The 177.4 kilometres race in Plouay saw several attacks, with Dutch star Mathieu van der Poel among the most active in the closing 30km.

Van der Poel was repeatedly tracked by Matteo Trentin, with the 2018 winner working to support his team-mate Nizzolo.

A solo attack from Norway’s Markus Hoelgaard was also ended as the peloton built towards a sprint finish in Plouay.

Britain’s Tom Pidcock and Portugal’s former world champion Rui Costa made a last ditch effort to break clear of the peloton with two kilometres to race, but the Italian team closed successfully on the duo.

Davide Ballerini provided a lead out for Nizzolo, with the newly crowned Italian champion sprinting to the European title.

He crossed the line in a winning time of 4 hours 12min 23sec.

Nizzolo had held off the challenge of France’s Arnuad Demare and Germany’s Pascal Ackermann, who completed the podium on the same time as the winner.

Van der Poel missed out on a medal in fourth.

Nizzolo’s victory continued Italy’s fine recent record in the event, with compatriots Trentin and Elia Viviani having won the 2018 and 2019 races, respectively.

Italian success also came in the women’s under-23 race, with Elisa Balsamo emerging as the winner.

Balsamo triumphed in a winning time of 2:15:27 after a sprint finish at the conclusion of the 81.9km event

The Netherlands’ Lonneke Uneken and Denmark’s Emma Cecilie Norsgaard finished on the same time as the winner, earning silver and bronze medals, respectively.

The 109km elite women’s race is scheduled for tomorrow, with the under-23 men’s event also set to take place.

The European Cycling Union had been forced to seek a replacement host for this year’s event in May, with original organisers Trentino now staging the Championships in 2021 due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The race schedule was altered to allow riders to participate at the event prior to competing at the Tour de France, due to begin on Saturday (August 29).