{"id":55762,"date":"2025-09-26T18:53:29","date_gmt":"2025-09-26T18:53:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/italian-lorenzo-finn-storms-to-u23-world-championship-glory-with-solo-win-in\/"},"modified":"2025-09-27T19:22:29","modified_gmt":"2025-09-27T19:22:29","slug":"italian-lorenzo-finn-storms-to-u23-world-championship-glory-with-solo-win-in","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/italian-lorenzo-finn-storms-to-u23-world-championship-glory-with-solo-win-in\/","title":{"rendered":"Italian Lorenzo Finn storms to U23 World Championship glory with solo win in Kigali"},"content":{"rendered":"

A year after claiming the junior rainbow jersey in Zurich, Finn delivered a masterclass of tactics and strength, sealing his second world title in as many years with a decisive late solo move.<\/p>\n

The race started with high tempo, and before the first lap was even completed, an early three-man breakaway, including Michal Pomorski (Poland), Danylo Kozoriz (Ukraine), and Ramazan Yilmaz (Turkey), surged ahead, building a 24-second gap. But the peloton, strong and controlled, hunted them down methodically, with Kozoriz the last of the three to be reeled back in after 142 km.<\/p>\n

\"Finn<\/figure>\n

Kigali\u2019s searing heat and relentless climbs soon began to take their toll. Riders from the UAE, Thailand, Turkey, Seychelles, and Slovakia were among the first to drop out, and by the fourth lap, only 77 of the initial 121 starters remained in contention.<\/p>\n

As the race moved into its middle stages, Belgium took the reins, ramping up the pace to force further splits. Riders like Germany\u2019s Mauro Brenner struggled to keep up, while early attacks from Italy\u2019s Pietro Mattio and Belgium\u2019s Jasper Schoofs were neutralised by the chasing pack. The peloton grew thinner as the pressure mounted.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n

{{Spain\u2019s H\u00e9ctor \u00c1lvarez ignites the race
\n}}<\/p>\n

With 62 km remaining, Spain\u2019s H\u00e9ctor \u00c1lvarez launched a bold solo attack that shook up the race. His move created immediate gaps, and although Belgium\u2019s Jarno Widar tried to bridge the gap, \u00c1lvarez’s sustained effort shattered the group, and a select chase formed behind him. By 45 km to go, \u00c1lvarez had a small lead, joined by Finn and four others, but the pace continued to ramp up as the final laps loomed.<\/p>\n

{{Finn makes his move
\n}}<\/p>\n

As the lead group hit the C\u00f4te de Kimihurura climb, just 30 km from the finish, the race reached its tipping point. With perfect timing, Finn attacked, surging away from the others with precision and power. Only Switzerland\u2019s Jan Huber could match him, and together they built a 47-second gap as they entered the final lap, while the chasers struggled to keep up.<\/p>\n

Inside the last 10 km, however, the partnership between Finn and Huber began to unravel. With just 6.5 km to go, Finn attacked once again, leaving Huber behind and riding solo to victory. <\/p>\n

The Italian crossed the line with a time of 3:57:27, arms raised in triumph, as the streets of Kigali erupted in celebration. Behind him, Huber held on for silver at +31 seconds, while Austria\u2019s Marco Schrettl took bronze at +1:13.<\/p>\n

\"Lorenzo<\/figure>\n

{{A triumph for the ages
\n}}<\/p>\n

Finn\u2019s victory places him in rarefied company, joining the ranks of cycling legends like Greg LeMond, Remco Evenepoel, Mathieu van der Poel, and Matej Mohori\u010d, who have won world titles across multiple age categories. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt’s exactly one year, ’26. It’s like last year, it’s just unreal,\u201d Finn remarked.<\/p>\n

{{Kigali\u2019s unforgettable roar
\n}}<\/p>\n

Reflecting on the electric atmosphere at the finish, Finn said: \u201cThe last 500 meters, my ears were hurting from how loud the crowd was. People from different nations were cheering me on! The people here in Kigali are fantastic. It\u2019s been a wonderful week, and I\u2019ll remember it for the rest of my life.\u201d<\/p>\n

When it came to race tactics, Finn acknowledged the uncertainty of how things would play out: \u201cWe wanted to see what Belgium wanted to do at the start of the race. They kept it pretty controlled for the first half, so we tried to save some energy. Then it was just like all hell broke loose\u2014just attacks everywhere. Luckily, I had some good legs. I thought I was suffering, but then I asked my teammates too. They were suffering, so it was a hard second part of the race.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n

