UCI World Road Championships

21^st September - 25^th September

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Comments >>   Kristin Armstrong   Oenone Wood   Sara Carrigan

Race Review - Time Trial

It was cool and crisp in Madrid this morning - the clear night meant that there was no cloud cover to keep the heat in the ground from yesterday from evaporating away into the night sky. Added to that, the course was (just) away from the City centre and near a lake - those factors all combined to make it about 10'C for warm-up and about 15'C for the first riders to start their race against the clock.

The first sub-30 minute ride for the 21.9km ride was set by early starter, Amber Neben (USA) who went off 6th rider and finished in 29:48.14.  Her time was not bettered until compatriot, Kristin Armstrong finished with 29:30.35 

 Zoulfira Zabirova (KAZ) was the next to break the half-hour mark with 29:52.92, not faster  than either of the Americans, good enough for 6th place overall. The fastest times at 10.5km predicted the top three in order and provided a list of the top 5, albeit with 4th and 5th places reversed. Joanne Sommariba (ESP) was hoping for a gold medal in this, her final ride at international level, but it was not to be. She was second to halfway and second to the finish too. 

At the end of the day, Karin Thurig powered her way to a second consecutive rainbow jersey, followed by Somarriba and then Kristin Armstrong. 2004 World Road Champion, Judith Arndt was fourth and Amber Neben fifth. The top five were the only riders within a minute of Thurig at the finish line.

Post Race Comments

Kristin Armstrong was in buoyant mood after her first visit to the podium at World Championship level "I'm very pleased with my ride. Its the first time I've won a medal at the World Championships and hopefully there's more to come." How had she found the conditions today? "It was a bit chilly and it was a very difficult course. I think that it was challenging and it proved that the strongest woman out there won today. Karin had a great ride for the World Title." "Now I'm looking forwards to Saturday"

Oenone Wood   "It was quite a tough course with fairly undulating terrain," said Wood who was a little disappointed with her placing. "I'm not overly happy with the time because I certainly would have liked to be in the top ten but I'm satisfied with the way I rode it given my preparation for the event which was more focussed on the World Cup and this weekend's road race. 

"I think there's a few opportunities for our team in the road race but we'll have our work cut out for us as lots of riders in top form," said Wood. "But if we play out cards right we should come up with the result." (Comments courtesy of Cycling Australia)

Sara Carrigan - Carrigan had set her expectations higher for today's event but admits she found it all a little overwhelming. "I was feeling fairly confident coming into the championships, knowing that it is the best I have physically felt all year so I wasn’t discounting a result," Carrigan said. "But I just didn’t have the punch and the ‘top end’ to strongly power over the tougher bits of the circuit, which is where the race was going to be won or lost.

"After crossing the finishing line, I was just empty and I broke down, totally overwhelmed with all the built up emotion from everything that has happened in the past few months," she said referring to the tragic road accident of July which claimed the life of Australian cyclist Amy Gillett and injured five other riders in the Cycling Australia / AIS women's development squad.

In Madrid the Australian team riders and staff are wearing red wrist bands adorned with the words "In loving memory - Amy Gillett".  (Comments courtesy of Cycling Australia)

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Results - Time Trial 

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Photos

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