Cycling Update: The 2012 Road World Championships

The road world championships are always a lot of fun.  This year they were held in Valkenburg, Netherlands.  This is the part of the world where the Amstel Gold classic is held every year so you knew going into it what the road race was going to be like and who would be the favorites.  That always makes it good because this means the nations know what kind of team to put together and that helps make the race much more strategic and fun.

Of course the week always starts with the time trials and so we'll break all the events down in the order that they occurred.

Junior Men Time Trial
Norwegian, Oskar Svendsen, took the Junior Men's title.  He's the first Norwegian to win the title in 14 years since Thor Hushovd.  Hushovd has had a very successful career so many are hopeful this bodes well for Svendsen.

1 Oskar Svendsen (Norway) 0:35:34.75
2 Matej Mohoric (Slovenia) 0:00:07.04
3 Maximilian Schachmann (Germany) 0:00:11.83
4 Alexander Morgan (Australia) 0:00:12.60
5 Mathias Krigbaum (Denmark) 0:00:13.68
6 Nathan Van Hooydonck (Belgium) 0:00:19.37
7 Brent Luyckx (Belgium) 0:00:20.53
8 Mads Würtz Schmidt (Denmark) 0:00:21.75
9 Ryan Mullen (Ireland) 0:00:26.16
10 T.J. Eisenhart (United States of America) 0:00:26.29


U23 Men Time Trial
Russian, Anton Vorobyev, won the U23 race in a bit of an upset. Vorobyev has been a top ten finisher in U23 time trials, but he was not picked to finish on the podium. Seems to be a case of great form at the right time. The highest placed American was Nathan Brown in 20th place.

1 Anton Vorobyev (Russian Federation) 0:44:09.02
2 Rohan Dennis (Australia) 0:00:44.39
3 Damien Howson (Australia) 0:00:51.12
4 Lasse Norman Hansen (Denmark) 0:00:53.28
5 Rasmus Christian Quaade (Denmark) 0:01:02.56
6 Marlen Zmorka (Ukraine) 0:01:09.42
7 Rasmus Sterebo (Denmark) 0:01:25.24
8 Jasha Sütterlin (Germany) 0:01:28.70
9 Sergey Chernetski (Russian Federation) 0:01:37.95
10 Tom Dumoulin (Netherlands) 0:01:40.78


Junior Women Time Trial
Here one of the favorites took the day, Elinor Barker of Great Britain. The morning of this race it was cool and drizzly and I wonder how much that helped the rider from Great Britain. The highest placed American was Addyson Albershardt in 18th.

1 Elinor Barker (Great Britain) 0:22:26.29
2 Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig (Denmark) 0:00:35.87
3 Demi De Jong (Netherlands) 0:01:03.13
4 Emily Roper (Australia) 0:01:08.18
5 Ramona Forchini (Switzerland) 0:01:10.42
6 Eva Mottet (France) 0:01:11.59
7 Christina Siggaard (Denmark) 0:01:13.26
8 Corinna Lechner (Germany) 0:01:13.35
9 Nicky Zijlaard (Netherlands) 0:01:14.84
10 Lourdes Oyarbide Jimenez (Spain) 0:01:15.26


Elite Women Time Trial
The United State picked up their first medal with a great result from Evelyn Stevens, but the day went to defending champion Judith Arndt of Germany. This was Arndt's 4th world time trial title.

1 Judith Arndt (Germany) 0:32:26.46
2 Evelyn Stevens (United States) 0:00:33.77
3 Linda Melanie Villumsen (New Zealand) 0:00:40.57
4 Emma Pooley (Great Britain) 0:00:49.33
5 Eleonora Van Dijk (Netherlands) 0:00:54.01
6 Ina Teutenberg (Germany) 0:01:33.74
7 Amber Neben (United States) 0:01:43.42
8 Trixi Worrack (Germany) 0:01:44.56
9 Martina Sablikova (Czech Republic) 0:01:59.44
10 Shara Gillow (Australia) 0:01:59.75


Elite Men Time Trial
The men's time trial also had a repeat winner, Tony Martin, who is also German and the silver also went to an American for our second medal of the championships.

