The Italians were involved in a tussle with second-placed France for much of the race. On home soil, the Spanish team took third place ahead of Czechia.
In this event, teams of six from across the elite, under-23 and junior men’s and women’s categories compete in an order determined by each team. Just four national teams chose to take part, with the two behemoths of cyclocross, Belgium and Netherlands choosing not to participate.
The final leg was contested between Remi Ladlandais (France) and Filippo Agostinacchio (Italy) after the teams from Spain and Czechia had been distanced earlier in the race by the evenly matched Italian and French squads. Agostinacchio broke clear in the final 500 metres of the race to win the event for the first time for Italy.
A fast-finishing Felipe Orts secured the bronze medal for Spain ahead of Czechia’s Michael Boroš.
