Belgium's Alec Segert slumped to the ground in pain and disappointment after finishing the time trial at the under-23 men's world championships in Zurich.

Segert is considered a future star of Belgian cycling, but he missed the time trial for the third year in a row. He was fastest in the second intermediate time check, but on the flat road with a headwind on Lake Zurich, he was 59 seconds ahead of Spaniard and Movistar World Tour rider Ivan Romeo.

The UCI reportedly plans to ban World Tour and ProTeam professionals from competing in the World Championships in the under-23 category.

“Right now my legs hurt more than my pride and ambition. I came here for the best result, a world title, but I couldn't do it today,” Segart explained in the finish area, while Romeo wore the rainbow jersey on the nearby podium.

“The last few kilometers were really deep. I've never been this deep before. I'm still recovering. I got stitches and my vision went black for a second.”

“Ivan Romeo gave me a great finish and I knew it was going to be a very difficult race. But on the last flat part of the race, I wasn't able to give it my all. It was more painful than I thought it would be.”

Segert admitted that he suffered on the mid-course climb and could not recover for the final push for victory.

“I rode really hard on the climbs. But I still had a long way to go on the flat part of the course. I hoped I could give it my all there, but my legs just weren't up to it. It's sad, but it's the truth. [Segert, now 21, finished third behind Britain's Josh Tarling at the 2021 Junior World Championships, second behind Norway's Søren Werenskjold in the 2022 under-23 time trial, and second behind Italy's Lorenzo Milesi last year. ... In Belgium, he was considered a major contender for the win after missing out on the under-23 world title by just one step in recent years.

In 2024, Segert rode for the Lotto Doustony Pro team in semi-classics, stage races, and the recent Leniwy Tour World Tour stage race. He won the Grand Prix Cliquierion one-day race in March and the Leniwy Tour time trial stage race over some of the best-known riders competing on the World Tour.

He just turned 23 on January 16, 2026, and is ready to focus fully on professional racing; he is against any possible rule changes in 2025, but his last race under 23 will be a Friday road race as part of a strong and ambitious Belgian team He is adamant that.

“I was going to stay out of the under-23 race because I want to be in an elite race next year. But I think the under-23 race should be open to all under-23s, like it is today.”

“It was a great field, all pro riders. I think it should be that way; the best rider under 23, pro or not, deserves the title.”

“I don't think the rules should be changed, but the format should be like the under 23 girls, where everyone competes in the same race and the podium is different from the world champion. [Unlimited access to all coverage of the 2024 UCI Road World Championships, including breaking news and analysis from local journalists, including junior, under-23 and elite time trials and road races. For more information.