LEUVEN, Belgium (AP) — Julian Alaphilippe escaped from a breakaway group to claim a second straight gold medal at cycling’s road world championship on Sunday. The Frenchman relentlessly attacked and made his decisive move on a sharp climb, with 17 kilometers (10.5 miles) to go. Alaphilippe then took all the risks in the technical bends and short downhills scattered across the finale to retain the world champion’s rainbow jersey he claimed last year. The challenging 268.3-kilometer course starting in Antwerp and finishing in Leuven took riders across the cycling-mad Flanders region of Belgium. ___More AP sports: https://apnews.com/hub/apf-sports and https://twitter.com/AP_SportsJulian Alaphilippe of France rides breakaway during the men's road race of the World Road Cycling Championships with finish in Leuven, Belgium, Sunday, Sept. 26, 2021.

Source: thestar September 26, 2021 15:48 UTC