Per Strand Hagenes wins junior men's road race title at Flanders World Championships

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Per Strand Hagenes (Norway) soloed to victory in the junior men’s road race at the World Championships in Leuven after he unleashed a vicious attack on the penultimate climb of Wijnpers.

The Norwegian came home 19 seconds clear of European champion Romain Gregoire (France), while Madis Mihkels (Estonia) won the sprint for third 5 seconds further back.

Hagenes showed his strength by bridging across to a dangerous six-man move at the beginning of the final lap and then helping to temper the aggression of Finlay Pickering (Great Britain).

Hagenes hit the front of the leading group at the base of the climb of Wijnpers with 5.6km to go and his long acceleration eventually proved too much for Gregoire, though a crash at the base of the climb effectively ended the challenge of the impressive Simon Dalby (Denmark).

Hagenes, who will ride for Jumbo-Visma’s development squad in 2022, edged out his lead over lone chasers Gregoire and Dario Belletta (Italy) thereafter to claim a resounding victory. 

While Belletta was caught by the chasing group on the approach to the finish, Gregoire held on to add a World Championship silver medal to his European gold, but the day belonged to the man he had beaten to that title two weeks ago, Per Strand Hagenes.

“I knew it was possible when I looked at the course yesterday because I know on those short, punchy climbs, I’m quite good and I’ve done well in races this year on courses like that,” said Hagenes. 

“I knew it was possible but to make it happen is incredible. I lay on my bed last night before sleeping and I got a high pulse just thinking about taking the win today.”

The 121.8km race was a breathless affair, and the tension was evident from the very outset, when Cian Uijtdebroeks (Belgium) was among the early fallers. 

Uijtdebroeks, who will ride for Bora-Hansgrohe next year, spent the rest of his race engaged in a spirited but ultimately unsuccessful attempt to chase back up to the front. He showcased his strength in front of the home crowds, but the rainbow jersey was already beyond his grasp.

A race of attack and counter-attack began to take a slightly more discernible shape with three laps to go as the high speed began to exact a toll and whittle the peloton down in size still further. 

A notable move featuring Joshua Tarling (Great Britain), Luis-Joe Luehrs (Germany) and Milan Kadlec (Czech Republic) gained some traction but they were reeled in at the beginning of the penultimate lap.

Daniel Schrag (Germany) and Dario Belletta (Italy) were the next to forge clear, and they were later joined by Finlay Pickering (Great Britain), Eddy Le Huitouze, Pierre Gautherat (France) and, at the bell, Simon Dalby (Denmark).

The margins were still tight, however, and Hagenes soon thundered into the race from behind, launching a searing effort to bridge across to the leaders in the company of Gregoire.

Pickering had made a brace of attempts to forge clear before Hagenes arrived but eight riders – three of them from the French squad – hit the base of the short and sharp climb up Wijnpers with 6km to go. Hagenes led into the corner at the foot of the climb and then powered his way clear.

“I had to gap up to the breakaway so in the hill before, I had to punch quite hard. There were three French guys in the breakaway so it was really difficult but I knew on the last hill, I was going to take that corner first and just go full gas,” Hagenes said. 

“The French guy [Gregoire] was on my wheel but when I looked back I saw I had metres, so then I just put my head down and pushed as hard as I could to the finish line.”

With Dalby and several others held by a crash on the climb, a number of willing chasers were ruled out of the running, but in truth, Hagenes’ strength brooked no argument and he crested the summit with what looked like a winning advantage.

Hagenes made light work, too, of the final ascent up Sint-Antoniusberg, where his lead over Gregoire stretched out beyond 20 seconds, while a flagging Bellotta was caught by the chasers behind.

On the false flat towards the finish, Hagenes had time to celebrate his victory, the first by a Norwegian in the junior men’s road race.