Another rainbow jersey is to be displayed rather than worn. For the fourth year in succession, the men's under-23 time trial at the World Championships was won by a fully-fledged professional rider, as Movistar's Iván Romeo powered to victory on the shores of Lake Zurich. Maybe it's little wonder that the UCI is on the cusp of changing the category's eligibility rules.
Romeo was preceded as champion by Søren Wærenskjold, Johan Price-Pejtersen and Lorenzo Milesi, who were already racing at professional level at the time of their under-23 world titles. The Spaniard was joined on the podium in Zurich by Continental rider Jakob Söderqvist (Sweden, and bronze medallist Jan Christen (Switzerland), one of three UAE Team Emirates riders in the field together with Isaac del Toro (Mexico) and Antonio Morgado (Portugal).
The pre-race favourite, meanwhile, was Lotto-Dstny's Alec Segaert (Belgium), who had to settle for fourth in Zurich after winning the time trial at the Renewi Tour. Other top-level riders in action on Monday included Darren Rafferty (Ireland), who raced the Vuelta a España with EF Education-EasyPost, and Ineos riders Michael Leonard and AJ August.
After opening the under-23 category to Pro Continental riders in 2005 and then to WorldTour riders in 2017, the UCI is now on the cusp of walking back those previous amendments. The DirectVélo website reported last week that WorldTour and Pro Continental riders will be barred from UCI Road World Championship events in the age grouping starting next year.
Romeo, inevitably, was asked about the rule change as he made his way through the mixed zone in the rainbow jersey. The Valladolid native has spent two seasons racing at Movistar. Although he has participated in races like the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix, he told reporters that he is still essentially serving his apprenticeship as a pro rider.
"It's of course controversial because it's the under-23 category, but I'm only 21 myself," Romeo said. "Maybe it's not fair for the Conti riders and also for the amateur riders who ride with us. But if we are in the WorldTour, it's because we're the best and we're also still under 23. I don't know. I'm good with it. It is what it is."
Romeo shrugged off the fact that he could never wear his newly earned rainbow bands in competition, and perhaps that point is moot. Most junior world champions move up a category before they can wear their rainbow jerseys, after all, and even the amateur world champions of old tended to move directly into the paid ranks after claiming their titles.
"That's not important for me now," Romeo said. "This jersey will be forever in my room, I achieved it."
Romeo, Spain's first world champion in this event since Iván Gutiérrez in 1999, joked about the rarity of his nation's success against the watch, at least in the post-Induráin era. "In Spain, they always go for climbers, it's not easy for a big man," he smiled.
Although Romeo races at WorldTour, he had made the under-23 time trial an overarching target this season. He arrived in Zurich some ten days before the event, renting an apartment with his father and performing repeated training rides along the parcours.
"We took an apartment in Zurich so we could recon the course and see all the corners again and again," he said. "And in the end, when I see what happened, it's incredible."
Amateurs
Silver medallist Jakob Söderqvist (Sweden), who rides for the Lidl-Trek development squad, would have been a world champion on Monday in the absence of WorldTour riders, but he took a nuanced view of the thorny question of the eligibility rules. He was the best of the Continental and amateur riders in the field, but he also confessed to enjoying the chance to measure himself against established WorldTour pros.
"There are many good opinions about it," Söderqvist said. "There's the opinion that it should be the amateurs' chance to shine and get a contract, so maybe it should be about who's the best Continental or amateur cyclist.
"But at the same time, I think it also validates the result when the pro riders sign up and they want to race it. For an amateur, it's a good comparison of how you match up with them. I don't have too strong an opinion about it myself. I'm happy to see compete against them and see how we match up."
Söderqvist certainly matched up strongly against a rider who has caught the eye at a higher level in his first full season at UAE Team Emirates. Bronze medallist Jan Christen's 2024 season has included victories at the Giro dell'Appennino, Prueba Villafranca and a stage of the Giro d'Abruzzo, while he also placed 9th at the Clásica San Sebastián, where he helped Marc Hirschi to victory.
"I think I can be more than happy with my first pro season. There are not many riders winning three pro races at the age of 20, so I'm happy," said Christen. "I showed enough this season I'm one of the best under-23 riders, so I don't have to prove myself anymore."
Christen will line up among the favourites for the title in Friday's under-23 road race, an event that now looks set to mark the end of an era in the category. Romeo, meanwhile, gently rebuffed the idea that an under-23 world title held less significance for an established WorldTour rider.
"I've been two years with Movistar, but I just turned 21, so I'm still pretty young, I think," he said. "It's crazy the level we have even here in the under-23 World Championships. Today was one of my main goals of the season. I was super happy to be here in good shape and win the TT."
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