Skujiņš finishes 23rd at world championships in Montreal, three Latvians fail to complete race
Toms Skujiņš placed 23rd in the road cycling world championship road race in Montreal, while three other Latvian riders did not finish. American Brandon McNulty won the title.
Latvian cyclist Toms Skujiņš finished 23rd in Sunday's road cycling world championship road race in Montreal, while the other three Latvian competitors failed to complete the demanding course.
Riders faced a grueling 273.7-kilometer route featuring 3,803 meters of elevation gain. Emīls Liepiņš spent much of the race in a breakaway group that built a lead of roughly eight minutes over the peloton during the first half of the race. However, the main group gradually closed the gap and caught the leaders with just over 100 kilometers remaining. Liepiņš, along with teammates Mārtiņš Pluto and Kristiāns Belohvoščiks, ultimately did not finish the race.
McNulty claims the title
The decisive move came about 30 kilometers from the finish, when American Brandon McNulty broke away from the remaining contenders and rode solo toward the finish line. He quickly built a lead of nearly a minute, and although chasers closed in slightly by the end, McNulty held on to secure the victory.
McNulty completed the 273.7-kilometer course in six hours, 17 minutes and four seconds, claiming his first world championship title in the road race. Australian Michael Matthews crossed the line 13 seconds later to take second, while Dutchman Mathieu van der Poel earned the bronze medal.
Skujiņš finished four minutes and 25 seconds behind the new champion, placing 23rd. In each of the previous three world championships, Skujiņš had managed to finish among the top eight, but he was unable to repeat that result this time.
Latvia has produced two world champions in the road cycling road race throughout history — Emīlija Sonka triumphed in 1964, and Romāns Vainšteins won the title in 2000.
