World Championships: Officials disqualify Nils Eekhoff from U23 world title

Nils Eekhoff crossed the line first, but Samuele Battistella got the rainbow stripes (Image credit: Bettini Photo)

Nils Eekhoff (Netherlands) crossed the line first in the U23 road race at the UCI Road World Championships on Friday, but race officials later stripped him of that title and disqualified him for pacing behind his team car earlier in the race.

Eekhoff sprinted to victory from an elite seven-rider group in a rain-soaked race in Harrogate, as Samuele Battistella (Italy) and Stefan Bissegger (Switzerland) sprinted in for the silver and bronze. 

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