Elia Viviani wins elimination gold – five hours after fighting for road race glory at European Championships
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Updated 14/08/2022 at 20:19 GMT
While his track rivals were conserving energy ahead of the elimination race, Elia Viviani was casually chasing glory on two surfaces as he contested the road race at the European Championships. Despite failing to finish on the podium on the tarmac, the 33-year-old brushed aside the disappointment to hop across to the velodrome and win gold on the track.
‘What a day out!’ – Viviani wins elimination race gold after road race near-miss
Elia Viviani (Italy) roared to gold in the men’s elimination race in the velodrome at the European Championships – just five hours after contesting the sprint finish in the road race.
Viviani’s bumper day began with a 208km ride from Murnau am Staffelsee to Munich, via two climbs that topped out at 18%.
He was in contention as the road race reached its finale, eventually finishing seventh in the same time as winner Fabio Jakobsen (Netherlands).
The 33-year-old quickly hopped across Munich to the velodrome, where he took part in the elimination race – which sees the last rider removed every two laps until one remains.
After surviving a scare with five riders left when pinned on the inside of the track, Viviani blasted Theo Reinhardt (Germany) in the two-up showdown to take a memorable win.
“Incredible. I just can’t believe he’s ridden a road race as well this morning. What a day out he’s had,” said Joanna Rowsell on Eurosport commentary.
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