ZURICH (AP) — Olympic champions Remco Evenepoel and Grace Brown won the men’s and women’s time trial at the cycling world championships in Switzerland on Sunday.
While the 32-year-old Australian Brown won it for the first time after finishing runner-up in the past two years, Evenepoel successfully defended his title. The 24-year-old Belgian remains on course for a double-double heading into next Sunday’s road race, having also won that title at the Paris Games.
Evenepoel raised both arms in the air and wagged a finger on each hand as if to say No. 1 when he crossed the line, after completing the 46.1-kilometer (28.6-mile) course around Zurich in 53 minutes, 2 seconds.
He was six seconds ahead of Italian Filippo Ganna, who was also second last year, and 54 clear of Italian Edoardo Affini. It was closer than some observers may have expected because Evenepoel lost time late on.
“It was a pretty tough day for me. My chain dropped one minute before the start. I took the start and I had no power meter at all, so it was a pure TT (time trial) on feeling,” he said. “Without having the power meter it was pretty difficult to keep the pace, but in a TT it doesn’t matter what the gap is. I saw my time in green and I felt like celebrating.”
Earlier, Brown completed the 29.9-kilometer (18.5-mile) women’s course from Gossau to Zurich in 39 minutes, 16 seconds.
The 32-year-old Australian finished 17 seconds ahead of Dutchwoman Demi Vollering and 56 ahead of defending champion Chloe Dygert of the United States, who also finished third in the time trial at the Paris Olympics last month.
Brown was also national champion this year and won the prestigious Liège–Bastogne–Liège classic, where Vollering placed third. ___
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