Support road.cc

Like this site? Help us to make it better.

news

Rohan Dennis powers his way to time trial world title

Australian went well over a minute quicker than the next fastest man, defending champion Tom Dumoulin

.Australia’s Rohan Dennis has powered his way to the world time trial title in Innsbruck-Tirol this afternoon.

The 28-year-old from Adelaide was in rich form after winning two time trial stages at the Vuelta earlier this month to add to a stage victory against the clock in May’s Giro d’Italia.

Today, he was in a different class to the rest of the field, completing the 52.1-kilometre route in 1 hour 2 minutres and 3 seconds, well over a minute faster than the next closest rider, defending champion Tom Dumoulin.

The Dutch rider, the last man on the course, finished second, trailing Dennis by 1 minute 21 seconds.

By the second time check it was clear that barring misfortune on Dennis’s part, Dumoulin would be surrendering his crown.

But despite the knowledge he would beaten to the top step of the podium he dug in deep to pip   in deep to pip Victor Campenaerts of Belgium to the silver medal by just half a second, with the next closest rider Poland’s Michal Kwiatkowski, a further 47 seconds back.

Dennis’s dominance was such that ahead of the line he even reined in a former wearer of the rainbow jersey in the discipline, the Belarus rider Vasil Kiryienka, who had started three minutes ahead of him and who finished ninth today.

Great Britain’s representatives Alex Dowsett and Tao Geoghegan Hart, finished 29th and 35th respectively.

Simon joined road.cc as news editor in 2009 and is now the site’s community editor, acting as a link between the team producing the content and our readers. A law and languages graduate, published translator and former retail analyst, he has reported on issues as diverse as cycling-related court cases, anti-doping investigations, the latest developments in the bike industry and the sport’s biggest races. Now back in London full-time after 15 years living in Oxford and Cambridge, he loves cycling along the Thames but misses having his former riding buddy, Elodie the miniature schnauzer, in the basket in front of him.

Add new comment

5 comments

Avatar
RobD | 5 years ago
0 likes

Kwiatkowski in fourth could be interesting for the race on Sunday, he must be carrying some good form still, hopefully he'll be going strong at the weekend too.

Avatar
CXR94Di2 | 5 years ago
0 likes

I watched it live.  Dennis powered along the flat and then kept it going up the climb.  Domoulin looked strong on the flat, but soon as he was on the hill, he looked weak, he was rocking trying to keep up the power. I also thought Domoulin looked skinny compared to earlier in the year, maybe too much weight loss too quickly.  

 Dennis rode rock solid in form and build.  He has won pretty much all the timetrials this season, so had good form.  Wise move to leave the Vuelta early after getting the leaders shirt and a TT win.

Avatar
Simon E replied to CXR94Di2 | 5 years ago
0 likes

CXR94Di2 wrote:

Wise move to leave the Vuelta early after getting the leaders shirt and a TT win.

Some of the armchair experts were deriding him for leaving the Vuelta, as it was somehow 'not respecting' the race. Bullshit. He had nothing to prove, no goals for the remainder of the race, while he was already a favourite for Worlds ITT. Stupid to miss out on the rainbow bands away to finish the Vuelta, maybe in the top 20.

CW quoted Dumoulin, who was 2nd in the Giro and 2nd in the Tour (pretty impressive achievements) as saying:

Quote:

"I was unsuccessful on the bike. I tried to get my power from everywhere except it wasn’t in the right way. My whole body cramped.

I could not get off my bike. I have a block for a head, that’s why it worked. I just wanted it so much so I can push myself to great highs.

I can only win against Dennis, though, if I am in top shape. The top form was not there today."

Avatar
Simon E | 5 years ago
0 likes

1 minute 21 to second place, that's massive!

Avatar
Redvee replied to Simon E | 5 years ago
0 likes

Simon E wrote:

1 minute 21 to second place, that's massive!

 

My thoughts too, given the strength of the field I was expecting it to be decided by a few seconds, not 81.

Latest Comments