As it happened: Mathieu van der Poel goes solo to win UCI World Championships Elite Men's Road Race

Hello and welcome to the Cyclingnews live coverage  of the elite men's road race in Scotland. 

The riders are signing on and preparing for the start in Edinburgh. for now at least, it is not raining in Scotland. 

Indeed, the weather forecasts suggests there is only a slight chance of rain in the afternoon. It is currently 13C with a high of 18C expected in the afternoon.    

Our live coverage will bring you all the action from all the race, with the best post-race coverage too, with race photos, rider comments and results.

195 riders will race today from 58 different nations. That's a new record and highlights the globalisation of the sport. In 1995 it was just 19. 

Who is your favourite for today? 

These are the riders we think will fight for the rainbow jersey today. 

2023 UCI Road World Championships favourites – Riders to watch in elite men's road race

There has been a lot of talk and even criticism of the course and especially the Glasgow circuit. Check out the details on our race route page.

UCI Road World Championships 2023 routes

The last riders have signed on now and the riders are lined up on the start line. 

Here we go. 

The race starts in Holyrood House, in the centre of Edinburgh and the seat of the Scottish government. 

After a year of racing for their pro teams, the rider race in national colours today. That adds an extra twist to the race. 

The countdown is done and the riders roll out of Edinburgh. 

They face an extra 10km of neutralised riding to the official race start.

The riders are riding up to near the stunning Edinburgh Castle.

The riders are 3km from the official start.

For now, Tadej Pogacar is at the back of the peloton. 

He and the other riders know that the opening 120km to Glasgow are a chance to save energy for the hectic Glasgow circuits.

Up front, the British and Belgian riders are up front. 

The riders are on a cobbled sector and some rider bidons have fallen into the road.

Joao Almeida has some kind of problem after a crash. He is in the team cars.

Former pro and Tour of Britain race director Mick Bennett waves his flag and starts the race with Almeida still off the back and in pain after his crash.

They're off! 

We have some early attacks but the major nations are trying to control them. 

Spain are especially active.

265km to go

We have a group of 10 riders going clear. 

South Africa's Darryl Impey is in the attack with a teammate.  

However Belgium didn't like it and have closed it down.

Victor Campenaerts is doing the early work for Belgium. 

For now the roads are wide and fast as the riders approach the new bridge to cross the Forth river.

This is the fourth time the world championship takes place in Britain.

In 1970 Jean-Pierre Monseré of Belgium won in Leicester, in 1982 Giuseppe Saronni won in Goodwood and in 2019 Mads Pedersen surprised everyone in a rain-soaked Harrogate.

Joao Almeida is about to rejoin the peloton after being treated by his team car.  

The riders start the Queensferry Crossing bridge. There are some amazing views but the speed remains high as the attacks keep coming.

After the bridge there are more attacks on the country roads north of the river.

Marc Hirschi needs a front wheel change.

250km to go

Patrick Gamper (Austria) and Rory Townsend (Ireland) are off the front but other nations are chasing.

There is no let-up in the pace.

There are seven riders up front in a move. 

The peloton seems to have let them go. Several Belgian riders have stopped for a natural break.  

Patrick Gamper (Austria) and Rory Townsend (Ireland) are joined by Owain Doull (Great Britain), Matthew Dinham (Australia), Harold Tejada (Colombia), Kevin Vermaerke (USA), Ryan Christensen (New Zealand), Krists Neilands (Latvia) and Petr Kelemen (Czech Republic).

That is the early break of the race.

George Bennett (New Zealand), Eric Fagúndez (Uruguay) and Rien Schuurhuis (Vatican City) are chasing but they have perhaps missed the move. 

Alpecin seem confident of having the rainbow jersey later today.

234km to go

Other riders are trying to get across to the attack but the early train has left the station. They've missed it.

Interestingly the Belgian team is leading the peloton, to keep the break on a tight leash. 

A slovenian rider is also helping out, as is Great Britain.

228km to go

The riders have already covered 40km of the 120km loop towards Glasgow. 

Italy has a strong team but perhaps not a real favourite. But the Azzurri can never be written off at the worlds.

220km to go

The peloton is lined out but relaxed for now. 

The gap to the break is up to 5:30.

Frederik Frison is doing the early chase work for Belgium. 

He and two Great Britain riders, plus two Slovenians are doing turns on the front. They're lining out the peloton but the nine-rider break has pushed the lead out to over 6:00. 

