Photos: Hee-Dee Walenga
18-year-old Italian, Lorenzo Finn, won the UCI U23 Men’s World Road Championship title in Kigali, Rwanda. It is Finn’s second World Championship title, having one the Junior Men’s road race last year.
He finished the race 31 seconds ahead of Swiss rider Jan Huber. Austria’s Marco Schrettl finished in third.
South Africa’s Blaine Kieck finished as the highest placed African, coming in at number 38. Kieck was followed by Ethiopia’s Tekle Alemayo.
The U23 men’s race was a reminder of the difference in skillset and opportunity between African and European riders. The young Italian is part of the Red Bull BORA development team, which is a UCI WorldTeam cycling team based in Europe, consisting of 50 riders. No such team exists in Africa. Team Qhubeka NextHash was the last WorldTeam to be based in Africa. It disbanded in 2021.
Speaking to the media after the race, Finn expressed the energetic atmosphere towards the finish line. “The jubilation was tremendous. My ears were ringing on the last 500 metres. I was cheered on so loudly. The people here in Kigali are simply amazing,” Finn told the media.
