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World Championships - CM

Verona, Italy, September 27-October 3, 2004

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Race 2 - Monday September 27: Time Trial - U23 Men, 36.75km

Commentary by Hedwig Kröner and Jeff Jones

Complete live report

Live coverage starts: 14:30 CEST
Estimated finish time: 16:00 CEST

14:34 CEST   
Welcome back to the Live coverage of the 2004 World Championships in Italy. The second race today is the Under 23 Men Time Trial. On the distance of 36.75 kilometres, the riders head north in a clockwise direction from Bardolino to Garda. A right-hand turn then sees them tackling the course's most difficult climb up to Costermano and Caprino Veronese, which are about 200 m higher in altitude than the lakeside towns.

From here, it's due south for almost 10 k's down into Sega (98m alt.), via Rivoli Veronese, located about a 100 metres higher in altitude. Once in Sega, it's a sharp right for a slightly downward run into Lazise and then right again for a fast, flat-out run along lake Garda back to the start/finish line.

14:41 CEST   
Ricardo Martins (Portugal) pointed a first time at the intermediate check at km 6.3: 10.23 at an average speed of 36.35 km/h.

14:43 CEST   
The weather is still looking nice in Italy. Pretty ideal racing conditions at about 25 °C and sunshine.

14:49 CEST   
Dominique Rollin (Canada) has started now, right after Tim Duggan (USA).

The second intermediate time check is located at km 31.5. No rider has reached it yet.

14:52 CEST   
Andriy Grivko (Ukraine) is speeding up the hill towards Costermano, setting a new best at km 6.3 with 10.05.

14:59 CEST   
Lasse Bøchman (Denmark) has taken on the parcours, riding through a rather narrow passage of barricades of the first 300 m, where there is actually a 90° turn.

Grivko is still looking very focused. Let's see if he can maintain that speed until the finish.

15:07 CEST   
Daryl Impey from South Africa, who started at 14.36, finished in the top ten at Tour of Langkawi earlier on in the year.

Andreas Schillinger (Germany) is up next.

15:11 CEST   
Tim Duggan (USA) points 10.46 at the first time check. 10.36 for Bogdan Stoytchev (Bulgaria), who pushes a far too big gear up that hill.

15:14 CEST   
We have a first time at the second check: 42.54 for Ricardo Martins (Portugal).

15:17 CEST   
Francesco Rivera (Italy) is speeding right at the beginning. With a distance of almost 37 km including two climbs, he must be feeling confident.

15:20 CEST   
Grivko looks very smooth as he will be at the second time check soon.

Peter Dawson (Australia) is on the parcours now. The Olympic champion in the team pursuit didn't ride the final, but got his medal in the end.

First finish time: 49.29 for Martins.

15:22 CEST   
Tyler Farrar (USA) is next. He's on the ramp now, focusing.

15:23 CEST   
Grivko at the second time check: 42.53. He should set a new best time at the finish too, about a minute faster than the Portuguese rider.

15:25 CEST   
Carlos Fernando Vargas Colombia) reaches the finish, sprinting with his tongue out.

15:28 CEST   
Here comes Andriy Grivko (Ukraine), taking the last curves before the line. He's still looking very good! 48.19 - new best time to beat.

15:33 CEST   
The Ukrainian Grivko has been the fastest rider until now, with an average speed of 45.62 km/h.

Tyler Farrar is 18th with 10.50 at the first time check.

15:35 CEST   
The parcours is beautiful, as Northern Italy is still very green at this time of the year. Perfect racing conditions, as it is not too hot neither.

15:39 CEST   
Thomas Dekker (Netherlands) will be starting in a couple of minutes. The Dutchman has declared publicly that he would win today - and with his victory at the GP Eddy Merckx, it wouldn't surprise a lot of people.

Dominique Rollin (Canada) reaches the finish seventh.

15:40 CEST   
Piotr Mazur (Poland) is next on the start ramp, just after Dekker. He was 15th last year in Hamilton.

15:46 CEST   
Lasse Bøchman (Denmark) reaches the finish with 48.46.