George Bennett (New Zealand), Eric Fagúndez (Uruguay) and Rien Schuurhuis (Vatican City) are at 2:50 and so stuck in the middle, with nowhere to go.

Evenepoel seems happy in the peloton.

214km to go

The riders turn left off the main road. They are half-way to Glasgow now.

 But still face 213km. This will be one of the longest world championships ever raced.

The last time the World Championships were held in Britain, this guy emerged from the rain to win the rainbow jersey. 

Pedersen's teammate Magnus Cort could also be a threat. 

As the gap nears 7:00, it's interesting to see that France has also started to help the chase.

Two riders have moved up to the front to rotate in the chase.

Julian Alaphilippe is one of France's two team leaders. The other is Christophe Laporte.

Ouch. Several riders crash at the back of the peloton.

Natnael Berhane of Eritrea is one of them.

Florian Sénéchal is one of the French riders doing the work in the peloton.

200km to race

Sadly Berhane has been forced to abandon the race. He has a shoulder injury.

George Bennett (New Zealand), Eric Fagúndez (Uruguay) and Rien Schuurhuis (Vatican City) are drifting back to the peloton.

Their counter-attack was not blessed today.

Mathieu van der Poel is back at his team car to take off his long sleeve jersey. He's moved his energy bars to his skin suit pockets.

It's a sign that the race will soon accelerate as they near Glasgow and the start of the ten circuits. 

The riders are in the hilly part of the route now. In 10km they climb Crow Road. It's 5.8km long at 4%. 

That's why the peloton is now packed tight up front. 

The peloton has slipped to 9:00. 

The nine-rider break is  working well together to gain as much time as they can before the Glasgow circuit. 

The riders enter the Glasgow circuit with 150km to race and then start the 10 laps with 143k m to race.

Race Stopped! 

The race officials have stopped the race due to a protest out on the road.

192km to go

There are no rider radios and so the race officials will have to stop and inform the riders about what is happening.

The UCI judges will take the time gaps of the race ands then restart the race with the same time gaps.

The peloton has also been stopped due to the protest. A number of riders take advantage to make a natural break.  

The race has been stopped near Carron Valley Reservoir. 

It's not clear what kind of protest has stopped the race. 

Riders are using the stoppage to take on food and drinks and do some stretching. 

According to Flemish TV channel Sporza, who can apparently seen all the TV motorbike images, the protesters have glued themselves to the road.

The race has been stopped for at least 10 minutes now.

The riders are chatting but have to move to allow a police van to pass. 

Meanwhile Julian Alaphilippe poses for a selfie.

UCI President David Lappartient is at the head of the race but can do little against the protest.

More police are passing the riders.  Lappartient is speaking to the riders at the head of the peloton, apparently indicating that while the riders could pass, the race vehicles would not have been able to do so.

The UCI have issued a statement via social media. 

“Further to Police Scotland’s confirmation of a protest in the Carron Valley area, which has temporarily interrupted the men’s road race, we are working closely with all relevant authorities to minimise disruption to the race and also to ensure the safety of riders as our paramount concern.”

This is our story on the race being stopped. We will update it with full details when we have them. 

We will also provide  all the news here if and when the race starts again.

Elite men's road race halted by protest at 2023 UCI World Championships

Police Scotland issued this statement: 

"We are working closely with the relevant authorities to minimise the disruption to the race and also to ensure the safety of the riders as our paramount concern."

The race has been stopped for 40 minutes now. 

There is already talk of reducing a number of laps of the Glasgow circuit to ensure the race finishes as scheduled.

A brief image of the site of the protests shows police officers apparently holding some people off to the side of the road, while white powder is spread on the road, perhaps where the protesters glued to the road.

It seems the race will restart in 10 minutes.

The elite men's road race is back on. 

The protesters have been removed and the road cleared. 

The race stopped for 50 minutes. 

The breakaway has been allowed to start, the peloton will be allowed to start after close to 8 minutes.

It seems the 'This is Rigged' group carried out the protest. They have been active in Scotland recently. 

"4 people with This Is Rigged have blocked the road, halting the Men's Elite Race at the Cycling World Championships this morning," they wrote on social media.

The social media messages from This is Rigged added:

"Cat, 21, “the fact that INEOS has been allowed to sponsor a team in the race around the Campsie Fells- which were engulfed in wildfires last month- is a disgrace and an insult to the both cycling community and the people of Scotland."

