Mads Pedersen would be the first ever Danish winner of the men's world road race.

Amalie Dideriksen won the women's title in 2016.

Stefan Kung has to work here because it's the best chance he'll ever have of a world champs medal.

Matteo Trentin knows that and is forcing him to work.

Mads Pedersen is sat in, probably happy to wait for the sprint as well.

Matteo Trentin (Ita), Stefan Kung (Swi) and Mads Pedersen (Den) together at the front entering the final 5km of this enthralling race.

Gianni Moscon (Ita) is 10 seconds down the road.

Forget about the rest.

Moscon is shelled on another ramp but is fighting to get back on to help Trentin again.

Kung looks in agony as he kicks up the climb.

And Pedersen is having to cling on here!

Ben Swift finally falls out the back of the peloton, who are still 1:20 back on the leading four riders.

Matteo Trentin is the fastest finisher from this leading group but a sprint at the end of a 270km is different from your standard bunch sprint finish.

Mads Pedersen is handy too. Stefan Kung needs to go from distance.

Gianni Moscon looks to be working in service of Trentin.

Rochelle Gilmore
2010 Commonwealth Games champion on BBC TV

The only hope for the chasers is the leaders play cat and mouse but it's very unlikely.

Nils Politt of Germany is giving chase on the front of the peloton.

Too late surely - the lead is up to 1:20.

The chasing group zoom past an absolutely crocked Mathieu van der Poel. Rough.

He'll be back though, a supreme talent.

Ben Swift is still there, but the group are 1:10 down on the leading quartet now.

Gianni Moscon duly hits the front to drive the pace and leave Mathieu van der Poel behind.

Matteo Trentin is now the odds-on favourite for the world title.

He's even managed to take his Mitchelton-Scott rain jersey off, his Italian jersey on show now.

Chris Boardman
Olympic cycling champion on BBC TV

He's utterly blown up. He was rolling a bit. I didn't expect to see such catastrophic failure.

Oh my! Race favourite Mathieu van der Poel has cracked!

He's slipping back from the leading group.

Mathieu van der Poel (Ned), Matteo Trentin (Ita), Gianni Moscon (Ita), Stefan Kung (Swi) and Mads Pedersen (Den) roll over as the bell sounds for the final lap.

They lead by 48 seconds.

Still just a sole Belgium rider, now Yves Lampaert, doing all the chasing on the front of the bunch.

Not enough. They should've committed more riders at the same time earlier.

And no other nation is really helping.

Chris Boardman
Olympic cycling champion on BBC TV

Matteo Trentin still has his trade team rain jacket on. He has to take that off before the finish but I can't see anywhere he can do so without taking a big risk.

Mathieu van der Poel (Ned), Matteo Trentin (Ita), Gianni Moscon (Ita), Stefan Kung (Swi) and Mads Pedersen (Den) still lead.

And the gap to the peloton remains at 48 seconds.

Unless the leaders start playing cat and mouse they should be able to stay away to the finish.

Van der Poel and Trentin are the quickest sprinters. Pedersen and Kung will need to attack from distance. Moscon is most likely a decoy for team-mate Trentin.

Italy put a rider up the front of the chase to disrupt things.

Michael Matthews and Peter Sagan are up near the front. Ben Swift is at the back.

Belgium hit the front and try to give chase.

Last chance now - 50 seconds to make up in 18km.

Moscon uses the descent to get back on to the leading group.

Advantage Italy as it stands, with two riders up there again.

A lot of talking and looking around at the front of the main bunch now.

This is all but over. They needed to work together much better.

Britain's Ben Swift is batting at the back of the peloton.