UCI Road World Championships 2014

The road

At the start

Fourteen laps at Ponferrada

Two hundred and fifty-six kilometres, fourteen laps of a circuit around Ponferrada, two climbs on every one: the long, shallow Montearenas and then the Compostilla, 1,100 metres pitching to ten per cent and cresting four kilometres from the line. Rui Costa defends the rainbow jersey, Peter Sagan has been the favourite since the course was unveiled, and Spain race at home behind Alejandro Valverde.

How it was won

1. 176 km to go

   Italy finally goes to work

   The four leaders have been losing two minutes a lap and at 180km the gap is a manageable 2:19. With five laps left Poland's domestiques pull into the pits, and it is Visconti and Aru who take the Ponferrada circuit by the throat.

2. 255 km to go

   Tony Martin goes hunting, three laps to go

   Visconti's surge has already put thirteen riders up the road and forced France and Australia to chase. Now the German time trial champion attacks across, purely to take the pressure off his teammates behind — and with three laps to go he leads the world championship, everything within fifty seconds.

3. 327 km to go

   Three break away on the Confederación

   Visconti and Kennaugh attack again with two laps left, and their move dies on the lower slopes of the first, easier climb — but out of its ashes De Marchi, Gautier and the first-year professional Michael Valgren Andersen forge clear.

4. 419 km to go

   Kiryienka bridges at the bell

   The Belarusian hauls himself across just before the final lap, making four at the front. De Marchi captains them, remonstrating furiously with Gautier for refusing to work, while Spain line the bunch out behind to soften everyone up for Valverde.

5. 57 km to go

   Across the dam wall

   Nineteen seconds is all that separates the leaders from the bunch, and every ending is still available with Cancellara, Bouhanni, Degenkolb and Matthews lying in wait. Belgium are setting the pace on the descent, the favourites are gathering themselves — and it is precisely then that Kwiatkowski simply goes, tearing across the dam wall towards the four.

6. 65 km to go

   Three accelerations on the Mirador

   He swallows the break and keeps riding. The first kick takes De Marchi and Valgren Andersen with him; the second stretches them; the third leaves them. Behind, the fireworks finally come — Valverde, Gerrans, Gilbert, Breschel, Gallopin and Van Avermaet all going clear near the summit — but nobody can organise, and the Pole is already gone.

7. 7At the line

   Poland's first rainbow jersey

   Gilbert throws everything at the last kilometres and the slender gap holds. Michał Kwiatkowski sails over the line with both arms in the air — the first Pole ever to win the road race world championship, ahead of Simon Gerrans and Alejandro Valverde.

The result