The fourth day of the UEC Road European Championships in Drôme-Ardèche (France) included the two Road races reserved for the Women Elite and Men U23.
In the Women's event, once again, the Netherlands asserted itself as the absolute benchmark in the category, winning its ninth title in ten editions. The race was decided on the main climbs, where the pace set by the Dutch gradually reduced the peloton. The decisive attack came from Demi Vollering, who pulled away in the final kilometres to cross the finish line alone. Silver went to Poland's Kasia Niewiadoma, while bronze was won by another Dutch rider, Anna Van der Breggen, completing a very high-level podium.
The Men's U23 race (121.1 km with start and finish in Guilherand-Granges) took place in the morning. The continental title went to Belgium's Jarno Widar, who built his success with a sharp attack on the final climb of the Val d'Enfer, distancing Ireland's Liam O'Brien before sprinting alone to victory. Behind him, France's Maxime Decomble confirmed his great season by taking silver 14 seconds behind, while the sprint for third place was won by Spain's Héctor Álvarez ahead of the chasing pack.
Tomorrow, Sunday 5 October, the curtain will fall on these Championships with the main event: the Men's Elite Road race (202.5 km from Privas to Guilherand-Granges, starting at 11:45 am). It is a demanding course with 3,300 metres of elevation gain, made even more selective by the three laps of the final circuit, which includes the Val d'Enfer climb (1.6 km at 9.7%).
