (Norway) in a failed effort to bring back new world champion Ashlin Barry (USA).
Despite his disappointment in finishing fourth, Sparfel praised Barry on his winning performance.
"Ashlin was super strong," Sparfel told Cyclingnews. "We knew that he could win this year, but we did everything we could as a team, and we were super strong as a team.
"In the last two laps we did a lot with the other guys from the big favourites, but in the end, we arrived in the race for second place - it's like that."
Sparfel will now turn his attention to racing alongside Seixas, fourth overall in the Tour de France this year and a favourite in the elite men's road race on Sunday. The two riders are among the nation's most promising talents on the WorldTour.
"I will go to the WorldTour, so I will no longer race in the under-23s. I've ridden on every team with Paul since we were juniors and know him really well," Sparfel told Cyclingnews.
"I will race for Decathlon next season, and we will see what we can do. I will speak with the team about my race program, but I'm proud of my under-23 racing season, and now I will focus on elite for next season."
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