Call it one-upmanship, such was the way the men took the thrillingly tight finish of the women’s race earlier in the day and made theirs even more nail-biting. Call it gladiatorial, such was the way they maintained their guard on the first lap of the run before lunging at one another’s throats on the second. Call it cruel, such was the way milliseconds separated joy and defeat, first medals and agonising misses. The men’s race at the Rome World Cup was many things, and race winner Arnaud Mengal (BEL) put it best, having finally triumphed at the death.
“Are you not entertained?”
World Cup winner Vetle Bergsvik Thorn (NOR) led a procession of men into T1 after the swim did little to break the race open. Baptiste Passemard (FRA) and Valentin Morlec (FRA) were right on his heels, as was Gregor Rasva (EST). The slight gaps between the small clusters of athletes on the long run to transition offered glimpses of potential breakaways. However, each was to be a chimera.
A lead pack of twenty-four men formed on the opening of the five bike laps. Maxime Hueber-Moosbrugger (FRA), wearing number 1, was not in this group, something that was not necessarily of concern with the gaps between the packs looking surmountable. One man that did not have a good start, however, was World Cup winner Lasse Nygaard Priester (GER). An unfortunate malfunction with a magnetic helmet clip left him in last place out of T1, forcing him into a day of toil.
Before long, the first and second packs merged, bringing the thirty-seven men together. A kind of Papal parade then followed as the athletes wheeled strung one after another through the streets of Rome. A mammoth turn by Panagiotis Bitados (GRE) did nothing to shake things up. Nevertheless, World Cup winner Hueber-Moosbrugger was now in trouble as his smaller group lost time.
Going into the last lap, the leaders had lost a bit of impetus. Flicks of the elbow from Thorn and Sebastian Wernersen (NOR) brought no response and it was clear the minds of all had turned to the run. Niels Van Lanen (NED) tried his luck midway through the final loop. In fact, he stayed clear of the pack. However, a total lead of 5 seconds was scant reward for his efforts.
Last year’s winner Yanis Seguin (FRA) followed Van Lanen out of T2 and then the tactical game commenced.
Antonio Serrat Seoane (ESP) took up the early lead, gaining a few metres. By the end of the first kilometre, though, he returned into the double-digit group. Serrat’s roommate in Rome, youngster Izan Edo Aguilar (ESP), was next to the front. Then it was the turn of Sergio Baxter Cabrera (ESP) in what seemed to be a concerted Spanish effort to break their rivals. Indeed, Baxter would lead a Spanish 1-2-3 through the first of the two run laps.
The lift in tempo whittled more men off the back of the lead pack. It was not until the leaders had made it back to the swim start, however, that the fireworks truly started. That was when Mengal struck.
A bronze medallist in Rome in 2023, the Belgian athlete clearly has an affinity for the course and he charged clear. Edo, Serrat, Nathan Grayel (FRA) and Morlec fought to hold on as Baxter, Tom Lerno (FRA) and Nils Serre Gehri (FRA) fell seconds back. Determined not to look behind, Mengal kept going.
As the blue carpet arrived, Morlec had slipped back ever so slightly. But Serrat, Grayel and Edo could practically touch Mengal. In the desperate sprint that followed, Mengal held on by a single second. Right behind, Edo sprang away from Serrat while Grayel snuck up the outside, almost taking out both Spaniards. The final finishing order: Mengal, Edo and then Grayel, with Serrat a touch away from bronze.
For all three medallists, this was a first; a first win for Mengal and maiden podiums for Edo and Grayel. And as each hobbled away, legs burning with lactate, they could only acknowledge the depths to which they had pushed one another. Short of sacrificing a literal limb, they had nothing more to give. And boy, did they entertain.
What they said
Arnaud Mengal: “The last minute was really, really hard. I was trying not to look back and really push the pace until the finish, but I was happy that the finish was there at the end.”
“I think I will take a few hours to think about it (his win), but I'm really, really happy with it because my last few races were not so good so I was not really confident. But now I'm really, really happy that it turned back and I’m back in a really good shape.”
Meanwhile, Edo dedicated his silver medal to “my teammates, my father, my mother, my family, and my coach. It’s a dream they helped me to achieve. So I'm so proud, so thankful.”
Nathan Grayel: “I wasn't even sure I would do the race last week because I had just entered on Monday! So, yeah, it's a nice way to finish the week.”
“I don't know how many we were (at the start of the run), but it felt like a huge group and I knew it was a really fast finish, but I know I have a good finish when I'm feeling good. So, yeah, I was just trying to be patient, not use to much energy, and then yeah, I managed to come through, so it's very good for me.”
