Norway’s Thor Hushovd had to search hard for words to describe his feelings at joining the pantheon of cycling greats to have won the rainbow jersey at the world road race championships.

Hushovd, a one-day classics specialist who has stage wins from all of the Grand Tours and two Tour de France green jerseys, came into Sunday’s blue riband event of the competition with only two teammates for support.

Hushovd Finally Celebrates His 2010 World Road Championships Win

But the 32-year-old showed that it is experience of racing in the peloton, and not numbers, that can hold the key to success in the biggest one-day race of the year.

After being left behind in the race Hushovd had to dig deep in the closing stages to help close a gap which set up a 20-man bunch sprint in the final 150 meters of the uphill home straight.

“In a big race like this you have ups and downs but you have to hold on and believe that you can go all the way to the finish,” said Hushovd.

“It’s in races like these that your experience really matters and can make the difference.”

Asked for his reaction on the finish line, Hushovd was stuck for words.

“It is really nice, I did not know what to say after passing the finishing line,” added the Norwegian, who admitted he had kept his celebrations till the very last moment.

“I didn’t want to take any risks by starting to celebrate before the finish line, where somebody could come and get the jump on me. I wanted to make sure I had passed the line.

The only downside to Hushovd’s special moment on the podium was the fact organizers played an abridged version of Norway’s national anthem.

The 2010 World Road Championship Podium

“It’s just a shame they messed up with the national anthem,” he added.

Despite coming into the race as a contender, Hushovd was not expected to last a pace dictated by the numerically superior European teams from Spain, Italy and Belgium, who all had nine riders apiece.

At most events cyclists race in commercially-sponsored teams, but Norway has few competitors qualified to take part in the championships.

The only thing in Hushovd’s favor was the slight hill leading to the finish line, the kind of terrain on which the one-day classics specialist can produce the optimal combination of power and speed from his legs.

After harboring doubts about his ability to negotiate the circuit’s climbs and go on to the finish with the leaders, Hushovd admitted he had been given hope by the under-23 men’s race, which ended in a bunch sprint victory for Australian Michael Matthews.

“When I saw the course I kind of got surprised at how hard it was, so then (I thought) it’s for the climbers, and then I saw how the under-23 guys were riding and then I thought maybe it’s a sprinter’s course anyway,” he added.

“But it was a really tough one today, I think all of us, we are good sprinters but we are not pure sprinters, so we just had to hang out there (so) we could make it.”

“I just told myself don’t make mistakes and don’t mess it up, I said to myself 100 times. I think it was still a perfect race.”

A factfile on newly crowned world road race champion Thor Hushovd:
Thor Hushovd
Date of birth: January 18, 1978
Place of birth: Arendal (Norway)
Nationality: Norwegian
Height: 1.83 m
Weight: 82 kg

Teams: Credit Agricole (1999 – 2008), Cervelo (2009 and 2010)

Main results (67 international wins to date):
One-day races:
World road race championship 2010
Under-23 world time trial championship 1998
Norwegian time trial championship 2002, 2004, 2005
Norwegian road race championship 2004, 2010
Ghent-Wevelgem 2006
GP Jef Scherens 2003, Tour de Vendee 2004, GP de Denain 2004, Classic Haribo 2004, Het Nieuwsblad 2009

Stages races:
Paris-Correze 2001, Tour of Sweden (plus two stages), Tour of Normandy 2001 (plus three stages)
Dauphine Libere: four stages (1 in 2003, 1 in 2004, 1 in 2005, 1 in 2006)
Tour of Catalunya: six stages (1 in 2005, 1 in 2006, 2 in 2008, 2 in 2009)
Tirreno-Adriatico: one stage
Paris-Nice: one stage (prologue 2008)

Grands Tours:
Tour de France: eight stages, winner of green jersey for points competition in 2005 and 2009, yellow jersey wearer for three days
Giro d’Italia: one stage (2007)
Tour of Spain: three stages (1 in 2005, 1 in 2006, 1 in 2010)

Results:
1. Thor Hushovd (NOR), les 262,7 km en 6 h 21:49.
2. Matti Breschel (DEN) m.t.
3. Allan Davis (AUS) m.t.
4. Filippo Pozzato (ITA) m.t.
5. Greg Van Avermaet (BEL) m.t.
6. Oscar Freire (ESP) m.t.
7. Alexandre Kolobnev (RUS) m.t.
8. Assan Bazayev (KAZ) m.t.
9. Yukiya Arashiro (JPN) m.t.
10. Romain Feillu (FRA) m.t.
11. Grega Bole (SLO) m.t.
12. Dmitriy Fofonov (KAZ) m.t.
13. Koos Moerenhout (NED) m.t.
14. Fabian Wegmann (GER) m.t.
15. Andre Cardoso (POR) m.t.
16. Frank Schleck (LUX) m.t.
17. Cadel Evans (AUS) m.t.
18. Philippe Gilbert (BEL) m.t.
19. Niki Terpstra (NED) à 07.
20. Bjorn Leukemans (BEL) 07.