“we cannot continue with business as usual while our country burns and our futures are ruined. Time is of the essence and we need to act like it. must stand up to Westminster and oppose all new oil and gas, and implement a fair transition now.”

The peloton is also back racing and have caught George Bennett (New Zealand), Eric Fagúndez (Uruguay) and Rien Schuurhuis (Vatican City). 

182km to go

The gap between the nine-rider break and the peloton is 6:25.

If you want to learn more about This is Rigged and their protests, click below.

This is Rigged.

180km to go

The peloton is racing fast to the foot of Crow Road climb.

Germany, Belgium and Australia are driving the peloton. 

The USA's Larry Warbasse and Neilson Powless are also upfront in the peloton.

Warbasse spoke to Cyclingnews about the USA's chances.

"I’m really happy to get the call up for the race, it’s always a pleasure to pull on the Stars and Stripes and to represent your country, so I’m excited to get the chance to do that," he said. 

"I think we have a strong team and I’m looking forward to hopefully contributing to a good result. Neilson has proved again and again this year and in previous world championships that he has what it takes to be at the front and I’m hoping we can help him achieve the best result possible!"

The riders are out on the Scottish moors now. There are no trees on the spectacular hills. 

This is the view across Crow Road.

The Belgian team take musettes from the roadside but the strap snaps on Victor Campenaerts. He loses a bidon but manages to save the musette. 

A reminder, these are the riders in the attack: 

Patrick Gamper (Austria), Rory Townsend (Ireland), Owain Doull (Great Britain), Matthew Dinham (Australia), Harold Tejada (Colombia), Kevin Vermaerke (USA), Ryan Christensen (New Zealand), Krists Neilands (Latvia) and Petr Kelemen (Czech Republic).

All the riders are on the descent from Crow road and so are heading to Glasgow. 

The riders pass the murales recalling when Philippa York wore the polka-dot jersey at the Tour de France. 

Sadly she has not been honoured at this World Championships as she deserved.  

160km to go

The gap to the break is down to 5:00. 

The riders are just 10km from the Glasgow circuit. A new phase of the race is about to start.

Crash!

Fernando Gaviria crashed at a slow speed but hit his face and is bleeding. 

He is not seriously hurt but his race is over.

The major nations are lined out at the head of the peloton. The speed us up as Glasgow nears.

Australia and Belgium are on their left of their road, with Italy on the right.

Van der Poel and the Netherlands are further back. 

154km to go

Denmark move up via the centre of the peloton.

The gap to the nine-rider attacks is now 5:00.

The crowds are huge along the roadside.

Italy are determined to lead the peloton onto the circuit.

150km to go

The nine attackers are already on the circuit, with huge crowds cheering them on the first climb.

The first ramp hurts lots of riders. Luke Plapp did a lot of work in the run-in and so is distanced.

Australia are leading the peloton, keeping the speed super high. 

The 143.km Glasgow circuit twists and turns, climbs and descends through the streets. It heads westwards towards Kelvingrove Parks and then returns to the city centre for the short but steep climb of Montrose Street (200 metres at 8.5%) just 11.5km from the finish. 

There are so many corners on the circuit that nobody can agree on the exact number. Some teams said 44, 45 or even 48. Whatever the true number, the riders will face almost 500 corners in the final 150km of the race.        

“After two laps of the recon ride, I had no idea where the climb was," Julian Alaphilippe admitted to L’Equipe. “I was disoriented and Sunday with the public, it will be worse.”  

To read the concerns and criticism of the circuit, click below.

‘It’s a criterium with a Worlds distance’ - Riders concerned about 500 corners of Glasgow circuits

Now Denmark take charge, with Michael Mørkøv leading Pedersen.

Matthews, Van Aert and other big names are just behind them. 

Race on!

At the back of the peloton Sam Bennett of Ireland is dropped.

The atttackers hit Montrose Street, the steep ramp in the city.

Yet again, a rider has dropped their chain on Montrose Street as they changed gears.

On the descent, Evenepoel moves up to near the front.

The attackers pass through the finish area for the first time. 

They have ten laps and 143km to race.

Mikkel Zberg has a flat, that is probably the end of his race, due to the high speed.

The peloton enters George Square,  3:45 down on the attackers.

