LEUVEN, Belgium—France’s Julian Alaphilippe retained his men’s road race title at the cycling world championships in style after attacking relentlessly in the finale, capping a remarkable team performance on Sunday. Alaphilippe made the decisive move on the short climb up to the Sint Antoniusberg 17km from the line and never looked back, becoming only the seventh rider to win consecutive titles. Alaphilippe reaped the rewards of the team’s tactics after the French shook up the race throughout to wear down their opponents, notably the Belgians, whose odds-on favorite Wout van Aert ended up finishing empty-handed. It was also Alaphilippe’s instinct that made the difference as he beat Dutchman Dylan van and Denmark’s Michael Valgren, who came home second and third, respectively. “In the finale the fans were asking me to slow down and they didn’t have nice words… I want to thank them because it really motivated me,” said the …