Orange Crush: the Netherlands win inaugural Worlds team time trial mixed relay gold

The 2019 UCI Road World Championships in Yorkshire, England began Sunday with a new event, the mixed relay team time trial. The Netherlands, already the European champions, took the gold through the efforts of Lucinda Brand, Riejanne Markus, Amy Pieters, Koen Bouwman, Bauke Mollema and Jos van Emden, beating Germany by 22 seconds. The new event replaces the trade team team time trial after seven editions.

The teams had to negotiate two wet laps of a 13.8 km course in Harrowgate.

Three men would start the race, completing one lap, and when the trio crossed the line, three women would roll down a ramp and drive it home. Except for one team dubbed the UCI World Cycling Centre and including Canadian Ben Katterberg, all the squads were European.

UCI WCC was the first to roll the course at 41:56 over 27.6 km.

First team home, UCI World Cycling Centre team, post a time of 41:56.02.

Spain ?? and Belgium ?? both go quicker, with 41:10.42 and 41:00.31 respectively.

And now a huge cheer goes up as Great Britain ?? come to the line and go fastest in 39:18.87.#Yorkshire2019 pic.twitter.com/fisf1zQNke

— UCI (@UCI_cycling) September 22, 2019

Great Britain (Lauren Dolan, Anna Henderson, Joscelin Lowden, John Archibald, Daniel Brigham and Harry Tanfield) then clipped Belgium’s best time by 1:41.

The Swiss had bad luck with mechanicals and a crash.

A huge effort from @swisscycling sees them set the second fastest time. Had it not been for a mechanical & a crash in the last 1km they could well be leading. #Yorkshire2019 pic.twitter.com/eh44g6OfXX

— ? Yorkshire 2019 (@Yorkshire2019) September 22, 2019

France nestled into second with 39:50.

The last three teams–Italy, Germany and the Netherlands–were high-powered.

Italy ?? are through intermediate split 1 in the fastest time!

Germany ?? go through 5 seconds slower.

Hold the phone!! Netherlands ?? have smashed that time by 10 seconds!#Yorkshire2019 pic.twitter.com/tRrMdSAn3v

— UCI (@UCI_cycling) September 22, 2019

At the switch point, Italy was fourth fastest and Germany second, Tony Martin off all people falling off the pace. The Netherlands team was hauling, setting all the best times at the intermediate points and the switch point. Germany–also silver in the European Championships–overcame Great Britain with 38:50, but the Netherlands, even having lost Pieters, won the day.

Monday sees the first of the individual chronos with the Junior men and women on the course. Magdeleine Vallières-Mill, Camille Primeau, Tristan Jussaume and Jacob Rubuliak are the Canadians slated to race.

2019 UCI Road World Championships Team Time Trial Mixed Relay
1) The Netherlands 38:27
2) Germany +0:22
3) Great Britain +0:51