The Great Britain team in the junior men's road race at the World Championships made history in a dominant fashion on Friday, winning the event for the first time and finishing with three riders in the top five in the process.
Winner Harry Hudson went on a long and brave solo move, attacking some 36km before the finish in Kigali, and holding on despite some fierce chasing to claim the rainbow jersey – the first time a British male rider has ever done that.
Not only did Hudson take the win, but his teammates Max Hinds and Matthew Peace finished fourth and fifth behind him, by far the best results for one nation in the race.
Though this is the first junior men's road race title for GB, the team has won titles in the men's time trial and women's junior events in recent years with riders like Cat Ferguson and Josh Tarling, and often finished on the podium, highlighting successful development pathways for young riders in Britain.
"The British riders this year were super strong, we've got lots of racing, the level is really high," Hudson said, who has ridden a full international programme this year, and taken wins at home and abroad.
"The support we get from GB at these events is great, we've basically got everything done for us, so we can just focus on performing in the race, which we did today."
The British team were congratulated by British cycling legend Mark Cavendish as they waited to see their teammate take to the podium.
Though Team GB only sent one under-23 male rider to Kigali, they sent a full complement in the junior category, and started the day with several options. They placed a rider in an earlier break, allowing Hudson to sit back until he saw a moment to attack.
"The plan was just to be up near the front of the race, and I saw an opportunity with 35km to go," he said. "I just decided to give it a go, and see if anyone came. I was solo, so I just decided to see if I could hold on, and settled into my rhythm.
Over 30km on his own was a long time for Hudson, and the gap was never huge, so it wasn't until the very final kilometres that he thought he could win.
"At the top of the cobbled climb was maybe where I thought I probably had it," he explained.
Hudson's exploits this year have earned him a spot on the Lidl-Trek Future Racing team for 2026, his new team announced shortly after he pulled on the rainbow jersey in Kigali, so it's clear his future is bright. But on Friday, the 18-year-old was just trying to process what he had just done.
"It's still sinking in to be honest," he said. "I'm really happy to have won the race, I really liked the course. It suited me quite a lot, it was going to be really hard and attritional. It's crazy."
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