Asenjo Jandackova, Salaun win rainbow titles

Day four of the 2024 UCI Urban Cycling World Championships in Abu Dhabi, UAE, saw two riders claim the rainbow jerseys in the trials events.

Spain’s Travis Asenjo Jandackova won his fourth Men Junior 20” title, while France’s Roman Salaun (Men Junior 26’’) secured his first-ever UCI World Championships victory.

Following Spain’s victory in the mixed team event on Tuesday, the stage was set for an exciting conclusion to the trials competitions.

Out of the 28 riders representing 10 countries in the semi-final, two Spanish riders made it through to Friday’s final, Asenjo Jandackova and Victor Perez Zamora, who had scored 130 points for the Spanish team that won the first rainbow title on Tuesday.

They were joined by France’s Guillaume Camus, who ranked highest in the qualification, Germany’s Dennis Arnold, Italy’s Cristian Bursi and Japan’s Kotaro Yokota.

The final saw the two highest ranked riders battle it out over the final’s five sections. Asenjo Jandackova and Camus, who had scored a valuable 170 points for France’s silver medal in the mixed team event, kept swapping out the lead as they tackled each obstacle, with Perez Zamora and Arnold staying close behind, all vying for a spot on the podium.

The younger Spanish rider, Asenjo Jandackova, showed great quality and consistency throughout the final, scoring 250 points and confirming his fourth UCI Junior World Champion title, matching his tally of four Spanish national titles.

The battle for the silver medal was tight, with Camus and Perez Zamora both scoring 210 points. It was the Frenchman who prevailed, having scored two 60-point sections, while the Spanish consistently hit 50 points and 40 points but dropped on the final section.

Despite scoring 50 points three times, Arnold also tailed off in the final tough section, eventually finishing on 200 points, narrowly missing the podium in what was an intense and fascinating battle on Abu Dhabi’s Corniche beach.

The Men Junior 26” final saw four contenders, including two Spanish riders, Marc Salom Casas and Ferran Gonzalo Vaquer. Both had been dominant in the semi-finals, with 630 and 610 points respectively. They faced Czechia’s Vojtech Hendrych and France’s Roman Salaun on the five sections.

Hendrych, the first rider to go, set the tone by earning 60 points on the first section, while Salaun and Gonzalo Vaquer both scored 50. Hendrych extended his lead with a solid 40 points on section 2, with the Frenchman Salaun remaining consistent, scoring another 50 on section 4, a performance that mirrored his earlier silver medal in the mixed team event.

Despite challenges in sections 2 and 3, Gonzalo Vaquer fought back and kept the contest tight.

Roman Salaun proved to be the standout rider of the final, posting a total of 140 points to claim the gold and the UCI World Championship rainbow jersey. Only 10 points separated the other three competitors, and when Hendrych and Gonzalo Vaquer both finished on 120 points, it was the opening 60 points score that secured the silver medal for the rider from Czechia, leaving Gonzalo Vaquer with bronze.