Track Cycling World Championships: Benjamin Thomas in gold

Magnificent Benjamin Thomas!

The Groupama-FDJ pro rider, who will compete in 2022 with Cofidis, won the world title in the points race on the third day of the World Championships in Roubaix.

The silver medalist on Madison at the Tokyo Olympics with Donavan Grondin won at 26 the 4th world title of his career after those at the omnium (2017 and 2020) and Madison (2017).

Thursday, Thomas won the silver medal with the French pursuit team.

The Tarn resident in Italy, who started with the pros in the Army in 2015, delivered a magnificent duel against the Belgian Kenny De Ketele (36).

Unleashed, Thomas won eight sprints in this final.

The last French medal in the points race (a non-Olympic event) dated from 2011, when multi-medalist Morgan Kneisky (who will retire), partner of Benjamin Thomas on Sunday in Madison, won bronze.

Since the points race was included in the World Championships program (1977), he is the third French winner, after Laurent Biondi in 1990 and Franck Perque in 2004.

The 4th medal for the French team

After his 4th place in the omnium at the Olympics, Thomas decided, in agreement with the national endurance trainer Steven Henry, to temporarily turn his back on this event to devote himself to other disciplines, in particular the race for points.

He thus won the European title at the beginning of October in Granges (Switzerland) before thus conquering world gold.

Thomas also shines on the road where he won his second title of French time trial champion this year after that of 2019.

For the French team, this is the 4th medal at these Worlds after gold for Donavan Grondin in the Open and silver in team speed and men's team pursuit.