BettiniPhoto©2021
After gaining second place in the Time-Trial on Wednesday, today in Trento (Italy) Ellen van Dijk won the
European title in the Women’s Elite Road race.
The powerful Dutch rider dominated with great strength and pedalled alone in the lead for the last twenty-five
kilometres of the race. After getting past the peloton, she managed to leave behind the German Kasper, the
French rider Biannic and the Italian Paladin who she had broken away with at approximately fifty kilometres
from the finish.
In the final stages, Van Dijk gained even more ground and crossed the finish line on the Piazza Duomo, where
there were huge crowds, with a lead of 1’18” over the small group of riders in pursuit who battled it out in the
sprint with the German Liane Lippert beating the Lithuanian Rasa Lelevyte.
The day started with the Men’s Under 23 Road race won by the Belgian talent Thibau Nys, former Cyclo-Cross
European Champion.
The race set off very quickly with a fast average speed right from the start and a long series of attacks with the
best riders breaking away from the peloton. In the last lap, the Belgian Van Eetvelt took an impressive lead,
right up to 25”.
Instigated by Italy and Filippo Zana, the best group of riders managed to catch up the breakaway rider. In the
final stages, Zana made an unsuccessful solo attack two kilometres from the finish. A seven-man sprint was
inevitable and Thibau Nys crossed the line first, with his arms up in the air, beating Filippo Baroncini (Italy) and
Juan Ayuso (Spain).
Tomorrow the 2021 European Championships will finish with the Men’s Elite race (179.2 km, start at 14:30).
Among the riders competing will be the triple world champion, winner of the first European Elite title in 2016,
the Slovak Peter Sagan, who will also encounter other riders who have already won the European Champion
jersey: the Norwegian Alexander Kristoff, first in 2017, and the Italian Matteo Trentin who won the title in 2018.
Along with them there will also be among others, the Belgians Philippe Gilbert and Remco Evenepoel, former
Time-Trial European Champion in 2019, and the Slovenian winner of the most recent editions of the Tour de
France, Tadej Pogacar.