The peloton is lined out, with several groups dropped. 

There are only 40 riders in the front peloton.

Look and listen to those crowds!

The finish area in George Square has also been closed due to reaching capacity. 

There is a crash in the peloton, it looks like Olav Kooij. He went down at speed. 

134km to go

More corners, more attacks and more crashes.

Alaphilippe jumps off the front!

A number of riders are delayed by a crash and bike problems.

There is another attack, with Lorenzo Rota of Italy with Mattia Skelmose of Denmark. 

The peloton is lined out due to the high speed.

Britain's Jake Stewart was caught-up in the crash.  

130km to go

The lead of the break is down to 3:00. 

Victor Campenaerts takes over to try to control the racing a little. 

Mattias Skjelmose (Denmark), Lorenzo Rota (Italy) and Tobias Johannessen (Norway) are still out front of the peloton. 

That's why Belgium have to use a pawn to chase the move.

125km to go

With 9 laps to go, the rain is starting to fall. 

Mattias Skjelmose (Denmark), Lorenzo Rota (Italy) and Tobias Johannessen (Norway) are 2:55.

The peloton is 20 seconds down on them. 

Riders grab bidons from the feed zone. Every bidon could be vital today due to the high speed. 

Fortunately the sun has also come out, there could be a rainbow over Glasgow very soon.

As the rider climb through the park, Neilson Powless blows up the race again. 

Mattias Skjelmose (Denmark), Lorenzo Rota (Italy) and Tobias Johannessen (Norway) have been swept up, at least by Powless and those with him. 

118km to go

Bettiol, Pogacar and Pedersen are up front. 

Bettiol attacks!

Sadly Peter Sagan is at the back of a group dropped from the peloton. 

This is an anarchic race. There is no control, no rules, no respect and lots of attacks.  

40 or so riders are chasing the peloton. It includes Evenepoel, who does not seem on a great day.

Meanwhile Van Aert and a teammate are leading the peloton.

112km to go

The peloton is 2:14 down on the break with 8 laps to race.

Evenepoel and others haver got back onto the peloton. but they're well down the line as the corners, short climbs and fast descents start all over again. 

Great Britain's Fred Wright is dropped. He was GB's team leader. They will have to find a  Plan C after Jake Stewart also suffered a puncture.

Peter Sagan has abandoned the race. There is no fairytale ending for the three-time World Champion.

Such is the speed and aggressive racing, there are only 65 riders in the peloton.

107km to go

Front wheel puncture for Laporte.

He gets a new bike but his race could be over. The Frenchman was second last year.

Upfront Belgium increase the pace. 

Asgreen, Philipsen and Alaphilippe have been dropped. 

The surge by Nathan Van Hooydonck split the peloton but Evenepoel chases and brings the group back together.

100km

So much has happened already but there are still 100km to race.

The 14.3km laps are so hectic that its difficult for the riders to eat and drink.

We could see some riders blow up later in the race.

The break reaches the finish area again. 

Their lead is down to 1:15. With 30 or so riders in the chasing peloton.

The USA's Neilson Powless is off the back.

We're nearing the finale of the finale and it will be fascinating to see how Belgium play their cards. 

Van Aert looks good, Philipsen has been dropped and Evenepoel is still there. 

Barry Ryan analysed Belgium's possible tactics and their possible problems in this special feature.  

The team to beat - Evenepoel, Van Aert, Philipsen and a Worlds balancing act

95km to race.

Laporte has failed to get back on to the peloton after his flat. He's caught by a chase group but his chances have gone.

Indeed France are racing as if he's no longer the team leader. 

Italy surge again. Do they realise there is still 92km to race?

Velasco and Bagioli lead Trentin on the front of the group. 

There are just seven riders in the early attack after Rory Townsend (Ireland) suffers a puncture.

On the west end of the course in the park, the climb is really hurting the riders. 

Evenepoel and Van Aert don't seem able to hold the wheels. 

Bettiol is upfront, van der Poel too.

Van Aert joins the attack. Pogacar is there too. 

90km to go

Boom!

Van der Poel attacks!

Mauro Schmid (Switzerland), Pogacar, Pedersen, Bettiol and Trentin are there with MvdP. 

Van Aert is the only Belgian in the attack. 

Evenepoel and other teammates are in the chase group behind. 

Van Baarle is up front, Powless seems to be here too. He got back up from an earlier split.

