Nobody really cares about the road race, as the time trial is where real legends go for gold. The American Phinney is the favourite to wear next season’s rainbow jersey, although several other men against the clock will be trying to make sure that doesn’t happen. His strongest competitors seems to be the Dane Würtz and the German Fiedler.
Van Niekerk is one of the early starters, and clearly the best so far. He sets the first aim time: 56’42”.
Viviani had hoped to improve that time, but he won’t be too happy with his performance. The Italian was 2” behind at the first chrono, to then finish one second behind Van Niekerk at the finish!
Russia is here with a strong team, and having Kritskiy as your first rider says enough. He beats the South African’s time at the first chrono by 20” already, and finishes in 56’03”, new best time!
Fraile is Spain’s first rider, and he does even better! The Desigual rider is nine seconds faster than the Russian at the first chrono, and 16 at the finish line! 55’47” is the new best time!
The Dutch also with two strong riders, as Lammertink is their first of the day. The Dutchman has exactly the same time as Fraile at the first chrono, and at the finish line as well! The officials take a look at the matter, and place the Dutchman behind Fraile in the standings! Sour!
If you want to win a medal as a rider from the first batch, you’ll need to have the best time of that group by far. The French are not too happy with Paillot, as he was 8” behind at the first chrono, and finishes third so far, 15” behind Fraile. He did manage to overtake Kritskiy though.
Australia did great in the TTT, and it starts off well individually as well! Howson is one second faster than Lammertink and Fraile at the first chrono! He doubles this to two seconds at the finish, best time of 55’44” for Australia!
Everybody knows having racing stripes on a car undoubtedly makes it go faster, and this seems to be the case for cyclists as well. The German tricolore pushes Jasha Sütterlin to the best time at the first chrono and the finish, 55’44”! Exactly the same time as Howson, but the German gets the #1! Hansen and Cruz finish the first batch of riders, but they’re already out of podium contention.
Pluchkin didn’t want to say goodbye to his ITT rainbow jersey just yet, and put it on one last time this morning. No climbing, no party though, as the Moldovan will finish outside of the top-20. Goncalves meanwhile with a fifth place at the finish line. The second batch of riders and thus the favourites have now all started, let’s see who takes the win home!
Leung, Nareklishvili, Stannard, Cattaneo, Brändle, Cataford and Mullen have all passed the first chrono below the tenth place. Has the wind changed that much, or are the likes of Sütterlin and Howson too good for them? That seems plausible, but it also means they’re all behind Van Niekerk as well so far. Here is Dillier, who should be a clear top-10 candidate. And … he is thirteenth at the first chrono, 17” behind Sütterlin! At the finish line the Swiss barely gets a top-10, half a minute slower than the German.
Bad performance by Yatsevich, worse than teammate Kritskiy! 23” behind the best time at the first chrono and this more than doubles than 50” towards the end. This won’t even be a top-20 time.
Taaramäe currently the best of the second batch! He is 10” behind at the first chrono and (only) seventh there, to finish in a provisional sixth place at 17”!
Tenorio is another 2” slower at the first chrono, and will be disappointed with a currently ninth place at 18” of Sütterlin.
The wind seems to play an important role! Keizer is a podium candidate, but only sixteenth at the first chrono, well behind teammate Lammertink as well! Not even a top-10 for the Dutchman, finishing 27” slower than the best time.
What a beast is Vlatos! Best time of the second batch at the first chrono, which translates in a fifth place there at five seconds of Sütterlin! He improves in the second part, and currently has the bronze medal with a time of 55’45”, which is one second slower than gold!
Dear god, Coppel is terrible today. Not even inside the top-30 at the first chrono, and 28th at the finish line at more than a minute of Sütterlin.
Durbridge with a new best time! Fifth at the first chrono at three seconds of the German best time, but a strong second part sees him improve the best time at the finish by five seconds: 55’39”! Three riders to come!
And the gold is back in German hands! Fiedler was the fastest at the first chrono and improves the Australian’s time by another ten seconds! 55’29”!
But Würtz goes another ten seconds faster! He was six seconds faster than Fiedler at the first chrono, and increases that to ten at the finish line! Gold for Denmark? One rider left!
That rider is of course Taylor Phinney! Anything you can do, he can do better! Nine seconds too fast for the Dane at the first chrono, and with a time of 54’59” the American is the 2020 ITT world champion!
Same problem as with U23 ITT, noticed it too late, so no time gaps
Van Niekerk is one of the early starters, and clearly the best so far. He sets the first aim time: 56’42”.
Viviani had hoped to improve that time, but he won’t be too happy with his performance. The Italian was 2” behind at the first chrono, to then finish one second behind 
Kritskiy as your first rider says enough. He beats the South African’s time at the first chrono by 20” already, and finishes in 56’03”, new best time!
Fraile is Spain’s first rider, and he does even better! The Desigual rider is nine seconds faster than the Russian at the first chrono, and 16 at the finish line! 55’47” is the new best time!
Lammertink is their first of the day. The Dutchman has exactly the same time as 
Paillot, as he was 8” behind at the first chrono, and finishes third so far, 15” behind 
Howson is one second faster than 
Jasha Sütterlin to the best time at the first chrono and the finish, 55’44”! Exactly the same time as Howson, but the German gets the #1! 
Hansen and 
Cruz finish the first batch of riders, but they’re already out of podium contention.
Pluchkin didn’t want to say goodbye to his ITT rainbow jersey just yet, and put it on one last time this morning. No climbing, no party though, as the Moldovan will finish outside of the top-20. 
Goncalves meanwhile with a fifth place at the finish line. The second batch of riders and thus the favourites have now all started, let’s see who takes the win home!
Leung, 
Nareklishvili, 
Stannard, 
Brändle, 
Cataford and 
Mullen have all passed the first chrono below the tenth place. Has the wind changed that much, or are the likes of 
Dillier, who should be a clear top-10 candidate. And … he is thirteenth at the first chrono, 17” behind 
Taaramäe currently the best of the second batch! He is 10” behind at the first chrono and (only) seventh there, to finish in a provisional sixth place at 17”!
Vlatos! Best time of the second batch at the first chrono, which translates in a fifth place there at five seconds of 
