Stefano Viezzi wins junior men's title at Cyclocross World Championships

Race Results
By published

Solen and Bazant complete podium after punctures slows Sparfel

Stefano Viezzi won the junior men's cyclocross world title
Stefano Viezzi won the junior men's cyclocross world title (Image credit: Getty Images)

Stefano Viezzi of Italy won the junior men’s world title in Tabor after a battle with Aubin Sparfel of France.

Viezzi attacked going through the finish as the bell rang out for the final lap. He survived a spill and managed to distance Sparfel, who was struck by a puncture and slipped to fourth.   

Keije Solen of the Netherlands won a battle with Krystof Bazant of the Czech Republic to take the silver medal at nine seconds, with Bazant at 31 seconds. 

“I can’t believe it. It’s impossible to understand what I’ve done. This was a big dream and I’ve pulled it off,” he said emotionally before pulling on the rainbow jersey. 

The Tabor course was more compact early on Sunday than on Saturday  but as the temperatures warmed and riders took different lines, the mud depended and began to hurt the riders and slow their speeds. 

Sparfel had the best start, going over the bridge first but Viezzi and Bazant were soon on his wheel and they quickly pulled away from the rest of the race. 

During the second lap a series of surges by Sparfel cracked Bazant as the French rider went wheel to wheel and shoulder to shoulder with Viezzi. 

After two laps they led by Bazant by 12 seconds as Solen rode a more controlled race and caught him.   

Sparfel wanted to race on the front and he and Viezzi were locked in a tactical battle. Viezzi opened a light gap before the finish straight after the third lap and decided to keep going with an attack on the asphalt as the bell rang out for the fourth and final lap. 

Stephen Farrand
Stephen Farrand
Editor-at-large

Stephen is one of the most experienced members of the Cyclingnews team, having reported on professional cycling since 1994. Before becoming Editor-at-large, he was Head of News at Cyclingnews. He has previously worked for Shift Active Media, Reuters and Cycling Weekly. He is a member of the Board of the Association Internationale des Journalistes du Cyclisme (AIJC).

Latest on Cyclingnews