1 Tony Martin (Germany) 0:58:38.80
2 Taylor Phinney (United States Of America) 0:00:05.37
3 Vasil Kiryienka (Belarus) 0:01:44.99
4 Tejay Van Garderen (United States Of America) 0:01:49.37
5 Fredrik Carl Wilhelm Kessiakoff (Sweden) 0:01:50.56
6 Dmitriy Gruzdev (Kazakhstan) 0:01:56.44
7 Jan Barta (Czech Republic) 0:02:12.49
8 Alex Dowsett (Great Britain) 0:02:26.06
9 Alberto Contador Velasco (Spain) 0:02:30.00
10 Adriano Malori (Italy) 0:02:40.54


Junior Women Road Race
The women's race came down to a sprint finish and went to Great Britain's Lucy Garner. The best placed American was Addyson Albershardt in 35th.

1 Lucy Garner (Great Britain) 2:11:26
2 Eline Gleditsch Brustad (Norway)
3 Anna Zita Maria Stricker (Italy)
4 Sophie Williamson (New Zealand)
5 Jessy Druyts (Belgium)
6 Rasa Pocyte (Lithuania)
7 Sheyla Gutierrez Ruiz (Spain)
8 Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig (Denmark)
9 Emily Roper (Australia)
10 Alicja Ratajczak (Poland)


U23 Men Road Race
This race also came down to a sprint finish and went to Alexey Lutsenko of Kazakhstan. The highest placed American was Lawrence Kalil Warbasse in 18th place.

1 Alexey Lutsenko (Kazakhstan) 4:20:15
2 Bryan Coquard (France)
3 Tom Van Asbroeck (Belgium)
4 Hugo Houle (Canada)
5 Luka Pibernik (Slovenia)
6 Jhoan Esteban Chaves Rubio (Colombia)
7 Hernando Bohorquez Sanchez (Colombia)
8 Kenneth Van Bilsen (Belgium)
9 Wouter Wippert (Netherlands)
10 Sam Bennett (Ireland)


Elite Women Road Race
This race looked much like the Olympic road race as Marianne Vos of Netherlands pulled away from everyone for victory. On an extremely tough course Vos had too much power for everyone else. This ended her string of five straight silver medals.

1 Marianne Vos (Netherlands) 3:14:29
2 Rachel Neylan (Australia) 0:00:10
3 Elisa Longo Borghini (Italy) 0:00:18
4 Amber Neben (United States of America) 0:00:33
5 Anna Van Der Breggen (Netherlands) 0:00:55
6 Rossella Ratto (Italy) 0:03:40
7 Linda Villumsen (New Zealand) 0:04:37
8 Judith Arndt (Germany)
9 Emma Johansson (Sweden)
10 Paulina Brzezna-Bentkowska (Poland)


Junior Men Road Race
Matej Mohoric of Slovenia took the junior title ahead of the sprinters with a perfectly timed attack on the final climb of the day. Gotta love it when a plan works out for these guys. The highest placed American was Alexandre Darville in 16th.

1 Matej Mohoric (Slovenia) 3:00:45
2 Caleb Ewan (Australia)
3 Josip Rumac (Croatia)
4 Federico Zurlo (Italy)
5 Jonathan Dibben (Great Britain)
6 Kevin Deltombe (Belgium)
7 Thomas Boudat (France)
8 Tom Bohli (Switzerland)
9 Mathieu Van Der Poel (Netherlands)
10 Søren Kragh Andersen (Denmark)


Elite Men Road Race
This race followed the Amstel Gold course which was won in 2010 and 2011 by Phillip Gilbert. Gilbert has had a disappointing season but was showing signs late in the year that his form was returning and he took the win on Sunday with a blazing attack on the final climb. The Spaniards had been the most aggressive team on the day and they were all left pointing fingers as to why they failed, but in the end Gilbert was just too strong for anyone else. The best placed American was Andrew Talansky in 43rd, though the US attacked pretty consistently but could never get in a breakaway that could stay away from the heavy favorites.

1 Philippe Gilbert (Belgium) 6:10:41
2 Edvald Boasson Hagen (Norway) 0:00:04
3 Alejandro Valverde Belmonte (Spain) 0:00:05
4 John Degenkolb (Germany)
5 Lars Boom (Netherlands)
6 Allan Davis (Australia)
7 Thomas Voeckler (France)
8 Ramunas Navardauskas (Lithuania)
9 Sergio Luis Henao Montoya (Colombia)
10 Oscar Freire Gomez (Spain)