As it happened: Huge gaps in ultra-attritional Elite men’s World Championships road race

Here comes Evenepoel, who’s going to take silver medal. Miles away from Pog, but also miles ahead of third place.

There’s been no hunger knock or crash, as has affected some of his past solo victories in the big races. He’s soloing to victory without it ever really seeming in doubt, since the moment he dropped Del Toro over 60km to go.

Pogačar gives his legs a shake as he rides onto the cobbles of the Côte de Kimihurura for the final time. Just a few minutes now until he can take a well-earned rest.

4km left for Pogačar, and he leads Evenepoel by 1:25.

Healy’ riding clear. He’s got a lead of ten seconds, and it’s growing.

Right on cue, Healy does attack, and has dropped Skjelmose.

Skjelmose and Healy are still together. Skjelmose is probably the quicker sprinter of the two (remember Amstel Gold?) so Healy may need to attack.

Pogačar begins the Côte de Kigali Golf for the final time.

Evenepoel is now 50 seconds ahead of Healy and Skjelmose, but remains 1:30 behind Pog.

Pogačar is showing some signs that this effort is hurting him, as he pulls a few faces and rocks a bit from side to side.

We’ll have to wait a while for Pidcock to arrive – he’s five and a half minutes behind Pogačar.

Healy and a grimacing Skjelmose are the next to cross it, about 30 seconds behind Evenepoel. The silver looks out of sight for them, so they’ll have to fight it out for who wins bronze.

Now Evenepoel crosses the line, 1:26 after Pogačar.

This race has played out so differently from the women’s elite road race yesterday. Whereas the hot favourites then were evenly-matched, allowing for less fancied names to escape up the road in a tactical race, here tactics have meant very little, in what has been a straightforward, crude display of strength.

Evenepoel’s left Healy and Skjelmose for dead, and is now solo, 15 seconds ahead of them already.

Evenepoel, who needs to be careful not to be jumped and brought out of the medals by Healy and Skjelmose, having done so much work in this group.

Pogačar’s lead has grown to 1:20. He stands to better the advanatges he won the Tour of Flanders (1:01) and Liège–Bastogne–Liège (1:03) by earlier this year, and possibly Strade Bianche (1:24)

This has been an extraordinarily attritional race. Barely anyone has survived – there are little more than 30 riders even left in the race, everyone else having abandoned.

Evenepoel leads Healy and Skjelmose up it, who are just about managing to hang on.

Pogačar’ riding up the Côte de Kimihurura for the antepenultimate time.

Still the gap remains the same, at just over a minute. Pog’s showing no signs of slowing down.

Evevenpoel and the only two riders left able to keep up with his pace, Healy and Skjelmose.

Pidcock is going backwards. He’s now a minute behind the Evenepoel trio.

Pidcock is 25 seconds behind the Evenepoel group. He’s unlikely to make that time up, especially as he’s riding alone.

Healy and Skjelmose will be desperate not be dropped, as both stand to win a first ever senior Worlds medal.

As things stand, Pogačar is riding for gold, while silver and bronze will go to two of Healy, Skjelmose and Evenepoel – with one rider missing out.

Despite Evenepoel’s work on that climb, Pogačar’s lead has grown a little more, to 1:05 as he crosses the finish line again. Three laps to go.

Now Pidcock has lost the wheel.

Hindley’s been dropped out the chase group, as Evenepoel lays the hammer down on the Côte de Kimihurura.

In the third group on the road, Fabio Christen has attacked.

Pogačar’s been in this situation many, many times before, and knows how to pace himself. He’s maintaining his lead of a minute, matching the Evenepoel chase group pedal for pedal.

Seixas and Ayuso had been joined by Sivakov, but all three have now fallen back into the main chase group.

This is the chase group, where Evenepoel is still doing the lion’s share of the work.

Evenepoel, Healy, Pidcock, Skjelmose and Hindley are all working well together, but aren’t making any inroads. They’re still one minute behind.

Pogačar’s looking very strong and untroubled at the front, over a minute between himself and everyone else.

Behind the 5-man front chase group, Ayuso and a very impressive Seixas have fromed a two-man chase ahead of the main group.

Evenepoel’s the man making all the damage, riding at the front and pounding on the pedals.

It’s all chance on the Côte de Kimihurura! Evenepoel has gone clear with Pidcock, Hindley Skjelmose, bridged up to the chase group, and have dropped all of them apart from Healy.

Evenepoel is still up for this. He’s leading the second chase group, and is making the others in it hurt as they climb up the cobbles once more.

Del Toro has been caught by Healy, Sivakov and Honoré, who are 55 seconds behind Pogačar.

With 65km to go, was that the final race-winning move?