At just 18, the youngest in the decisive front group, Finn is already a two-time world champion. Looking ahead, he now has his sights set on joining the WorldTour in 2026 while continuing his development. <\/p>\n

\u201cWhen you\u2019ve got this jersey, you\u2019ve got to show it,\u201d Finn said, already thinking of his next big challenge.<\/p>\n

{{Rwanda\u2019s riders put up a brave fight
\n}}<\/p>\n

For the host nation, the race was a monumental challenge, but also a proud moment. Four Rwandan riders, Niyonkuru Samuel, Tuyizere Etienne, Ufitimana Shadrack, and Ruhumuriza Aime, took on the world\u2019s best in front of a home crowd. However, the tough course proved too much for most. Only Niyonkuru Samuel finished the race, marking a hard-fought but ultimately proud showing for the Rwandan team.<\/p>\n

\"Only<\/figure>\n

{{Men\u2019s Under 23 Road Race: Top 10 Results
\n}}<\/p>\n

1. Lorenzo Mark Finn (ITA) \u2014 3:57:27
\n2. Jan Huber (SUI) \u2014 3:57:58 (+0:31)
\n3. Marco Schrettl (AUT) \u2014 3:58:40 (+1:13)
\n4. H\u00e9ctor \u00c1lvarez Mart\u00ednez (ESP) \u2014 3:59:05 (+1:38)
\n5. Mateusz Gajdulewicz (POL) \u2014 3:59:09 (+1:42)
\n6. Pau Mart\u00ed Soriano (ESP) \u2014 3:59:49 (+2:22)
\n7. Victor Loulergue (FRA) \u2014 3:59:49 (+2:22)
\n8. Robin Donz\u00e9 (SUI) \u2014 3:59:51 (+2:24)
\n9. Adria Pericas Capdevila (ESP) \u2014 3:59:51 (+2:24)
\n10. Mateo Pablo Ram\u00edrez Torres (ECU) \u2014 3:59:51 (+2:24)<\/p>\n

\"18-year-old<\/figure>\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

18-year-old Italian prodigy Lorenzo Finn cemented his place in cycling history on a blistering Friday afternoon, dominating the streets of Kigali to win the men\u2019s U23 road race at the 2025 UCI Road World Championships. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":131,"featured_media":2000095215,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[75],"byline":[192],"hashtag":[],"class_list":["post-55762","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sports","tag-homenews","byline-wycliffe-nyamasege"],"bylines":[{"id":192,"name":"Wycliffe Nyamasege","slug":"wycliffe-nyamasege","description":"","image":{"id":0,"url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/?s=96&d=mm&f=y&r=g","alt":"Default avatar","title":"Default avatar","caption":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","sizes":[]},"user_id":131}],"contributors":[{"id":192,"name":"Wycliffe Nyamasege","slug":"wycliffe-nyamasege","description":"","image":{"id":0,"url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/?s=96&d=mm&f=y&r=g","alt":"Default avatar","title":"Default avatar","caption":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","sizes":[]},"user_id":131}],"featured_image":{"id":2000095215,"url":"https:\/\/en-images.igihe.com\/IMG\/logo\/field_19249_25092617065182391logo.jpg","alt":"","caption":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","width":0,"height":0,"sizes":{"thumbnail":{"url":"https:\/\/en-images.igihe.com\/IMG\/logo\/field_19249_25092617065182391logo.jpg","width":1,"height":1},"medium":{"url":"https:\/\/en-images.igihe.com\/IMG\/logo\/field_19249_25092617065182391logo.jpg","width":1,"height":1},"medium_large":{"url":"https:\/\/en-images.igihe.com\/IMG\/logo\/field_19249_25092617065182391logo.jpg","width":1,"height":1},"large":{"url":"https:\/\/en-images.igihe.com\/IMG\/logo\/field_19249_25092617065182391logo.jpg","width":1,"height":1},"full":{"url":"https:\/\/en-images.igihe.com\/IMG\/logo\/field_19249_25092617065182391logo.jpg","width":0,"height":0}}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/55762","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/131"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=55762"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/55762\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2000095215"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=55762"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=55762"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=55762"},{"taxonomy":"byline","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/byline?post=55762"},{"taxonomy":"hashtag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/hashtag?post=55762"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}