Crash!

As Pogacar attacked, Trentin touched the foot of the barriers and flies over his bike!

Somehow Van Aert avoided his flying bike. 

83km to go

The USA's Kevin Vermaerke lead the race through the finish area but was just 37 seconds ahead of the chasers.

The riders have six laps to race. 

There are only 32 riders left up front. 

Evenepoel is up there and shows himself at the front. He's clearly not done yet.  

This is the moment Trentin crashed.

75km to go

Remco Evenepoel is at the back of the front group with Tiesj Benoot. 

Is he struggling or playing mind games? 

MvdP attacks again! 

This is a huge selection. 

Pogacar and Van Aert are there. 

Bettiol is there too, Pedersen and Matthew Dinham who was in the early break.

The gap is huge. 

The chasers seem cooked, including Evenepoel and his three Belgian teammates.

They sweep up the USA's Kevin Vermaerke too.

The seven now lead the race.

73km to go

We perhaps have the selection that will decide the race. 

The teammates of these seven will not chase behind and so the gap should grow.

71km to go

The attackers reach the finish area, with Pogacar leading. 

The chasers are at only 10 seconds.

We spoke too soon. The race could open up and change yet again in the final 5 laps. 

The riders are covering the 14.3km lap at 45 km/h. 

Pedersen is one of the fastest finishers in the group but does not want the chasers to close the gap. 

He surges clear alone. 

Van Aert gets Nathan Van Hooydonck to lead the chase of Pedersen. 

The chase group is back up to the attackers and so Belgium have a number of riders to help Van Aert.

Van Hooydonck is trying to ride a steady pace to help Van Aert.

Meanwhile, Skelmose appears to take a long puff on his asthma inhaler. 

Indeed Belgium hit the front en masse. 

They accelerate to set-up Van Aert and that spits several riders out of the group, including the USA's Lawson Craddock.

The riders have already raced over 200km. They still face 64km

Skelmose ups the pace and Evenepoel is at the back of a split. 

His race will be done very soon.

Pogacar surges on the Scott Street ramp. 

Kevin Vermaerke punctures! He was in the front group after being in the early break. 

That's tragic for the young American.

61km to go

Look who is back. Remco is back. 

He makes an attack but Pedersen sits on him.

Riders grab bars and bidons in the feed zone. Every gel will count in the final 60km.

Van Aert makes a surge but guess who chases him? Yep, Van der Poel. 

Ooooh! Bettiol lost his bidon, hit it with his rear wheel, slips but keeps his bike up. 

The group catch Bettiol on a climb and so Evenepoel kicks again. 

He is either feeling better or attacking to force Van Aert's rivals to chase.

4 laps to go! 

55km to go

There are just 18 riders in the front group after all the attacks. 

On a climb, as it starts to rain, Bettiol kicks away again.

Bettiol's attack has hurt the chasers. Some can't hold the wheels.

Bettiol feeds with a gel.  He leads by 14 seconds. 

As expected Belgium pick up the chase, with Jasper Stuyven leading. 

Here is the rainbow over Glasgow.

The rain offers Bettiol a chance to cool down but it is raining only on half of the Glasgow course. 

With Stuyven done, Benoot takes over for Belgium. 

The chase is on during the climb through the park.

The road is soaked and so Bettiol can choose his line carefully on the corners. 

45km to go

Bettiol leads by 25 seconds.

Are his rivals letting him cook himself out front alone?

Gaps open in the chase group as the riders fear the wet roads.

That will slow the chase.

45km to go

Bettiol's lead is up to 30 seconds. 

Benoot can't chase any faster and everyone seems tired on his wheel. 

Yet the attacks will surely come in the final 3 laps. Pogacar, Van Aert and van der Poel are still there.  

The rain is pouring now but Bettiol pushes on alone.  

His lead is up to 40 seconds. 

A riders slides out on a fast corner. It's Jhonatan Narváez (Ecuador).  

3 laps to go! 

Bettiol lead is timed at 42 seconds on five chasers. The others are further back.

40km to go

Benoot is done and so Van Aert starts to chase himself. 

Pedersen, Pogacar, van der Poel are with him.

Van Aert, Pedersen, Pogacar and van der Poel are at 30 seconds.

Powless is the group behind but perhaps has a slow puncture.

Bettiol reaches for another gel. 

