The six-rider team of Zoe Bäckstedt, Thomas Mein, Oscar Amey, Cat Ferguson, Zoe Roche, and Milo Wills delivered the rainbow jersey, with Mein coming back from third place on the final lap to take gold.
Two seconds later, Italy came through for second place and the silver medal as Stefano Viezzi finished off the job started by his teammates Sara Casasola, Mattia Agostinacchio, Lucia Bramati, Giorgia Pellizotti, and Lucia Bramati.
The podium was completed by reigning champions France five seconds back with their team of Célia Gery, Florian Fery, Joshua Dubau, Jules Simon, Hélène Clauzel, and Zélie Lambert.
The opening lap of the six-lap race saw Great Britain's Zoe Bäckstedt among the first runners, though it was Italy and the USA who led the running via Mattia Agostinacchio and Scott Funston.
With Bäckstedt being the only woman to go out on lap 1, Great Britain lay ninth out of 10 at 52 seconds off the lead while Belgium were in seventh at 28 seconds.
With Gioele Bertolini racing for Italy on lap two, the nation retained the lead, pulling out 20 seconds over the USA, as reigning champions France moved up to match them. Great Britain and Belgium lay in fifth and eighth at 1:15 and 2:20 back.
The Belgians used their under-23 and junior riders first, opting for a backloaded strategy. Sanne Cant and Toon Aerts would take on the final two laps. Great Britain's Cat Ferguson and Thomas Mein would face off against them.
On lap three, Belgium's men's under-23 rider Kay De Bruyckere worked his way up the field, cutting down the gap to the frontrunners. By the end of the lap, fourth-placed Belgium lay at 45 seconds off the new leaders France as Célia Gery concluded her lap. Italy and the USA were in second and third at 10 seconds down.
Belgian junior woman racer Sanne Laurijssen went out for lap four, leaving the nation in seventh at a deficit of 1:31 before Cant and Aerts. The USA took over the lap heading into the last two laps, 24 seconds up on Great Britain, with Italy (35 seconds) and France (40 seconds) following.
Cant faced off against Ferguson and Italy's Sara Casasola on lap five. She gained a few seconds, but it was the USA who took over to lead Italy by eight seconds, Great Britain by nine, and France by 21 seconds heading into the final lap. Toon Aerts began the final lap with a deficit of 1:36 to the leader.
At the front of the race, the battle for the rainbow jersey was contested by Great Britain's elite men's racer Thomas Mein and the under-23 men of the USA and Italy, Henry Cote and Stefano Viezzi.
It was Mein who came out on top, with he and Cote battling against one another on the final lap before Mein created a gap and jumped clear. He duly soloed home to take gold and the rainbow jersey for Great Britain.
Further back, it was Viezzi who came through to take silver for second place, two seconds behind Mein. Cote dropped out of the podium places with France leapfrogging the USA to secure bronze, five seconds off the lead. With too much ground to make up, Aerts would come home in sixth place for Belgium at 1:21.
Dani Ostanek is Senior News Writer at Cyclingnews, having joined in 2017 as a freelance contributor and later being hired full-time. Before joining the team, she had written for numerous major publications in the cycling world, including CyclingWeekly and Rouleur. She writes and edits at Cyclingnews as well as running newsletter, social media, and how to watch campaigns.
