Australia took the plaudits in the team time trial mixed relay at the UCI Road World Championships held in Kigali, Rwanda. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Already crowned in 2024, Australia successfully defended their title thanks to Brodie Chapman, Michael Matthews, Lucas Plapp, Amanda Spratt, Jay Vine (silver medallist in the Men Elite individual time trial – ITT) and Felicity Wilson-Haffenden. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
France (Bruno Armirail, Cedrine Kerbaol, Juliette Labous, Paul Seixas, Pavel Sivakov, Maeva Squiban) took silver (+5.24), just as they did in 2023, and Switzerland (Jan Christen, Stefan K\u00fcng, Jasmin Liechti, Marlen Reusser, Noemi R\u00fcegg) rounded out the podium (+10.00).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt\u2019s not often we get a chance to ride with other Aussies like this,\u201d Matthews rejoiced. \u201cWe had full focus for this after we won last year. Just being back with the team, mixing it with the girls the last few days and putting it together today was the cherry on top of the cake.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Spratt added: \u201cIt was my first time doing the nations\u2019 team time trials and it\u2019s just incredible to pull it off with the team. Brodie was so strong in that last part. I knew I just had to hold the wheel and it would be close. I could hear our director just screaming to sprint, sprint, sprint\u2026 It\u2019s so special.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The event brought together 15 teams of six riders each, three men and three women. The men went first, covering a 20.9km loop (elevation: 370m) around the Kigali Convention Centre, with an ascent of the C\u00f4te de Nyanza (2.5km at 5.8%) halfway through the course and a finale featuring the cobbled climb of C\u00f4te de Kimihurura (1.3km at 6.3%). As soon as the men had completed their challenge, it was up to the teams\u2019 three female riders to cover the same parcours.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Benin\u2019s Glorad Saizonou, Ricardo Sodjede and Jeroff Ted Yao Tossavi were the first off the ramp, but by the time they passed the relay to their countrywomen Hermionne Ahouissou, Rainatou Kpovihouede and Charlotte Metoevi, they had been overtaken by Uganda. Kimuli Arafat, Lawrence Lorot and Shafik Mugalu combined forces with Mary Aleper, Nantume Miria and Florence Nakagwa to momentarily set the best time, rapidly beaten by Ethiopia (Tekle Alemayo, Geremedhin Hailemaryam, Bizay Redae, Brhan Abrha, Haftu Reda and Serkalem Watango).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
China\u2019s male – You Li, Jiankun Liu, Haoyu Su – and female – Luyao Zeng, Hao Zhang and Qing Zhao – riders had a strong performance to conclude the first wave of teams and set a benchmark of 1:01:08.72.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Teams went one after the other, including the representatives of the UCI World Cycling Centre, and speeds increased along the afternoon, most notably with the start of Switzerland, crowned in 2022 and 2023. Christen, K\u00fcng and Schmid set the best time after 20.9km (24:49.33). Liechti, R\u00fcegg and Reusser were then off to a very strong start until the latter, crowned on Sunday in the Women Elite ITT, suffered a puncture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A second faster than the Swiss men thanks to Armirail, Seixas and Sivakov, France pushed their advantage to four seconds at the line with the collective effort of Kerbaol, Labous and Squiban for the women. But it was not enough to resist Australia, the last nation on the road, defending the title claimed a year earlier in Zurich (Switzerland).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Matthews, Plapp and Vine were the fastest in the opening lap (24:49.33), more than half a minute ahead of France and Switzerland. Chapman, Spratt and Wilson-Haffenden sealed the deal, with Australia clocking a final time of 54:30.47.<\/p>\n\n\n\n