Evenepoel wins the European cycling championships in Slovenia, Ciccone second in the photo finish

Spectacle and suspense beyond the finish line in Slovenia, in the elite men's race of the European Cycling Championships. Remco Evenepoel won the pro race in a sprint, 196 kilometers from Ljubljana with the finish line in Sencur, which for the Italian runner Giulio Ciccone turned out to be a real joke in the finale decided only by the photo finish. The Abruzzo native had to settle for silver after launching the head sprint in which at a certain point he seemed certain of victory.

Also on the Slovenian podium was a very good Christian Scaroni who concluded the race at 59", after having chased the leading couple in the final stages of the race. Fourth position for the Latvian Toms Skujiņš who regulated the group of chasers classified with a delay of 1'13" compared to the new continental champion. And so, after the Olympic and world championship gold (2022), Evenepoel also takes the European title, succeeding Tadej Pogacar in the roll of honor. All at the end of a hard-fought race where the name of the winner only arrived at the photo finish which, after several minutes of waiting, decreed that the Belgian and not the Italian rider could wear the white jersey with golden stars.

"I honestly felt that I had overtaken Ciccone, so I thought I had done it, but you never know - said the Belgian after the finish - I think they were quite clear. You could see the great relief I felt and how proud I am of this victory". Immediately after receiving confirmation of the success, Evenepoel went to thank his teammates, protagonists of the work that allowed him to win the continental jersey. "I'm really delighted and proud of this achievement. It's a great relief to be back at a good level today and complete my collection of champion jerseys. It's a fantastic feeling." Italy has won the continental pro title 4 times, which has been up for grabs since 2016: Trentin, Viviani, Nizzolo and Colbrelli, four consecutive times from 2018 to 2021, and had not been on the podium since then.