Intro:

Philippe Gilbert of Belgium won the men's road race on Sunday at the Road Cycling World Championships, sprinting away on the closing Cauberg climb for victory.

Script:

Belgian Philippe Gilbert won the men's road race at the Road Cycling World Championships on Sunday.

The peloton kept up a lightning pace throughout the two hundred and sixty seven kilometres World Championship Road race making any breakaways difficult 

Defending champion Mark Cavendish dropped out half way through the race after riding more then one hundred kilometres near the front of the peloton.

His British team mate Bradley Wiggins who won the Tour de France and the Olympic time trial earlier this year also dropped out well before the finish line.

Several riders also retired after a crash.

But it was this man Philippe Gilbert who was victorious. He knows this hilly course well having won the Amstel Road Race twice in 2010 and 2011.

Showing his experience he waited patiently before powering away from a the group on the final climb up Cauberg crossing the line in six hours, ten minutes and 41 seconds just ahead of Edvard Boasson Hagen and Alejandro Valverde and taking the top of the podium.