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Bronze for Alec Segaert at U23 World Championships

After a remarkably strong final, Alec Segaert secured an impressive third place at the U23 World Championships in Zurich. "I did it tactically well, but in the end, that's all relative."
Race 27 September 2024
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"Coming from an almost lost position, after a grueling race, I still managed to grab a medal," Segaert reflects on his championship. Earlier this week, he narrowly missed out on a medal in the U23 time trial at the World Championships, but now he has that well-earned bronze. "We rode a good team race, with many of us still in the final. Personally, I handled it well tactically."

Jan Christen opened the final with an attack on the Bergstrasse, 50 kilometers from the finish. Initially, no one had an answer, but under the leadership of Jarno Widar, the Swiss rider was caught. Then Niklas Behrens and Martin Svrcek broke away. The two managed to stay ahead—Behrens ultimately won—but behind them, Alec Segaert showcased brilliant tactical prowess. Segaert stayed close to the chasers for a long time and launched a surprising attack in the final kilometers to finish third. This gave Belgium its first U23 World Championship medal since 2018.

"While the pace on that climb was fast every time initially, I could feel that each attack became less explosive as the race went on. I held back a bit, and that paid off in the end. I was able to use my experience and race instinct to go at the right moment and take bronze. It’s a nice reward for me, but then you cross the finish line and hear the news (about the passing of junior rider Muriel Ferrer)… That stirs emotions. Emotions I felt last year as well (when teammate Tijl De Decker passed away). Suddenly, that third place feels very relative."

Widar finished strong in seventh place. "I couldn’t have taken that third place myself after doing so much work to bring Christen back. The cold had me so cramped on my bike that I could barely control it. I think we got the maximum out of it."

 

Picture: PhotoNews