Cycling Road World Championships 2015: Winner, Final Results and Times

Pre-race favourite Peter Sagan took the gold medal at the 2015 Cycling Road World Championships in Richmond, Virginia, finishing solo after a fantastic jump on the penultimate climb of the race. The 25-year-old spent most of the day in the belly of the peloton but attacked at just the right time, taking a good lead in the descent and surviving until the finish line.

The Belgian team controlled much of the race and had their chances to win, but some poor tactics and bad luck in the final kilometres meant not one of their riders made the podium. 

Here's a look at the final results:

The course in Richmond was somewhat reminiscent of a Flemish Classic, with three steep climbs in quick succession testing the peloton during every lap. This seemed to favour the bigger, more powerful riders and sprinters, with the likes of Sagan, John Degenkolb and Alexander Kristoff seen as favourites.

As shared by Procyclingnews.eu, the Belgians took control of the peloton after a slow start in the first few laps:

Guillaume Boivin, Kanstantsin Siutsou and Taylor Phinney formed the first real break, with the peloton gladly giving the three a significant lead. Communication proved tricky, and with so many nations boasting a perceived favourite for the race, the constant battle for positioning resulted in a handful of crashes.   

Nacer Bouhanni, who has seemingly crashed in every race he has entered this year, once again hit the pavement, a big blow to the French team. Sep Vanmarcke remained active for the Belgians, who did an excellent job surrounding Greg Van Avermaet and Tom Boonen, two strong candidates for the win.

The Inner Ring noticed how they kept attacking their opponents, trying to isolate the favourites, and he summed it up like this:

With three laps to go, the gap between the peloton and the leaders had shrunk to less than a minute, and the favourites finally started to race. Spain moved several riders to the front of the pack, and Joaquim Rodriguez surprised everyone by launching an attack. Climbing-records.com's Mihai Cazacu thought that was a little too early:

Roman Kreuziger and Tony Martin also put in tremendous shifts at the front of the peloton, while Sagan and Zdenek Stybar, who didn't have the luxury of strong team-mates, did their very best to find a wheel to use.

Meanwhile, rain started to fall on the cobbles of Libby Hill, making the course's toughest climb even harder and more dangerous, something that would play into the hands of the specialists, such as the Belgian and Dutch team. Cazacu feared there would be crashes:

The three leaders were caught just before Libby Hill, and during the climb, a number of top riders escaped. Boonen and defending champion Michal Kwiatkowski managed to sneak along, as well as Italy's Elia Viviani, a top sprinter.

With so many stars at the front, their fellow leaders were hesitant to take charge of the group, giving the peloton a chance to close the gap. Boonen and Viviani were willing to work, however, and in the background, the German team wasted tons of energy in the chase.

The UCI's official Twitter account shared footage of the leaders with two laps to go:

Banking on Viviani's ability to finish a sprint, the Italians started slowing down the peloton, and the lead started to grow quickly. The Dutch tried chasing themselves despite having a man in the leading group with Bauke Mollema, as even they realised Boonen, Viviani and Kwiatkowski were the obvious favourites in that group.

Boonen and Kwiatkowski both looked very comfortable, but another attack in the final round seemed inevitable. Cycling commentator Jose Been explained why:

Leading by 25 seconds, most assumed the leading group contained the winner, but the peloton somehow closed the gap during the climb of Libby Hill. That effort took its toll on the pack, however, with big tears developing, leading to something of a super-group at the front.

Andre Greipel couldn't keep up, isolating Degenkolb as the only German rider at the front, while Belgium had Boonen, Van Avermaet, Tiesje Benoot and Philippe Gilbert. Vuelta a Espana hero Tom Dumoulin launched a big attack, but Boonen and Gilbert reacted immediately, with the latter now liking his chances of stealing the win on the final climb.

The Italians moved to the front with six riders, setting the stage for Vincenzo Nibali, and cycling writer Bill Strickland thought last year's Tour de France winner had to be considered the favourite:

Stybar and Degenkolb attacked during the final passage of Libby Hill, and Sagan, who had been nearly invisible throughout the race, also joined in. Niki Terpstra, Van Avermaet and Edvald Boasson-Hagen also sat at the front, but it was Sagan who made the jump, and in the descent, he opened up a nice lead heading for Governor Street.

Boasson-Hagen refused to ride with Van Avermaet in the chase, allowing Sagan to comfortably survive the final climb and take the win. The Slovak, one of the peloton's top showmen, tossed his helmet into the crowd before getting off his bike and walking back through the peloton, high-fiving opposing riders.

As shared by Neal Rogers of Global Cycling Network, Sagan is going to be a popular world champion:

Via Sky Sports Cycling, Sagan confirmed he gambled on the attack, as he had no energy left to win a possible sprint:

The star sprinter is quickly becoming the best all-round cyclist in the world, and after a number of second-placed finishes in the Tour de France, a win here in Richmond has to feel incredible for Sagan.

Doing it with a small and less talented Slovakian team likely makes the win that much sweeter. Sagan will be a force to be reckoned with during the Spring Classics, and for the first time in his career, he'll be wearing the rainbow jersey while doing it.

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