He's burning huge amounts of energy out front and has 38km to race.   

34km to go

The roads are starting to dry out. 

Bettiol's lead is down to 20 seconds as the four chasers work together to  close him down. 

Behind the other chasers are at 40 seconds and seem out of the race.

32km to go

Powless is in the second chase group and refuses to give up. 

Through the pit area, Pedersen grabs a bidon.  

This was Powless a little earlier in the race.

Bettiol seems tired but pushes on bravely.

His lead is down to 18 seconds. 

Bettiol fights his way up Montrose Street. 

Behind Van Aert leads the four chasers. They look tired too as the rain pours down again. 

What a race this is. Epic is the only word I can think of. Legendary comes to mind too.

Bettiol passes through the George Street finish with 28km to race. 

The clock ticks. He leads Van Aert, Pedersen, Pogacar and van der Poel by 24 seconds.

Bettiol's gap is going up!

Bettiol looks focused and angry, while the chasers look tired. 

Bettiol seems to be trying to pace his effort. 

He cuts from left to right to cut every corner ands save energy and effort.

Pogacar does a turn on the front of the chase quartet, as does Pedersen. 

Bettiol's lead is down to 10 seconds. They can see him very soon.

Behind the Powless group is at 50 seconds. 

22km to go

Van der Poel kicks away to close down Bettiol. 

MvdP has a gap and is alone solo. 

They catch, pass and drop Bettiol. 

Van Aert, Pedersen and Pogacar chase MvdP. 

Van Aert seems cooked and is struggling to help the chase.

Van der Poel goes all in and going away from his big rivals.

His gap is already 15 seconds.

MvdP dances up the steep climb of Scott Street. 

Pogacar tries to do the same to close the gap. 

Behind Bettiol keeps fighting and keeps chasing. 

MvdP has disappeared around a corner. 

His lead is up to 20 seconds. 

17km to go

MvdP has gone. His lead is up to 30 seconds.

Crash! 

MvdP slids out! 

He gets up ands gets a push but has lost a lot of time.

His right shoe is broken and he's struggling to pedal.

Yet he fights on and surges up Montrose Street. 

15km to go

MvdP lead is still 30 seconds.

MvdP can surely feel the adrenaline now. 

His shoe has two dials so his shoes is still tight on his shoes and he can pedal on.

The bell rings out for the last lap. 

MvdP leads by 30 seconds on Pogacar, Van Aert and Pedersen.

Bettiol gets the bell, at 1:37. 

He's fifth out on the road, that's how hard the race has been. 

Pedersen, Pogacar and Van Aert seem to be racing for the medals.

They can't see van der Poel ahead of them and can't close the gap.

MvdP has ripped shorts and skinsuit and a bloody knee and hand  but he pushes on.

11km to go

The Dutch team car goes up to MvdP to encourage him to victory.

The gap is up to 1:00. 

The Dutch national coach cheers on MvdP ands bangson the car door to encourage him on. 

MvdP dances on the pedals as the crowd cheers him to victory.

MvdP even has time to look at his crash injuries and blood on his elbow. 

3km to go

Van Aert tries to attack but  Pedersen and Pogacar stay with him.

MvdP is close to victory. He leads by 1:45. 

This is an incredible ride.

2km to go

MvdP pushes on the pedals once again. He's in central Glasgow and bpout to win the world title.

1 km to go

MvdP takes the final corners carefully. 

But now smiles. He knows he is going to win.

MATHIEU VAN DER POEL IS THE 2023 ELITE MEN'S WORLD CHAMPION!

He holds his head in disbelief.

He is so tired he falls to the ground.

Van Aert has distanced Pogacar and Pedersen to finish second.  

Van Aert takes silver as Pogacar sprints to take bronze ahead of Pedersen.

What a race!

Mathieu van der Poel has won some big races but this world title surely tops it all.  

MvdP beat Van Aert by 1:37. 

Pogacar used his last drops of energy to beat Pedersen for bronze, but 1:45 down on MvdP. 

How hard was today? Well, Remco Evenepoel just finished, more than ten minutes down. 

Incredibly, Evenepoel  is only the 25th rider to finish. 

Alberto Bettiol hung on to finish tenth at 4:03.

Van der Poel won alone!

We're waiting to hear from Van der Poel and for him to pull on the rainbow jersey.

He's won so many in cyclocross but this one will be special. 

The 271km race started like this. 

