Elia Viviani wins elimination gold – five hours after fighting for road race glory at European Championships

Elia Viviani (Italy) roared to gold in the men’s elimination race in the velodrome at the European Championships – just five hours after contesting the sprint finish in the road race.

Viviani’s bumper day began with a 208km ride from Murnau am Staffelsee to Munich, via two climbs that topped out at 18%.

He was in contention as the road race reached its finale, eventually finishing seventh in the same time as winner Fabio Jakobsen (Netherlands).

The 33-year-old quickly hopped across Munich to the velodrome, where he took part in the elimination race – which sees the last rider removed every two laps until one remains.

After surviving a scare with five riders left when pinned on the inside of the track, Viviani blasted Theo Reinhardt (Germany) in the two-up showdown to take a memorable win.

“Incredible. I just can’t believe he’s ridden a road race as well this morning. What a day out he’s had,” said Joanna Rowsell on Eurosport commentary.