Lorenzo Mark Finn to scream, is also world champion Under 23
Unbelievable Lorenzo Mark Finn! Not being able to wear the rainbow jersey he won last year among the juniors, he saw fit to take another one, this time in the top category, to be proudly sported throughout 2026: “it will be great to do it in next year”’s races, he commented immediately after his success.
The Ligurian boy, 19 in December, was crowned Under-23 World Champion at the end of a tough race, as the World Championships in Rwanda showed him to be, in which he raced as a dominator, coming out on top halfway through the race. Up to that point the test had been a Belgian monologue, which had put the entire team to the whip to bring, in the final kilometers, the favorite Widar in the best position.
When there were four laps to go, the talented Italian broke off, sensing that the Belgian had none. He takes six riders with him, none of them really willing to work with him. At minus 30 he attacks again; only the Swiss Huber resists him, but he is forced to give in on the final lap.
Lorenzo Mark Finn: “It’s incredible, really. The plan was to figure out how the race would go in the first part, which in fact was quite controlled. I could see right away that the course was really tough, with the tears, the altitude, the heat and also the cobblestones. Halfway through the race, we kicked it up a notch. We stayed a small group and started pulling. The selection was made. I stayed with the Swiss and eventually managed to go off on my own. The joy is immense, like last year: it’s incredible. I want to dedicate this victory to my girlfriend Fabiana, this one is for her.”
On the finish line in Kigali Finn finishes his effort in 3h57’27, Huber crosses the line 31″ and Austria’s Schrettl is third at 1’13”. Simone Gualdi, Alessandro Borgo and Pietro Mattio arrive together, after working their way through Finn’s action, past 20th position, to hail a triumph that is the merit of the whole team, as CT Amadori also points out: “It was truly a spectacular World Championship. Thanks to the guys and everyone who contributed: we brought home a beautiful result, and I am happy for both the rider and the whole team and staff, who did everything to put us in the best condition in this competition. I have to admit, I was moved: I didn’t go straight to the podium precisely because the emotion was unique. We believed in it, we tried hard, and to be able to get this result makes it all the more special. It really is a double emotion”.
