Lorenzo Finn claimed the junior men’s World Championship title on Thursday afternoon. The Italian, who rides for the Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe development team, was the fastest among his peers in a rain-soaked Zurich. Top favorite Albert Withen Philipsen crashed in the final lap while riding at the front with the Italian.
The organizers laid out a 127.2-kilometer course for the junior men, featuring the local loop around Zurich, which is also part of the route for all other categories. While the elite men will tackle the loop seven times on Sunday, the junior men had to complete it four times. It was a tough test, though the first 26 kilometers of the race were relatively flat.
The race ignited immediately in the opening phase. The challenging weather conditions led to numerous crashes and caused several riders to drop off even on the flat sections. This was mainly due to the high pace set by the Danish team at the front of the peloton. Before reaching the local loop, the riders faced the climb to Binz—a 1.5-kilometer ascent at 9.1%. This climb could have served as a launching pad for attacks, but the Danes allowed no one to break away.
Race stays intense as Withen Philipsen thins the group even further
The rain-soaked descent created dangerous situations and significantly reduced the leading group. By the first pass of the finish line, only around thirty riders remained at the front, including top favorites Seixas and Withen Philipsen. A group of six riders, including Dutchman Senna Remijn, found the lead pack too large and launched an attack. Freshly crowned European champion Felix Ørn-Kristoff also joined in and took strong turns at the front. However, it wasn’t enough, and with around 80 kilometers to go, the lead group was reduced to roughly 25 riders.
However, that didn’t last long, as Withen Philipsen tried to shake things up on the first climb of the Zürich-Bergstrasse. Unfortunately for him, most of the riders in the leading group were able to follow the Dane. The pace never slowed, and several riders tried to put pressure on the Danes. While none were fully successful, only fifteen riders remained at the front.
The Netherlands still had two riders in the lead: Remijn, along with Jurgen Zomermaand. Belgium had only Matisse van Kerckhove, who had won bronze in the time trial just days earlier. Favorite Seixas was supported by his teammate Aubin Sparfel, while dangerous Spanish rider Héctor Álvarez had teammate Adrià Percas by his side. Withen Philipsen’s compatriot, Anton Lauw Larsen, managed to stay with the group as well. With around 70 kilometers remaining, a strong group of favorites had already formed.
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Finn picks right moment, Remijn in trouble at crucial point
After the descent stretched the lead group thin, Italian Lorenzo Finn seized the opportunity to attack. The other leaders hesitated, giving him a comfortable lead. When the group crossed the finish line with 54 kilometers to go, Finn had built a 22-second advantage over the fourteen chasers. On the steep Zürich-Bergstrasse, Withen Philipsen once again pushed the pace, this time causing a significant split. Only Seixas, Remijn, Álvarez, and British rider Sebastian Grindley could keep up with the Dane. That group of five set off in pursuit of Finn, who continued to ride strongly at the front.
It wasn’t until 37 kilometers from the finish that Finn was finally caught, thanks to another acceleration from Withen Philipsen. This move was too much for both Remijn and Seixas, leaving only Álvarez and Grindley to chase with the Dane and Italian. Once again, Withen Philipsen led the descent, widening the gap to Remijn and Seixas.
Drama in the final lap as Withen Philipsen Crashes on the soaking wet descent, Finn given a clear path to the rainbow jersey
As the final lap began, the Franco-Dutch duo trailed by half a minute, with Seixas even losing Remijn’s wheel. At the front, all eyes were on Withen Philipsen, waiting for his next attack and seeing who could follow the Dane.
Grindley was the first to drop on the final climb of the Zürich-Bergstrasse, followed by Álvarez, who could no longer keep pace with Philipsen and Finn. Though Philipsen had descended well all day, disaster struck in the final lap. As he and Finn seemed destined for gold or silver, the Dane crashed hard on the wet descent.
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Finn speeds to rainbow jersey in time trial mode, exciting battle for other medals
The Italian rider was gone. Lorenzo Finn embarked on a 22-kilometer solo time trial with both a gold medal and a rainbow jersey waiting at the finish line. Behind him, Grindley had caught up with Álvarez, making their fight a duel for the silver medal. Grindley dropped his Spanish rival with just over 11 kilometers to go and seemed on track for a silver medal, trailing race leader Finn by about a minute and a half.
Not much changed in the final kilometers. Finn took the descent cautiously, and Grindley had no trouble holding off his Spanish pursuer. Finn became the first Italian since 2007 to win the junior men’s road race, following in the footsteps of Diego Ulissi, who won gold that year, with Daniele Ratto taking silver and Elia Favilli bronze. Grindley secured an impressive silver for Great Britain, while Álvarez ultimately faded.
Remijn, along with Germany’s Paul Fietzke and the American Ashlin Barry, caught up to Álvarez and left him behind, turning the fight for bronze into a three-way contest. In the end, it was the Dutch rider Remijn who narrowly edged out Fietzke in the sprint to claim bronze, with Barry finishing in fifth place.
Results World road race men juniors 2024
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