European Championships 2023

The road

At the start

Six times up a landfill hill

The last championship of the season, over the flattest ground in Europe: 199 kilometres out of Assen and then six laps of a 13.7-kilometre circuit whose only difficulty is the Col du VAM — a hill built on a rubbish tip, a few hundred cobbled metres at ten per cent, then thirteen flat kilometres to the line. Wout van Aert and Mads Pedersen are the men to beat. The women's title was decided on that ramp yesterday.

How it was won

1. 1115 km to go

   Fifteen down on the run to Drenthe

   With 115km left a crash takes down nearly fifteen riders on the long road out of Assen — Germans, Britons, Dutchmen, Italians all on the tarmac, and Bauke Mollema out of the race.

2. 283 km to go

   Six laps of the VAM

   The race swings onto the 13.7km finishing circuit and its centrepiece, the Col du VAM — a landfill hill with a cobbled ramp on its upper slopes, to be climbed six more times.

3. 340 km to go

   Belgium set the cobbles alight

   Three laps to go and Belgium drive the cobbles of the VAM. Andreas Kron takes advantage of the lull over the top and forces Italy, Switzerland and Britain into the chase, only to be swept up 30km out.

4. 427 km to go

   Ganna splits it, Laporte answers

   Italy lead onto the VAM with two laps left and Filippo Ganna accelerates over the summit, cracking the field open. Teunissen counters with Turner; then Christophe Laporte goes, and the winning group of eight is made.

5. 513 km to go

   Alone over the VAM

   Over the cobbles for the last time, thirteen kilometres out, Laporte simply rides away from Van Aert, De Lie, Kooij and the rest. It is the same move that won Bredewold the women's title the day before.

6. 6At the line

   By a bike length

   The three chasers eat almost all of it in the last kilometre and Van Aert launches with the line in sight — but Laporte finds one more surge and holds him off, with Kooij third.

The result