Alec Segaert: "I gave it my all and am very happy with this silver medal"

Alex Segaert was seen by many as perhaps the man to beat at the under-23 time-trial World Championships, however he came home just short of the gold medal, after he was the best of the rest against Waerenskjold.

Segaert said after the race that it was complicated to not start off too fast due to the excitement, but aknowledged that "it was important to hold back a bit in the first lap. I think I managed that well and I still had something in the tank for the second lap.” The Belgian rider crossed the first intermediate point with the best time, seven seconds over eventual winner Soren Waerenskjold, and then the second intermediate three seconds ahead.  

That started showing the signs of what was to come, as the Norwegian soared into the world title. Segaert, the current Belgian and European under-23 time-trial champion, was looking to make a hattrick, but that was no longer possible into the second lap.

“After the halfway mark, I knew that I had about the same time as Søren Waerenskjold, who I knew had ridden a fantastic second lap. He is in his final year as an U23 rider and thus has some more experience and body," he aknowledged.

"From then on, I knew winning was going to be difficult, but silver behind Søren Waerenskjold would also be great for me. I kept going full gas to achieve that, I gave it my all and am very happy with this silver medal," the 19-year old concluded. This result puts on further evidence for why he's got a long-term contract already signed with Lotto Soudal, and he will keep racing with the colours of his choice throughout most of the coming 12 months despite this second place.