Rio de Janeiro, Aug 17 (IANS): France's Alexis Vuillermoz heaped praise on Rio 2016 organisers after winning the International Road Race Challenge, an event that also served as an official test for next year's Olympics.

Vuillermoz finished ahead of Belgian Serge Pauwels and countryman Romain Bardet in a field of 80 cyclists on Sunday, reports Xinhua.

"It was an excellent event for me, especially because it was full of great competitors," Vuillermoz said.

"Obviously the event will be a lot bigger next year but I'm happy. The organisation was great, there weren't any problems."

The 165 kilometre course, which was shifted by organisers during the week due to protests, began at Copacabana beach and ended in the neighbourhood of Sao Conrado.

Vuillermoz added: "The course had some difficult parts, but I think it was a great test. The organisers can take a lot of confidence from today. It was of the same standard as events on the international tour."