Grace Brown (AUS) made it a double by winning the World Time Trial Championships for Elite women in Zurich today after winning the time trial gold earlier this year at the Paris Olympics. Demi Vollering (NED) finished 16” behind and took the silver medal, followed by defending World Champion, Chloe Dygert (USA), who was third, 56” back.
“I feel really lucky to be able to end my career like this,” said Brown afterwards. “The experience of the Games and the success I had there, that gave me a lot of confidence. I knew I was in the lead after the first climb. Then Vollering rode a very good middle part. It took me a while to get into my rhythm on the flat, especially after all that climbing, but I was able to accelerate and make up time there. In the last kilometers I said to myself: ‘ I can really become world champion! ‘. That gave me the strength to keep pushing until the end.”
Vollering put in a super ride and, for the most part, was satisfied with silver but clearly wants more in the future. “I was so close to that jersey, you really want it. It hurts for a while, but I am very happy with second place. I didn’t want to know intermediate times. I wanted to get everything out of it and ride my best time trial for myself, then you’ll see after the finish whether it was enough. On the climbs I pulled myself apart. After that I hoped that I still had something left in my legs for the last part. That was fine, it flew by. Mentally it was less difficult than I was afraid of.”
Bronze medalist Dygert was disappointed, but didn’t want to make any excuses for her performance at the finish. “I’m definitely bummed. I did everything I could today but it wasn’t enough, the talent of the other riders is so high. There are better riders out there. I’m not going to have any excuses. I just need to work harder (in the future).”
Dygert also later revealed that she has had difficulty staying healthy since last year’s World Championships. “Since my accident (2020), I don’t think I’ve gone more than maybe six or seven months without something happening. This year, it’s probably been the hardest year. I’m just hoping that this next year is the year that I can have my health.”
Elite Women Podium: Demi Vollering (2nd), Grace Brown (1st),Chloe Dygert (3rd)
(image:UCI Cycling/Zurich2024)
Lotte Kopecky (BEL) was predicted to crack the podium, but finished 5th, 1:39″ down on winner Brown. She admitted afterwards that she was at her limit. “There was nothing more in it today. I had to start quite carefully, but I was close to the limit from the start. Then you immediately feel that it is going to be a long time trial. The race plan was to start quietly to build up some reserves for the first climb, but even there I didn’t have any left. Today I was far from the shape I needed.”
21-year-old Antonia Niedermaier (GER) put in a super performance and took fourth, only nine seconds slower than Chloe Dygert, but fast enough to take the U23 title ahead of Jasmin Liechti (SUI) who took silver, and Julie De Wilde (BEL) who took bronze.
“I’m really happy with today,” Niedermaier said afterwards. “After I saw the course, I was excited but also quite nervous with the high-speed descents. I aimed to defend my title and keep the rainbow jersey, as it’s an honour to wear. So to win the U23 race and finish fourth in the elite classification makes me very happy.”
U23 Women Podium: Jasmin Liechti (2nd), Antonia Niedermaier (1st), Julie De Wilde (3rd)
(image: UCI Cycling/Zurich2024)
How it happened
The 29.9km course for the Elite women was more straight-forward than the Olympic course, which was plagued by rain and a road surface that made staying upright almost impossible. Even so, a number of riders still commented afterwards on the course’s fast descents and tight corners as being challenging. For Brown and Vollering, these challenges were turned into advantages, with both riders embracing the fast descents and tight corners.
Ellen van Dijk (NED) set the benchmark time and was on top of the leader board for most of the day, until Niedermaier came through the first Intermediate time check 10″ faster. Vollering was the next to come through, almost 23″ faster than Niedermaier, then Brown, who was the fastest. When Dygert came through, 36″ down on Brown, and 7″ down on Niedermaier, it became clear that Dygert was off any kind of winning pace, and that the time trial would be a contest between Brown and Vollering.
The battle between Brown and Vollering first became apparent at the first Intermediate checkpoint, where Brown was found to be only 6″ ahead of Vollering. By the second Intermediate checkpoint, this advantage was reversed with Vollering faster by almost 9 seconds. It then looked like Vollering was on her way to winning her first rainbow jersey, but in the final kilometers of the flat section into Zurich, Brown found her rhythm and made up the deficit, eventually finishing 16″ ahead of Vollering.
Behind, Dygert was in danger of losing the bronze to Niedermaier, who was almost 7″ ahead of Dygert at the second Intermediate checkpoint. But in the same way Brown made up time, Dygert doubled her effort in the flat final kilometers and by the finish had a 9″ advantage over Niedermaier, enough to secure the bronze.
RESULTS
World Championships Individual Time Trial: Elite Women (29.9km)