The leader of the race was changing constantly. French rider Francis Mourey started strong, however, after the second lap, Stybar, Nys, Vantornout and Albert were constantly challenging each other.
This photo was taken in the antepenultimate lap and it was obvious that by then that it wasn’t Niels Albert’s day, his face tells the story.
This time, Stybar was victorious, paying it back to Nys, who had won the sprint finish in Plzen, where they were fighting for the second place.
I’ve rarely seen such sheer joy on the winners face, during awards ceremonies, it was a refreshing sight.
Sharing the champaign with the fans, who went berserk when their hero got the gold medal.
