27th place finish for Southlander in Paris
Corbin Strong finished nearly three minutes behind the winner Remeo Evenepoel of Belgium, while the second Kiwi in the field - Laurence Pithie - was in a bunch further back and finished 39th.
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Southland’s Corbin Strong crossed the line in 27th place in the men’s road race at the Olympic Games in Paris on Sunday morning [NZ time].
Strong finished nearly three minutes behind the winner Remeo Evenepoel of Belgium, while the second Kiwi in the field - Laurence Pithie - was in a bunch further back and finished 39th.
It was the longest road race held at an Olympics and it has been described by some as one of the most spectacular races the sport has ever seen.
An estimated 500,000 spectators lined the course for a look.
Evenepoel suffered a puncture less than 4km from the finish, on the Carousel du Louvre, raising his arm for assistance before clapping and waving at his team to deliver a new bike in a scene of sheer panic.
The change was made swiftly, however, and he powered to the line after he had made the decisive move 15km from the finish, in the run-in to the second of three punishing ascents of the Butte Montmartre.
Meanwhile, it was announced this week that Strong has resigned with his Israel - Premier Tech professional cycling team for an additional two years.
After three years with Israel – Premier Tech Strong will stay on in the IPT colours until 2026.
Strong’s impressive stage win last week and second overall at the Tour de Wallonie is the latest success for the 24-year-old, building on previous wins at the Skoda Tour de Luxembourg and Tour of Britain.
Having spent the last few seasons developing on the road, after transitioning from the track, Strong is looking forward to achieving more success with IPT in the years to come.
“Since joining the team I’ve received a lot of trust and opportunities and built great relationships with both staff and teammates,” Strong said.
“I’m in a great environment to continue my development and perform to my best. Even the races that don’t go well are enjoyable with the group of staff and riders we have in the team. Not just on the bike but off the bike, I really enjoy my time with the team and am excited to be staying through to 2026.”
IPT General Manager Kjell Carlström said Strong’s contract extension was an easy decision to make.
“Corbin is a rider who integrated seamlessly into the team, both on and off the road, when he joined us in 2022 so we didn’t hesitate to sit down with him already last year to extend his contract through to 2026,” Carlström said.
“He’s shown his versatility as a sprinter and puncheur and it’s only a matter of time before he scores his first big WorldTour win. Corbin has been knocking on the door in the last seasons and was close to the win at the Grand Prix Cycliste de Quebec last year, which is exactly the kind of race that suits him. At 24 years old, Corbin is still very young and has a long and promising career ahead of him at IPT.”
Strong has set his sights on important targets in the second half of the year, including the Vuelta a España.
“I’m still learning in this peloton but I’m hoping to say that less and convert the lessons I’ve learnt in my first couple of seasons into more wins for the team,” Strong said.
“Firstly, I’m excited to be on the long list for La Vuelta a España and am aiming for my first Grand Tour stage win.”
For IPT owner Sylvan Adams, Strong’s development over the last three years is validation of the team’s focus on identifying young talent with Strong joining the likes of Stevie Williams in re-signing for the coming seasons.
“I’m pleased that we have reached an agreement for Corbin to continue with IPT for several more years,” says Adams. “Corbin is a success story within our team. We recruited him, and helped him develop into the rider that he is today but, more importantly, will become in the coming years. We will go far together, I am convinced. Just. Getting. Started.”