Mattia Agostinacchio became the first Italian ever to win the under-23 title at the European Cyclocross Championships as he took a solo victory with an attack on the penultimate lap in Middelkerke.
The 18-year-old, who will join the WorldTour on the road with EF Education-EasyPost in 2026, upgraded his junior title from the 2024 European Championships in Pontevedre in his first championships at the under-23 level with an impressive victory.
In the mid-part of the race, the Italian, who is also the junior world champion, was slightly distanced from a chasing group behind Frenchman Aubin Sparfel. He latched back on before the group caught Sparfel and then launched his own attack with less than two laps remaining.
“It’s pretty surreal!” Agostinacchio said in a team press release afterwards. “Before the race yesterday, I couldn’t even think about being Under-23 champion as a first-year Under-23. I started the race hoping to try to get a podium, so I am pretty happy with the win. It’s a great feeling.”
“I started well, and I think I was top 10 going into the first corner, but then one guy stepped on my shoe and it came off and I lost 20 to 30 seconds trying to get it back on."
“I managed, but then spent the first three laps trying to come back to the leading group. When I got there, [Sparfel] was already out and ahead and we were battling for second place.”
David Haverdings (Netherlands) was Agostinacchio's closest rival, finishing 17 seconds down, while Kay De Bruyckere (Belgium) completed the podium 20 seconds behind, as Sparfel finished down in 6th place.
The leading group slowly whittled down over the opening three laps before Sparfel decided to raise the tempo on lap four, recording a 7:20 lap, the second-fastest of the race. Haverdings was in pursuit, but struggled to match the pace of the Frenchman. A chasing group of four attempted to catch on behind.
Haverdings and the four chasers were together in their pursuit of Sparfel before the final lap and reeled the lone leader in for the finale. They had been joined by Agostinacchio to make a lead group of seven to contest the medals.
The young Italian, part of the brand new EF Education-EasyPost cyclocross team, attacked on lap six, looking to upgrade from his junior title in 2024. He built a decisive lead of around 15 seconds to lone chaser Haverdings while the rest of the group broke apart behind and stayed strong all the way to the line.
Results
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