It ended like this, after one of the most dramatic World Championships in the long history of the sport. 

Van der Poel admits that he thought his race was over when he crashed but he got up and won it.

"If this had cost me the world title, I would haven't been able to sleep for two nights," he said.

We're about to see the podium ceremony. 

There is a huge crowd out front for the podium ceremony. 

Behind the stage, Pogacar jokes that he would have quit if he had to ride an extra lap. He seems very tired.

Pogacar climbs onto the lowest step to be awarded the bronze medal. 

Van Aert is on the left step, with Mathieu van der Poel taking centre stage. 

Van der Poel struggles to hold back the tears as he climbs on the top step and UCI President David Lappartient gives him the rainbow jersey. 

"It means everything. It was one of the biggest goals I had left, and to win it today is amazing,"  van der Poel said.

"It completes my career in my opinion. For me, it's the biggest victory on the road. I cannot yet imagine wearing the rainbow for a year." 

He then explained his race tactics and his winning attack in three acts.

“I knew that this was the hardest moment of the race especially because you had a downhill and immediately the next bump. I felt still pretty strong at the end and I noticed the rest was a bit on the limit,” he said. 

“Then when I went away, I didn’t expect to have a gap immediately but when I saw nobody was following, it gave me wings. I was just flying around the course until that crash.” 

Did he believe his race was over?

“For a moment, yes,” he admitted. 

“Not because I was stupid, I was not taking risks, not at all actually. In that corner, all of a sudden I was on the ground. I was pretty pissed at myself but it’s not that I was taking risks in my opinion. 

"If this had cost me the world title, I would have slept for a couple of days.” 

Then he won alone.

“I felt a bit like revenge for last year. It’s an incredible feeling,” he said, referring to when he was taken into police custody after shouting at children who knocked on his hotel door the night before the race in Australia.” 

Here is Mathieu van der Poel in the new rainbow jersey.

This is the podium and what a podium! 

World champion: Mathieu van der Poel (Netherlands)

Silver medalist: Wout van Aert (Belgium) 

Bronze medal: Tadej Pogacar (Slovenia)

To read our full race report, see the full results and our growing photo gallery, click the link below. 

We'll soon have rider reaction and other news from the race.

UCI World Championships: Mathieu van der Poel wins 2023 Elite Men's Road Race

It's been a long and emotional day of racing that also included a protest that forced the race to be suspended for 50 minutes. We have the full story below. 

A Scottish environmental group called 'This is Rigged' confirmed to Cyclingnews that they staged the protest. The group aims to stop the Scottish government from approving new fossil fuel projects in the country and create a transition fund for oil and gas workers.

Protesters target 'polluting sponsors' in halting World Championships road race

The hopes of Great Britain taking home a men's rainbow jersey on home roads – the first since Mark Cavendish's triumph in Copenhagen in 2011 – came to an end 95 km from the finish in Glasgow as Fred Wright pulled out of the race.

Click below to read what Wright told us.

'I was there and then I wasn't' – Great Britain's home Worlds hopes end with Fred Wright abandon

Remco Evenepoel raced on a new Specialized Tarmac bike. 

Cyclingnews Tech Editor Josh Croxton was in Scotland for the launch.  

The new Specialized Tarmac SL8 is faster, lighter, stiffer, smoother and... cheaper?!

Mathieu van der Poel is the first world champion in both cyclocross and road racing  in the same year. 

And yet again, he defeated Wout Van Aert during their career-long rivalry.  

Mathieu van der Poel is only the eighth dutch male rider to wi the  road race world title. 

The Netherlands had been waiting since Joop Zoetemelk won in Barcelona back in 1985.

1947 - Theo Middelkamp 

1964 - Jan Janssen 

1969 - Harm Ottenbros 

1975 - Hennie Kuiper 

1978 - Gerrie Knetemann 

1979 - Jan Raas 

1985 - Joop Zoetemelk 

2023 - Mathieu van der Poel

Van der Poel has enjoyed an incredible 2023 season, winning the cyclocross world title, Milan-San Remo, Paris-Roubaix and now the road world title.

In a few days he will target the mountain bike world championships and possible even the Gravel World Championsghips in October.

Thanks for joining us for full live coverage of the men's road race. 

The Super World Championships are far from over and we will have full coverage of all the track racing, mountain bike, time trials and then the women's road race next Sunday.