The Spanish mix proved the best. Albert Torres, Madison World Champion of 2014, and Sebastian Mora, who became the European Champion in the Scratch race this week in Grenchen, were unbeatable in the Madison race that took place on the last day of the Euro Championships in the Velodrome Suisse.

They not only had the fastest legs and best endurance, they were also the smartest. This they proved in an extremely fast race because they were able to identify one of the few opportunities for a counter-attack, and were one of the only teams, along with the Russians, to win a sprint lap.

While the Russians, after having won early in the race, were focusing on not losing what they had gained, the Spaniards also proved that they were good at sprinting. The twelve points won ended up being a comfortable buffer.

The battle for bronze was also exciting. Elia Viviani won the last sprint, but because the French took two points in third place, they secured the third place on the podium.

The major disappointment for the crowd in the stands was that the Swiss team was unable to capture a medal. Though Stefan Küng and Théry Schir rode an aggressive race, they were never given the chance to make their attacks stick.

“Laps are not won with attacks,” coach Daniel Gisiger reprimanded. “They are won with counter-attacks.”