It wasn’t a big attack, and occurred on the less hard Côte de Kigali Golf rather than the Côte de Kimihurura, but Del Toro is clearly still struggling.

Evenepoel is back in the group. He’s still in contention, despite that crisis.

For the first time in a while, Del Toro has taken a turn. He looks to be recovering after struggling on the last climb.

Evenepoel is getting there. Hermans is doing a good job, and has brought him to within the team cars, which they’re now surfing to get near to the main chase group again.

Evenepoel at the road side, cutting a frustrated figure.

Evenepoel at last has some help, as Hermans drops back from the group ahead to pace him.

Campanaerts is finished, and has abandoned. His work earlier might have been in vain, what with Evenepoel’s mechanical problems.

Evenepoel has a few riders with him, but getting no assistance from any of them.

That trio are about 5 seconds ahead of the large chase group.

Further ahead, Healy’s attacked managed to put daylight between himself and the other chasers, and he’s been joined by Sivakov and Honoré.

Evenepoel is a whole minute behind the chase group, and 1:45 behind the leading duo.

He’s got a new bike and is back riding again, but had to wait for a long time to wait it, and faces a chase to get back into the chase group.

He looks very, very frustrated, kicking something on the ground while he waits.

Evenepoel has stopped at the side of the road to wait for his team car.

Healy attacks out of the chase group as they go over the top of the climb.

Evenepoel is frantically putting his arm up in the air for attention, wanting to sort out his latest bike problem.

By slowing down to allow Del Toro to stay on his wheel, Pogačar has allowed the chasers to reduce the gap to about 45 seconds.

This is happening on the cobbled Kimihurura climb. Back in the peloton, Evenepoel is dropping back down the peloton again.

Pogačar doesn’t want to lose his companion. He’s knocked off the pace to allow Del Toro to regain his wheel.

Evenepoel is not a happy bunny. He’s giving his handlebars a real bash, clearly not content with his bike, despite having changed bikes earlier.

Mohorič has abandoned. He and the Pog’s other Slovenian teammates’ work is done, apart from Roglič, who remains lurking in the chase group.

So the onus is back on the Belgians to chase, and Hermans and Uijtdebroeks take it up.

Jay Vine, as is Michael Matthews. Australia had been looking good leading the group, but are now down to just Jai Hindley and Michael Storer.

There’s an Eritrean representative in this chase group – Amanuel Ghebreigzabhier.

The chase group has about 35 riders in it, and are being led by the Italians and Australians.

Vine and Ciccone are among those to have joined the chase group, having missed the initial selection.

Pogačar and Del Toro going clear on the Mur de Kigali.

This chase group is growing all the time. There’s now about 40 riders in it.

Bike change for Evenepoel. He clearly wasn’t happy about something.

Perhaps as a result of its size, the chase group is looking very disorganised, with multiple riders trying to attack out of and and form a smaller group.

Pogačar and Del Toro cross the finish line, and are back on the main circuit, of which they have six more laps left to complete.

This is therefore a big chase group, of over 20 riders.

The Evenepoel chase group has caught the front chase group.

Carapaz tries an attack.

Colombia’s Harold Tejada was also in that front chase group, and has attacked out of it.

Evenepoel is not even the leading Beligian rider, with Uijtdebroeks in the first chase group.

They’re 48 seconds behind the leading duo while another chase group featuring Evenepoel and Pidcock are 10 further seconds adrift.

The riders in the main chase group: Healy, Carapaz, Skjelmose, Hindley, Matthews, Roglič, Bernard, Sivakov, Seixas, Hirschi, Mollema, Uijtdebroeks and Ayuso.

A chase group of about 10 rider are about to catch Ayuso. Evenepoel is not among them.

Ayuso has been dropped on the climb.

The riders are on the Mur de Kigali, the brutally steep cobbled 300m climb that averages a horrile 14.7%. The crowds here are enormous, and making a cacophony of noise.

Del Toro has bridged up to them. So we have three UAE riders together at the front of the race, all riding for different nations.

Pogačar and Ayuso are over the top. A few seconds behind, Del Toro is chasing on his own.

Evenepoel doesn’t look happy, he seems to have a problem with his saddle.

Pogačar and Ayuso have caught and dropped Bernard.

Evenepoel is going backwards, sliding down the peloton.

Only Ayuso is left on Pog’s wheel.

Carapaz had been there but is now dropped.

Evenepoel is not among them, he’s been dropped.

Pogačar has moved to the front and upped the pace!

Another Slovenian is dropped, this time Mohorič. Pogačar is running out of teammates – but he might not need them for much longer.

Bernard leads alone, but only by 1 minute on the peloton now.

Slovenia have taken control of the peloton, Pogačar’s Slovenian (and UAE) teammate Novak leading after Glivar swings off.

