You join us here on an overcast day in Krakow for the U-23 Individual Time Trial World Championships. The course takes us on a loop starting and ending in the host city, and it's not quite your average race. Though climbing is kept low - 384 metres of elevation, there are a couple of tough slopes where seconds can be won or lost, as well as 6.4km of cobbles, split into three sections, including one right at the end and two with decent hills. We have about five main favourites today but there's a long list of outsiders who with perfect cobbled sectors and the ride of their lives could upset the likes of Mullen and Cataford, the latter of whom is probably the best on cobbles of the big guns. There are two checkpoints throughout the race.
A Swiss with some excellent timing with an ad for some excellent Swiss timing
It was a decent showing from Katrasnik and Ranaweera, our first two starters but it's Kung setting an early benchmark, provisionally first through both timechecks and 1hr19'42 at the finish. The clouds are starting to open up here as well and the road becomes slippier.
Rekita of Poland and Netia now edging past Kung's times, first by 5 seconds, then by 18 and at the finish he's ahead, smoothly slicing almost half a minute off of the Swiss rider.
Soler next also posing good times, he's tied with Rekita at the first check but falls behind at checkpoint two - only off by a second though and at the finish he's less than half a second away from the Pole - but he's just inside his time and takes the hot seat.
However behind him is the first man who people are predicting to do very well - Norwegian Sendre Holst Enger smashes Soler by 20 seconds, 41 seconds and then almost a full minute ahead of Soler in the end.
Behind him another main player, talented stage racer Silvio Herklotz. He's not so hot at the first check, 27 seconds off of Enger, but holds fast to claw 2 seconds back at the second check. He fades a little and is 33 seconds off the pace on the line.
Scotson is next, decent all the way through to beat out Soler for third at the moment, 48 seconds behind Enger.
Madagascaran sensation Zouzou Andriafenomananiaina (and I hope the god he does badly so I don't have to say that again) impresses through both intermediate checkpoints and has a serius shot at the lead after being just 6 and then 11 seconds behind the Norwegian pacesetter, but despite losing no time between the last check and the finish he's still just second.
Surprising again is Bosnian Crncevic, slightly off the pace for a while there but storms back to take third provisionally, 15 seconds away.
Here come the strange mountain people! San Marino's assault on cycling continues as Andrea Maccagli sets a new best time, 14 seconds ahead of Enger after being only 1 ahead at the last checkpoint.
Fredrik Ludvigsson comes in now with fantastic times at both checks, and increases a 25 second lead of the San Marinese rider into a 27 second one at the finish line to claim the hot seat.
Future cobbles beast Kasperkiewicz could have surprised here with skills reminiscent of a young Spartacus, but can only muster 14th on the line despite a big final effort on the cobbles.
Covered in mud, Bandito Benito slots into third ahead of Enger after some solid showings at the time checks.
Korsaeth now upstages his teammate Enger and goes fourth to guarantee a spot in the top 10.
The final member of this trio also very close to the others, Vasyliv, another great young German stage racer, goes in between the other two for fourth.
The Danish rider here now is Mads Würtz,
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who defeats his rival from across the Øresund strait in some style with a time of 1h 17'14.
Defending champion Jack Haig now coming through to the finish and he's been second at the first check by just a second to Würtz, first at the second check by just a second to Würtz, and one of those results is replicated here as
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he edges out the Dane for the provisional rainbow jersey!
Some people's number one favourite Ryan Mullen disappointed a bit at both checkpoints, coming behind Haig, Würtz and Ludvigsson, and
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is almost closer to Maccagli than the Swede, over 30 seconds behind Haig.
However follwing him closely here is the oncoming storm, the deathbringer, the man who has crushed every timecheck and glimpse of hope for any prospective winner of this race other than himself. 13 seconds ahead at the first check, 41 at the second and 52 at the finish, with a time of 1 hour, 16 minutes, and 20 seconds, our new U23 World Time Trial Champion: Alexander Cataford!
