Adama Toupalik was some distance ahead of pack in the Under-23s race
He lifts his arms in delight as horrified crowd urge him to keep pedalling
Cyclist slaps his chest with pride as competitors begin to race past him
Adding insult to injury, the title was finally won by Belgium’s Eli Iserbyt
This is the excruciating moment a cyclist cruised to the finishing line celebrating his new world championship title – only to later discover he was on his penultimate lap.
Czech cyclist Adama Toupalik was some distance ahead of the pack in the Under-23s Men’s Cyclocross World Championship final in Heusden-Zolder, Belgium.
The 19-year-old rider accelerated hard out of what he thought was the final corner before straightening up and heading towards the start/finish line.
‘It’s terrible because I know I could have won it and I’ve been waiting to win this race since I was a junior.
‘I am an idiot – nothing more, nothing less.’
He added: ‘Everyone thinks it’s a big joke. I accept it. It was my mistake and these things happen sometimes.