The Team Time Trial Championship takes place on a 49km course. The last third includes some climbing. Two intermediate time checks on the course, the last coming shortly before the climb.
Defending champion USA are the top favorites. The other two 3-star favorites, Denmark and Germany, have never won a World TTT championship.
Startlist
Ukraine kicks things off. It is Zmorka and a bunch of guys who definitely are not Zmorka.
Russia are second on the course, as they crest the climb with 10k to go they are catching the stragglers from Ukraine/
Defending champions and favorites USA are not much further back. They have the lead at both time checks and with the climbers on their team they won’t fear the upcoming hill.
Spain are the 4th team on the course and finish with 7 riders. They are currently in third at the finish. The leaders at the finish are the USA, 30 seconds up on Russia and 47 seconds on the Spanish. We will see if that time holds up as other strong competitors hit the course. Right now the US still has the lead at both time checks as well as the finish.
Germany are one of those strong competitors and they are the next to finish. They move into 2nd, 29 seconds down.
Portugal are next on the course but already down to 5 riders.
Israel and Ireland are in further disarray.
France look better, they were 3 seconds down at the first check and 11 seconds down at the second check.
They lose 2 more seconds and finish 13 seconds down, 2nd place. None of Ireland, Portugal or Israel will be threatening the medals.
Canada still have a full team with 4k to ride, wouldn’t they love to knock their American cousins off the top step.
They don’t, 7th place 1’22 down.
Poland are the next team to finish. 6th place for them +0’52.
Colombia still have 8 men at the 2.8k mark but they were already 1’02 down at the last check.
8th place, +1’15 for them. Half the teams have finished, the standings:
Things are looking good for the US, 19 teams have passed the 2nd check, the closest is Denmark on 6 seconds.
Next home are Italy, they were 14 seconds down at the second check.
Italy slides to 20 seconds back at the finish, 3rd for now.
That probably won’t last, Denmark is next, their formation looks tight with about 2k to go.
They lose 3 more seconds and finish 9 seconds behind the US, good enough for 2nd. If they hold on this would be their first ever podium in a Worlds TTT, but it won’t be the top step.
The Dutch used to be the masters of this race. Today they are 28 seconds down, 5th at the moment.
None of the next four were even close at the second check.
Luxemburg finishes 3’14 down (16th)
Great Britain + 1’17 (14th)
Switzerland +-0’44 (8th)
Hong Kong +1’11 (12th)
Norway were a bit closer but 22 seconds in the last segment is a big ask. Galta on the front.
The fade to 31 seconds down (8th)
Lithuania are the next home, they finish in 17th, 1’25 down.
Australia next, last year’s runners-up lose 27 seconds (5th).
Surprisingly Belgium has never won the World TTT championship. They won’t his year as they were down 36 seconds at the 2nd check.
Greece is last on the course; artistic photography is the only interest left in the race unless the Greeks can find 28 seconds in the last segment.
The can’t, + 0’39 for them, 10th place. Belgium finishes in 12th down 47 seconds down.
The US has back-to-back TTT titles. McCormick’s Greg Daniel is the first across the line and gets to represent his country on the podium. Denmark and France are the first and second losers.
