Australia’s Rohan Dennis (pictured) had the Individual Time Trial at the 91st UCI World Road Race Championships circled on the calendar.
He was clearly fit, having won the two Individual Time Trials at the Vuelta a Espana, in Stages 1 and 16, then leaving the race to continue training for the Worlds. He’d never won a medal in the Worlds Time Trial, finishing 12-5-6-6-8 in his prior five tries.
This time, he was ready. As he started in position 60 out of 61, with only defending champion Tom Dumoulin (NED) behind him, he knew that if he could break away, he could win it.
He started after Belgium’s Victor Campanaerts had taken the lead from the 57th starting position on the 52.1 km course that had only significant climb. But it was almost immediately obvious that Campanaerts would not be the winner, as Dennis zipped through the 16.6 km checkpoint in 17:58.95, the only one under 18 minutes and more than 15 seconds ahead of the Belgian.
His advantage grew and by the 35.2 km checkpoint, he led by 1:12 and ripped through the finish in first place, in 1:02:03.57, 1:21.62 ahead of Campanaerts.
That left Dumoulin, who had already had a terrific season, finishing second in the Giro d’Italia and Tour de France. But more than 10,000 km of racing – more than 6,200 miles – in 62 prior race days had taken its toll. Starting 30 seconds behind Dennis, Dumoulin was eight seconds behind at the first checkpoint, then 1:01 down at 35.2 km and the race was over. Dumoulin eased up in the final meters and almost lost the silver medal, but finished a half-second clear of Campanaerts.
“I can’t really explain. It is an amazing feeling,” Dennis told Eurosport afterwards. “It’s a dream come true, I have been chasing this since I was a junior. I have never won it in any age group so to win my first one in the seniors is really special.”
In the men’s Junior races, Belgium’s Remco Evenepoel completed an impressive double by winning the 131.8 km road race in addition to his win in the Time Trial. He won the road race by an impressive 1:25 over Germany’s Marius Mayrhofer. Evenepoel is the first men’s Junior to win both events at the same Worlds since the Time Trial was added in 1994!
The remaining racing schedule:
∙ 28 September: Men’s U-23 Road Race (179.9 km: three laps ~ five major climbs)
∙ 29 September: Women’s Road Race (156.2 km: four laps ~ four major climbs)
∙ 30 September: Men’s Road Race (258.5 km: seven laps ~ nine major climbs)
NBC’s Olympic Channel has coverage of the Worlds. Summaries so far:
UCI World Road Race Championships
Innsbruck (AUT) ~ 23-30 September 2018
(Full results here)
Men’s Individual Time Trial (52.1 km): 1. Rohan Dennis (AUS), 1:03:02.57; 2. Tom Dumoulin (NED), 1:04:23.66; 3. Victor Campanaerts (BEL), 1:04:24.19; 4. Michal Kwiatkowski (POL), 1:05:07.15; 5. Nelson Oliveira (POR), 1:05:16.91; 6. Jonathan Castroviejo (ESP), 1:05:20.10; 7. Tony Martin (GER), 1:05:27.80; 8. Patrick Bevin (NZL), 1:05:37.35; 9. Vasil Kiryienka (BLR), 1:06:10.11; 10. Martin Toft Madsen (DEN), 1:06:25.96. Also in the top 50: 15. Joey Rosskopf (USA), 1:07:22.66; … 27. Tejay van Garderen (USA), 1:07:56.15
Men’s Team Time Trial (62.8 km): 1. Quick-Step Floors (BEL), 1:07:26; 2. Team Sunweb (GER), 1:07:44; 3. BMC Racing Team (USA), 1:07:45; 4. Team Sky (GBR), 1:08:11; 5. Mitchelton-Scott (AUS), 1:08:23; 6. Movistar Team (ESP), 1:08:58; 7. Trek-Segafredo (USA), 1:09:30; 8. Bora-hansgrohe (GER), 1:09:33.
Men’s U-23 Time Trial (27.7 km): 1. Mikkel Bjerg (DEN), 32:31.05; 2. Brent van Moer (BEL), 33:04.52; 3. Mathias Norsgaard (DEN), 33:09.35; 4. Edoardo Affini (ITA), 33:15.53; 5. Ethan Hayter (GBR), 33:16.70. Also in the top 25: 7. Brandon McNulty (USA), 33:23.84; … 23. Gage Hecht (USA), 33:53.77.
Men’s Junior Road Race (131.8 km): 1. Remco Evenepoel (BEL), 3:03:49; 2. Marius Mayrhofer (GER), 3:05:14; 3. Alessandro Fancellu (ITA), 3:05:27; 4. Alexandre Balmer (SUI), 3:05:27; 5. Frederik Wandahl (DEN), 3:07:09. Also in the top 25: 10. Sean Quinn (USA), 3:07:14.
Men’s Junior Time Trial (27.7 km): 1. Evenepoel (BEL), 33:15.24; 2. Luke Plapp (AUS), 34:38.90; 3. Andrea Piccolo (ITA), 34:52.86; 4. Michel Hessmann (GER), 35:02.93; 5. Soren Waerenskjold (NOR), 35:05.54. Also in the top 25: 10. Michael Garrison (USA), 35:48.19; … 19. Riley Sheehan (USA), 36:35.92.
Women’s Time Trial (27.7 km): 1. Annemiek van Vleuten (NED), 35:25.36; 2. Anna van der Breggen (NED), 34:54.35; 3. Ellen van Dijk (NED), 35:50.55; 4. Leah Kirchmann (CAN), 35:52.17; 5. Leah Thomas (USA), 35:57.75; 6. Lucinda Brand (NED), 36:07.95; 7. Amber Neben (USA), 36:12.87; 8. Karol-Ann Canuel (CAN), 36:41.22; 9. Elisa Longo Borghini (ITA), 36:42.48; 10. Tayler Wiles (USA), 36:56.52.
Women’s Team Time Trial (54.5 km): 1. Canyon SRAM Racing (GER), 1:01;46; 2. Boels-Dolmans Cycling (NED), 1:02:08; 3. Team Sunweb (NED), 1:02:15; 4. Wiggle High5 (GBR), 1:02:44; 5. Mitchelton-Scott (AUS), 1:03:16; 6. Team Virtu Cycling (DEN), 1:03:53; 7. BTC City Ljubljana (SLO), 1:04:55; 8. Valcar PBM (ITA), 1:05:22.
Women’s Junior Road Race (70.8 km): 1. Laura Stigger (AUT), 1:56:26; 2. Marie le Net (FRA), 1:56:26; 3. Simone Boilard (CAN), 1:56:26; 4. Barbara Malcotti (ITA), 1:56:26; 5. Jade Wiel (FRA), 1:56:40. Also in the top 25: 25. Katie Clouse (USA), 2:01:13.
Women’s Junior Time Trial (19.8 km): 1. Rozemarijn Ammerlaan (NED), 27:02.95; 2. Camilla Alessio (ITA), 27:09.75; 3. Elynor Backstedt (GBR), 27:20.89; 4. Pfeiffer Georgi (GBR), 27:24.84; 5. Simone Boilard (CAN), 27:27.06. Also in the top 25: Abigail Youngwerth (USA), 28:34.15.
