Hudson, winner of the junior Liège-Bastogne-Liège, lit up the junior men’s road race with a searing attack with three laps to go and Team GB put three riders into the top 5.
Harry Hudson of Team GB attacked with two laps to go. (Photo: David Ramos/Getty Images)
Updated September 26, 2025 04:52AM
Harry Hudson soloed to victory in the men’s junior road race with a long-distance attack with three laps to go at the UCI road cycling world championships.
Hudson, racing for the club team Harrogate Nova Race Team, lit up the race with a searing attack with less than 25km to go.
A winner of the junior Liège-Bastogne-Liège and second in the national gravel championships, held a 15-second lead with 6km to go in a nail-biting finale.
“I just saw the moment people were sitting up and I just went and settled in to see where it would go. I thought I would get caught with one lap to go, but I managed to stay away,” Hudson said. “I was really suffering there on the last climb. Just winning a world title is amazing.”
Coming toward the final climb up Côte de Kimihurura, Spain put Javier Cubillas and Benjamín Noval along with Johan Blanc (France) into a dangerous chase, with remnants of the favorites desperately fighting with 3.5km to go.
Disaster struck when Cubillas was gapped and it appeared that medals favorite Noval apparently crashed. Blanc chased Hudson on the cobbled climb in a tense battle for the rainbow jersey.
Poland’s Jan Michal Jackowiak countered to latch onto Blanc to hit bronze and the Frenchman in silver at 16 seconds back.
Hudson — heading next season to Lidl-Trek’s development squad — hung on for the big win as Team GB put three into the top 5.
Drake on the move
Enzo Hincapie was active in the race for Team USA. (Photo: David Ramos/Getty Images)
Team USA brought a stacked team to chase its first junior men’s worlds title since Quinn Simmons won in 2019. Enzo Hincapie was active in what was a race of attrition.
With three laps to go, Team USA’s Beckam Drake — fourth in the TT in a breakout ride — pulled clear of the bunch to give a bolt of intensity to the race.
The pressure stretched out the peloton, and Hudson (Team GB) countered to go solo with three laps to go. More attacks came behind him as things heated up for the decisive final two laps. Roberto Capello (Italy) and Spain’s Cubillas chased.
Things blew up on the penultimate passage up the cobbled climb but the favorite’s chasing group left it too late, with Hudson holding tough to carry a 30-second lead ahead of the chasers and another 45 seconds to the lead bunch.
Full results junior men’s road race
Harry Hudson celebrates gold in the junior men’s road race. (Photo: DIRK WAEM/BELGA MAG/AFP via Getty Images)