Worlds: Switzerland's Hirschi powers to under-23 road race win

Switzerland’s Marc Hirschi claimed the under-23 world road title on Friday in Innsbruck, Austria.

Hirschi rode into the finale with Belgium’s Bjorg Lambrecht and Finland’s Jaakko Hänninen, with Lambrecht putting in multiple attacks on the slopes of the Igls climb on the last lap of the race.

Lambrecht was unable to get clear of his rivals, however, and it was instead Hirschi who managed to solo away near the bottom of the descent off the climb.

He held out off the front to snatch the victory.

Lambrecht secured runner-up honors 15 seconds later, outsprinting Hänninen at the line.

“You have to be strong and smart to win the world title. Bjorg Lambrecht was the strongest but he was nervous,” Hirschi said in the post-race press conference.

“I was at the limit, I could have waited for the sprint but I saw the possibility to attack in the descent. We learned from previous experiences at the World Championships, so we wanted to make a very active race today.”