Wiggins usurps Martin’s crown in worlds time trial
Sir Bradley Wiggins (Great Britain), 2012 Tour de France winner and reigning Olympic chrono champion, beat Tony Martin in Ponferrada, Spain Wednesday to end the German’s three year world champion streak. Wiggins, runner up in 2011 and 2013, rolled the 47.1-km course in 56:25 to become the second Brit to win the world time trial title.
Portuguese rider Nelson Oliveira owned the fastest time of 57:47 for the majority of the contest, with Russian Anton Vorobyev gutting himself to slot into second. But once the heavy hitters were on the course, the hot seat must have felt very cold to Oliveira.
When all the riders were through the first time check, the three best times belonged to Martin, Wiggins and Frenchman Sylvain Chavanel in that order. However, by the second check Wiggins had made up the four-seconds and led the German by two ticks, and by the third check Martin was 9 seconds in arrears with a climb and technical descent still to come. Chavanel had faded after a strong start.
As Martin and Wiggins tackled the end of the course, Oliveira moved over for Vasil Kiryienka, Wiggins’ Belarusian Sky teammate, who posted a time of 57:13. Then Dutchman Tom Dumoulin, who had been September’s almost-man in Canada, took over with 57:06, ensuring himself of a medal.
Wiggins collapsed on the floor of the finishing tent after his extraordinary ride of 56:25. Martin beat Tom Dumoulin by fourteen seconds for the silver medal, making his sixth consecutive trip to the podium.
Canadian Svein Tuft was 28th, 3:18 slower than Wiggins.
Salida de Sven Tuft, plata en el Mundial de CRI’08. pic.twitter.com/QpF6QJJI3K
— Ponferrada 2014 (@Ponferrada2014) September 24, 2014
2014 UCI Road World Championships Elite Men’s Time Trial
1) Bradley Wiggins (Great Britain) 0:56:25.52
2) Tony Martin (Germany) +0:26
3) Tom Dumoulin (Netherlands) +0:40
28) Svein Tuft (Canada) +3:18
