Tom Boonen claimed third for Belgium, meaning the podium consisted exclusively of former winners, but only one – Sagan – will be pulling on the rainbow bands in 2017.

It was the Belgians who had made the going tough in the crosswinds, with around 200km still to race, and as they put the hammer down several big names were caught out.

Echelons formed almost as soon as the winds whipped up, and with Boonen’s team-mates in control on the front, German duo Marcel Kittel and Andre Greipel, France’s Nacer Bouhanni and Australia’s Caleb Ewan were all spat out of the back.

Cavendish had only Blythe for company, after Luke Rowe – the other Brit to make the split – punctured shortly after the group formed.

Both Niki Terpstra and Tom Leezer tried long-range attacks for the Dutch team – the latter only being caught with 500m to race – but the sprinters would not be denied their shoot-out for the gold medal.

Cavendish sat on Sagan’s wheel, but the Slovakian manoeuvred his way through a tight gap and into the open road on the right-hand side of the road.

With the Manxman sprinting instead on the busier left-hand side, he could not build the same momentum and, ultimately, had to settle for silver – banging his handlebars in frustration.

Boonen claimed the final podium spot ahead of Australia’s Michael Matthews and Italian Giacomo Nizzolo.

UCI Road World Championships 2016 – elite men’s road race: result

1) Peter Sagan – Slovakia – 5.40.43hrs
2) Mark Cavendish – Great Britain – ST
3) Tom Boonen – Belgium
4) Michael Matthews – Australia
5) Giacomo Nizzolo – Italy
6) Edvald Boasson Hagen – Norway
7) Alexander Kristoff – Norway
8) William Bonnet – France
9) Niki Terpstra – Netherlands
10) Greg van Avermaet – Belgium