In 26C heat, it was the final cobbled climb on the circuit which put paid to the hopes of Pidcock, who finished third at the recent Vuelta a Espana.

Pidcock, 26, had told BBC Sport success could breed success in Kigali, but despite his eight-man Great Britain team delivering him to the front of the race at the crucial moment, he finally ran out of energy with about 40km to go.

“That was the most unenjoyable race of the year… it was so bad,” said Pidcock.

“I didn’t feel so good at the start, then I started coming around in the race, but then just completely blew up, then survival to finish – not much more to say. Absolutely brutal.

“When five of us went away behind Tadej, at one point I thought anything is possible – then my legs fell off.”

It was an eventful day for double Olympic champion Evenepoel, who had to change his bike more than once during the race, which caused the often animated rider to kick the ground and shout at his team car in frustration.

Healy topped a superb season in which he also won a stage of this year’s Tour de France, as well as a stint wearing the leader’s yellow jersey.

The 25-year-old is the first Irishman to make the podium since Sean Kelly took third in 1989, while Stephen Roche won the event in 1987.

Canada’s Magdeleine Vallieres won the women’s elite road race on Saturday, finishing 23 seconds ahead of Niamh Fisher-Black of New Zealand and 27 ahead of Mavi Garcia of Spain.

It was an unexpected title for the EF Education-Oatly rider, with several favourites, such as Demi Vollering of the Netherlands and Pauline Ferrand-Prevot of France, more than one minute behind.