Frayre has been caught, so whatever that plan was has not come into fruition.

Mexico’s Eder Frayre has attacked out of the peloton. Does Del Toro have something planned for this climb?

And now Bernard drops Foldager, making the Frenchman the race’s lone leader.

Oliveira has been dropped on the climb, leaving just Bernard and Foldager at the front.

More riders are being dropped, including another of the Slovenian riders, this time Luka Mezgec.

The climb’s too much for African star Biniam Girmay, who’s been dropped already. He lamented the amount of climbing the organisers included in this route, which have taken away his chances of winning the race – as we’re seeing now.

Florian Vermeersch’s day is finally done, dropping off the back having done so much work leading the peloton.

The race is really on now. Multiple teams are all battling at the front of the peloton, giving it their all to put their leaders in the best position possible for Mont Kigali.

Bad timing for Eritrea’s Natnael Tesfatsion, who’s had a mechanical just as they approach the all-important climb.

They’re approaching the foot of Mont Kigali. It’s much longer than all the other climbs they take on today, at 5.9km, but also rises at a steep gradient, which averages 6.7%, and features ramps of over 13% towards the top.

Huge crowds greet the riders as they go over the top of the climb. There’s likely to be even more when they take on the next hill, Mont Kigali, which is the longest and hardest of the day.

The peloton can see the four riders dropped from the break and are about to catch them, as the take on this climb.

The riders are climbing the Côte de Peage, a 2.2km effort that averages 5.8%.

Incidentally, Schmid was brought back by the peloton a few kilometres ago.

Pierna, Christen and Mayrhofer are already 45 seconds adrift from the leading three. It seems unlikely they will see them again.

Huising is now getting dropped by the other three.

There’s a split in the lead group. Mayrhofer, Christen and Pierna have lost contact with Foldager, Bernard, Oliveira and Huising.

It’s kicking off in the peloton already, with Mauro Schmid making an attack.

This is where the race will diverge from what we’ve seen so far, with the riders leaving the short circuit to take on a longer one, including a few new climbs.

While Ruvalcaba has abandoned the race, Del Toro’s other Mexican teammate, Eder Frayre is right at the front helping the pace-setting. His work with the Belgian’s has seen the gap fall significantly in recent kilometres, to about 1:35, as they cross the line for the ninth time.

While Pogačar and Evenepoel are the favourites, Isaac del Toro could throw a real spanner in the works. He’s young and has no experiences of racing this distance, and has a weaker Mexican team of just two domestiques to support him (one of whom, David Ruvalcaba has just abandoned); but the way he rode at the Giro earlier this year, and his prolific run of victories since then, means he has to be watched closely.

Govekar and Primožič both have now abandoned, following Žumer from earlier. That leaves Pogačar down to 6 teammates.

Pogačar has lost anothe teammate from the peloton on that climb, with Matevž Govekar following Primožič in being dropped.

The pace was up on that climb, the gap coming down anout 30 seconds to just over two minutes due to the work from Belgium.

They’re taking on the cobbled climb again, and Iván Romeo and Slovenia’s Jaka Primožič are the latest to be dropped.

There’s been a slight change at the front of the peloton as the near the end of the seventh lap, with Belgium now taking total control while the Slovenians drop back more, not having resumed at the front since Pogačar returned to the peloton.

Georg Zimmermann is the latest rider to drop out the back of the peloton labouring on the cobbles up the Côte de Kimihurura. The race might not be on yet in terms of attacks and accelerations, but this brutal course is still taking its toll.

One rider who hasn’t made it back into the peloton is Luke Plapp. The Australian has abandoned.

Pogačar and his two teammates are back in the peloton.

Pogačar’s just had to stop with a couple of teammates, and is now making his way back to the peloton. It must have been for either a comfort break or a mechanical.

Belgium’s Florian Vermeersch leads the peloton over the finish line to complete the sixth lap, swamped by the green contingent of Slovenian riders behind him. Just three more laps now until they head off the small circuit for the first time to take on the big circuit out of town.

They’ve been racing for over an hour and a half, and there are still 200km left to ride. This is one of the most demanding races of the year.

France are down from nine riders to seven already, with Louis Barré the latest to pull out. He was seen dropping out of the peloton, and, like Alaphilippe, looked out of sorts. Illness in the French team, perhaps?

Here is home favourite Eric Manizabayo, on the attack.

Manizabayo is battling up the climb to huge cheers from the crowd, and the race announcer, and just about stays clear of the peloton by the top. The race for the rainbow jersey might not be fully on yet, but Manizabayo is involved in his own mission.

Mechanical for Frank van den Broek, as they take on the cobbled Kimihurura climb again.

Just as we say that, another attack comes out of the peloton – and it’s the same rider as usual, Eric Manizabayo. The Rwandan is desperate to put on a show for his home crowds.

