What a ride by Alberto Bettiol 🇮🇹💕 He followed moves, launched some attacks of his own, and then rode 30km solo. A brutal day out in Glasgow but an exhilarating race to watch. Grande Alberto. 💕
"We live to entertain people" - Alberto Bettiol hopes fans enjoyed 'crazy' World Championship road race
CyclingSunday, 06 August 2023 at 23:30
Despite all the pre-race criticism of the layout of the course, the 2023 World Championship road race in Glasgow was a rollercoaster ride full of drama from flag drop to finish. Alberto Bettiol was a top 10 finisher and hopes everyone enjoyed watching.
“I am touched because I had a dream with my teammates this morning. We were convinced that we could try to win," said the visibly emotional Italian in his post-race interview. Bettiol at one point even looked like he could win, riding clear solo and holding a gap into the final 30km. Ultimately though, it wasn't to be. "We wanted to win. I suffered and I gave myself a chance. It was a bit crazy and risky, but I believed in it and I tried.”
Once Mathieu van der Poel made his race winning attack it was curtains for Bettiol's hopes but holding on for a top 10 finish in such illustrious competition is an incredibly impressive result for the rider of EF Eduacation-EasyPost.
“If you are in the same group with them, you run the risk of being surprised. That's why I tried to surprise them. We didn't have many chances to win and this was the only one I had. All my teammates were fantastic, I was hoping to make a dream come true," he concludes. “As soon as I saw that it was raining, I immediately tried to attack. It was very difficult. This was a bit of a crazy World Championship, almost a criterion. We live to entertain people. Winning is very difficult, but if we keep going like this, with this fantastic group, sooner or later it will be our turn.”
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UltimateOpportunist23-12-2024 - If you look at the major races they’ve both been in, van der Poel had the early edge as lately Pogacar has had the advantage. It’s all on procyclingstats.RidesHills23-12-2024
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