MADRID, 22 Sep. (EUROPA PRESS) –
Belgian cyclist Remco Evenepoel was crowned world time trial champion on Sunday after winning the race in Zurich (Switzerland), where he lived up to his favourite status in a historic victory that he can still round off with a poker in a week’s time.
Everyone was pointing to Evenepoel and the 24-year-old did not disappoint: he retained the rainbow jersey he won last season and added it to the gold at the Olympic Games this year. In Paris 2024 he also won the road race, which he will aim for next Sunday.
The Belgian became the first cyclist to complete the Games-World Championship double, clocking a time of 53:01, ahead of Italians Filippo Ganna and Edoardo Affini by seven and 55 seconds. Spaniards David de la Cruz and Raul Garcia were 25th and 26th, 3:27 behind the champion.
The men’s event was 46.1 kilometres long on a circuit around Zurich at an altitude of 413 metres overall. Shortly before, in the women’s World Championships, 24.9 kilometres long at an altitude of 40 metres, Australian Grace Brown achieved the same Games-World Championship double with her gold. The best Spanish athlete was Mireia Benito, 28th at 3:43, while Paula Blasi was 41st at 5:35.
Brown, 32, who plans to retire after next week’s road race, won in 39:16, 16 seconds faster than Dutchwoman Demi Vollering and 56 seconds faster than American Chloe Dygert, who was unable to retain her title.