RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — BMC Racing defended its team time trial gold medal at the world championships Sunday, driven home by American rider Taylor Phinney to knock Etixx-QuickStep from the top of the podium.
In the first worlds in the U.S. since 1986, the U.S.-based BMC team roared down Broad Street in downtown Richmond to a soaring welcome from the home crowd. They covered the 24-mile ride in 42 minutes, 7 seconds, beating their Belgian rivals by 12 seconds.
The Spanish team Movistar finished in 42:38 to capture the bronze medal.
“It’s kind of hard to process,” said Phinney, who missed the worlds last year while recovering from a career-threatening crash at the U.S. road championships. “It’s been kind of a rollercoaster the past couple of years. To win with the team is fantastic.”
In the women’s race, Velocio-SRAM won its fourth consecutive championship earlier in the day by rallying over the final miles to upstage Dutch rival Boels-Dolmans and its American rider, Evelyn Stevens, by just 6 seconds. The Rabo-Liv team finished in third.
“It’s a really nice feeling. We had a bit of a hard year,” said Trixi Worrack, a member of all four gold-medal teams. “We’ve improved a lot and we’re really happy.”
BMC Racing was labeled the early favorite after snagging gold last year in Spain. In fact, it was so strong that a member of that team, Peter Velits, was left off the six-man lineup for this year’s race. Instead, Phinney was joined by Australian star Rohan Dennis, Silvan Dillier, Stefan Kueng, Daniel Oss and Manuel Quinziato.
They were fast right from the start at Lewis Ginter Botanical Gardens, posting the fastest time at each of the three intermediate checkpoints. But their advantage was a scant 6 seconds over Etixx-QuickStep as the red-and-black train made the tough climb to the finishing straight.
With the finish line in sight, Phinney took to the front to the roar of the crowd.
“This was a huge goal for us as a team,” Phinney said. You could have asked me a month ago if I was going to be here, the team trial world champion — it’s surreal, man.”
Phinney’s work isn’t done, either. He gives the U.S. team its best shot in the individual time trial this week, then will line up for his home nation in next weekend’s road race.
Team Sky, one of the medal contenders, made the start after a crash in training on Saturday left three riders with injuries. Danny Pate had heavy bandages on his right elbow and knee, while Elia Viviani dropped off the pace line early with an ailing knee.
Tinkoff-Saxo’s podium hopes were dashed when Michael Rogers and Michael Valgren touched wheels and went down hard. They eventually remounted and finished the race.
In the women’s event, Velocio-SRAM proved its mettle in its last major competition before the team shutters after the season. Led by Worrack and defending individual time trial champion Lisa Brennauer, the team overcame a several-second deficit in the closing stretch to claim gold.
Stevens, who rode for the team during its three previous championships, called the silver she won with Boels-Dolmans “a bit bittersweet,” but she was proud of her team’s performance.
“I loved being on their team,” Stevens said, “but it was pretty special to be on this team.”
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