'Devastated' Belgian junior has illegal gear rejected and has to ride Worlds on another bike

WOLLOGONG AUSTRALIA SEPTEMBER 20 Jens Verbrugghe of Belgium reacts disappointed on arrival after the 95th UCI Road World Championships 2022 Men Junior Individual Time Trial a 288km race from Wollongong to Wollongong Wollongong2022 on September 20 2022 in Wollongong Australia Photo by Tim de WaeleGetty Images
Jens Verbrugghe was 'devastated' after the gearing mix-up (Image credit: Getty Images)

There was drama and a 'devastated' Belgian junior rider at the UCI Road World Championships, with a mechanical mix-up that meant his bike was deemed illegal by race officials. 

Jens Verbrugghe, son of the Israel-Premier Tech director Rik, still competed in Tuesday's junior men's time trial at Worlds, but did so on an unfamiliar bike belonging to his national federation. 

Patrick Fletcher

Patrick is a freelance sports writer and editor. He’s an NCTJ-accredited journalist with a bachelor’s degree in modern languages (French and Spanish). Patrick worked full-time at Cyclingnews for eight years between 2015 and 2023, latterly as Deputy Editor.