Tom Pidcock

Olympic champion Tom Pidcock won the world championship cross country mountain bike marathon on Aug. 12 as a crash ended Mathieu van der Poel's dream of a unique treble.

It was a first world title in the mountain bike event for Britain's Pidcock, who raised a Yorkshire flag with a white rose above his head as he crossed the line after breaking away with two laps left.

Slovenian cycling star Tadej Pogačar bagged the 11th win of the season on 16 April when he soloed over 30 kilometres to win the Amstel Gold Race, a one-day classic.

The 24-year-old UAE Emirates rider finished in just over six hours, 37 seconds ahead of Ireland's Ben Healy. Tom Pidcock settled for third place.

Regional newspaper Le Progres groaned over the long wait for a home Tour de France stage winner this weekend with the scathing headline "Blue, Blanc, Lose," a play on the French tri-color using lose instead of Rouge.