The 34-year-old rolled back the years with a vintage display to top the podium in a time of 1hr 46.07 sec.

The Spaniard crossed the line in front of French duo Benoit Nicolas and Yohan Le Berre to add a title to his collection which had previously proved elusive.

Martin, who had to settle for silver at last year's World Championships in Avilés in Spain, finished the first running section in 30min 49 sec, before he completed the bike course in 59:11.

He then clocked 15:31 in the final sprint dash to ensure he was crowned European champion for the first time in his career.

Nicolas took silver, while Le Berre claimed bronze.

"I hesitated several times if I attacked or not, but since there was harmony between the four, I chose not to break that harmony and leave everything to the last sector of the race, which was like a lottery, but I found myself comfortable," Martin told Practico Deporte following his triumph.

"For me Soria is a talisman city; I started with my first Spanish Championship in 2011, then I won again in 2015 and now the European Championship. 

"It is a city where I am very comfortable.

"I am very competitive and I struggle until the last moment to get what I can and that is what I will continue doing until I retire."

In the women's race, 2015 champion Sandra Levenez of France regained her crown as she powered to victory in a time of 2:00.58.

Margarita Garcia Canellas of Spain added to the host nation's medal haul with silver as she was nearly two minutes slower than the dominant Frenchwoman.

Levenez's team-mate Lucie Picard came through to clinch bronze.