It’s all much calmer in the peloton now. The riders amble though a fed one and pick up bidons, to keep themselves hydrated in the humid conditions.

Unsurprisingly, Pogačar’s Slovenia and Evenepoel’s Belgium teams have done the bulk of the work at the front of the peloton, though they’ve now been joined by the USA.

Van Wilder is soldiering on, but he’s got a lot of ground to make up to rejoin the peloton. This is bad news for Evenepoel, as he’s one of the Belgian’s top domestiques.

Soler has also dropped out.

Britain’s Bjorn Koerdt had got back up and riding after being one of those to crash, but has now decided to abandon.

Rwanda’s attacker Manizabayo is back in the peloton.

It seems all those involved in the crash are back on the bike, but some, including Van Wilder, are looking a little worse for wear.

Meanwhile up ahead, Pierna has at last joined the leaders, who now have a lead of 2:40 on the peloton.

There’s been a crash, some of the big nations involved. Belgium’s Van Wilder and Spain’s Soler are both involved.

Jai Hindley of Australia needs a wheel change. Thankfully for him, this mechanical has happened during a calmer phase of the race.

Pierna is closing in on the leaders, now just 20 seconds away.

There’s another attack from the peloton, this time from a home favourite, Rwanda’s Eric Manizabayo. They’re happy to let this one go.

Several riders representing the less renowned nations have already abandoned. This has been a gruelling start to the race, with attacking being made when you’d expect the race to be settled.

Here’s the breakaway, climbing during the last lap.

Madouas is back in the peloton.

Alaphilippe, on the attack before abandoning the race.

The peloton has settled down again, and is allowing the lead group’s advantage to grow again. Pierna is still in between the two groups.

It’s been confirmed that Alaphilippe has abandoned the race. That was a typically erratic cameo from the Frenchman, attacking one moment, then out the back shortly after. We can only assume he must be suffering from some kind of ill-health, as the two-time champion was one of the outside favourites for the victory.

Pidcock is back in the peloton.

He had been joined by Campanaerts, Tejada, Wright and Seixas, but they’re all set to be reabsorbed by the peloton.

Del Toro has sat up, along with other attackers.

It’s all still kicking off in the peloton – Del Toro is one of the latest to attack!

Tom Pidcock is also out the back, presumably with some kind of mechanical problem.

Madouas has had to drop back with a mechanical. We’ve already seen most of the French contingent today, be it out the back or the front of the peloton.

The peloton.

The peloton is back together, but still the French are trying to break it up, as another riders tries an attack.

Raúl García Pierna is the lastest to attack from the peloton, and has a gap.

Having been up the road moments ago, Alaphilippe is now dropped out the back.

That’s stretched the bunch out, to the point where a small group has gone off the front. Among them are the Slovenian riders, who are gesturing for more calm.

There are more attacks from the peloton, and again it’s the French who are igniting it, this time with Valentin Paret-Peintre and Paul Seixas.

We have our first DNF of the day – Ahmet Örken of Turkey.

The peloton don’t like Alaphilippe’s presence up the road. They upped the race, and have brought him back along with Batsaikhan.

Alaphilippe is up to Batsaikhan and is pressing on.

Just when it had seemed the race was settling down, there’s been an attack. Ever the aggressor and unpredictable racer, Julian Alaphilippe has jumped out of the peloton.

In between, Mongolia’s Tegsh-Bayar Batsaikhan attacked out of the peloton and wanted to join the leader. He has a substantial gap to make up, of almost a minute.

The peloton has sat up, apparently happy with the make up of this break, despite the strong names and nations represented. They’re over a minute adrift.

Make that 6 – Bernard has succeeded in bridging up to them.

Despite the attacks, the five leaders are all together as they cross the finish line, upon completion of the first lap.

As the riders climb the cobbled Côte de Kimihurura, for the first time, the front group is threatening to break up, with Oliveira trying to accelerate from the others.

Julien Bernard is trying to bridge up from the peloton to the break.

Already a few riders have been dropped out of the peloton.

Anders Foldager and Fabio Christen have joined the front group.

And now Walters has been dropped by those three.

Huising, Marius Mayrhoffer and Ivo Oliveira have caught Walters.

Menno Huising from he Dutch team is in pursuit of Walters, who leads by a handful of seconds.

The Slovenian team leading the peloton during the neutralised section.

Red Walters of Grenada is the first rider to get a gap.

Lots of the conspicuous green jersey of Pogačar’s Slovenian team are massed near the front of the peloton, no doubt wanting to stay attentive to make sure no dangerous riders get up the road.

This long day of racing is about to get underway, as the riders move through the neutralised section in Kigali. Anticipation is building!