European Championships 2020

The road

At the start

No Viviani, three days before the Tour

Plouay, in Brittany, on a circuit found at short notice when Trento fell through: thirteen laps, thirteen ascents of the Côte du Pont-Neuf. The Tour starts in three days and it shapes the field — Cofidis refuse to release Elia Viviani from their bubble to defend his title. Italy have brought a sprinter's team anyway, chasing a third continental title running; Van der Poel leads a Dutch team with nothing to lose.

How it was won

1. 155 km to go

   Van der Poel starts pulling

   Four laps of the Plouay circuit left and the last escapee is nearly in sight. Mathieu van der Poel comes to the front and begins trying to tear a bunch sprint out of the day.

2. 229 km to go

   Nothing sticks over the Pont-Neuf

   Van Avermaet, Stuyven and Van der Poel take turns hitting the little rise inside the last thirty kilometres, but there are too many strong nations left and every move is dragged back within a lap.

3. 318 km to go

   Trentin covers everything

   With eighteen kilometres to go Van der Poel slips clear again with Bystrøm and Trentin. The Italian goes with the move and refuses to work — Nizzolo is behind, and Italy are riding for the sprint.

4. 410 km to go

   Hoelgaard's last throw

   Inside the final ten kilometres Markus Hoelgaard is the only rider to get real daylight, dangling a handful of seconds ahead of a peloton that is now visibly Italian.

5. 52 km to go

   The last climb of the day

   Italy hit the Côte du Pont-Neuf for the thirteenth and final time at a pace that kills the race stone dead. Hoelgaard is swallowed, Pidcock and Rui Costa surge, and Trentin snuffs them both out inside the last two kilometres.

6. 6At the line

   Nizzolo takes the blue jersey

   Ballerini drops Giacomo Nizzolo off with 150 metres to go and the Italian holds off Arnaud Démare and Pascal Ackermann — a third straight European title for Italy, a week after his national championship.

The result