Ryan Connor (UK) is 14th at 4.03 behind Grivko.

15:48 CEST   
The last rider is on the parcours: Christian Müller (Germany), one of the favourites.

Vincenzo Nibali (Italy) sets a new best time at the first intermediate time check, 9.59. He looks good.

15:52 CEST   
Thomas Dekker (Netherlands) sets a new best at the first check: 9.56.

The riders pass through wine country, but won't see the beauty of it, their only concern being the smooth roads they're on.

15:54 CEST   
At the finish, we see one man who hardly never misses a race: the red devil Didi Senft, jumping up and down as usual.

15:58 CEST   
Christian Müller (Germany) arrives at the top after km 6.3: With 10.26, he is not up for a medal today.

16:01 CEST   
Dekker is pedaling regularly, chin almost touching the handlebars. He takes the time to recover during a descent.

16:04 CEST   
New best time for the Italian Francesco Ribera at 47.57. The Tifosi will jubilate if he can get on the podium today!

16:12 CEST   
Dimitri Champion (France) is just behind Vincenzo Nibali (Italy), he might get penalised if he doesn't move aside.

Dekker pedals a higher cadence than most of the other riders on these very smooth roads. Some have been resurfaced especially for the World's.

Tyler Farrar (USA) gets into the finish at 49.31.

16:16 CEST   
Janez Brajkovic (Slovenia) is also looking very strong today, pushing big gears. Thomas Dekker stated before the race that he was one of his main rivals.

16:18 CEST   
Lukasz Bodnar (Poland) pointed second at the second time check, but the Italian Nibali is getting there now. And he sets a new time to beat there, with 41.01!

16:20 CEST   
Here comes Dekker, sprinting to the second time check. But with 41.11, he is only second right now behind Nibali.

16:22 CEST   
The Italians are of course very motivated on their home ground, and with Francesco Rivera and Vincenzo Nibali both doing so well, the Tifosi will have something to cheer about!

16:24 CEST   
But there's another rider not no be forgotten: Janez Brajkovic (Slovenia), setting a new time at the second check with 40.50! He is flying! This will be an exciting finish.

16:25 CEST   
Nibali is in the finish now: 47.15! Two Italians leading the race now.

16:26 CEST   
Dekker comes in... giving it everything, and he finishes 47.15.32, just in front of Nibali!

16:28 CEST   
But what can the Slovenian Janez Brajkovic do? He's swaying to the sides with his head, as he passes under the 1000 m mark. He should do it.

16:29 CEST   
Brajkovic finishes 46.56 - that should be it!

16:33 CEST   
Dominique Cornu (Belgium) is on the finish line, but with 47.17 he is fourth, not changing the podium today.

16:34 CEST   
The last rider to depart, the German Christian Müller finishes the parcours, and gets a fifth placing.

Results

km 6.3

1 Thomas Dekker (Netherlands)       9.56
2 Janez Brajkovic (Slovenia)        0.02
3 Vincenzo Nibali (Italy)           0.03
4 Lukasz Bodnar (Poland)            0.08
5 Andriy Grivko (Ukraine)           0.09

km 31.5

1 Janez Brajkovic (Slovenia)       40.50
2 Vincenzo Nibali (Italy)           0.11
3 Thomas Dekker (Netherlands)       0.21
4 Dominique Cornu (Belgium)         0.23

Finish - km 36.75

1 Janez Brajkovic (Slovenia)       46.56
2 Thomas Dekker (Netherlands)       0.19
3 Vincenzo Nibali (Italy) 
4 Dominique Cornu (Belgium)         0.20
5 Christian Müller (Germany)        0.47
6 Francesco Rivera (Italy)          1.00
7 Piotr Mazur (Poland)              1.02
8 Andriy Grivko (Ukraine)           1.22
9 Lukasz Bodnar (Poland)            1.27
10 Stanislav Belov (Russia)         1.32
11 Olivier Kaisen (Belgium)         1.34
12 Lasse Bøchman (Denmark)          1.49
13 Paul Martens (Germany)           1.52

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