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World championships - CM

Madrid, Spain, September 21-25, 2005

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Race 3 - September 22: Elite men's individual time trial, 44km

Commentary by Jeff Jones, with additional reporting from Hernan Alvarez and Shane Stokes

Live report

Live coverage starts: 13:00 CEST
Estimated finish: 17:10 CEST

12:55 CEST   
It's Thursday in Madrid and that means it's the Elite Men's World Time Trial Championship, which is on the brink of starting in Madrid's Casa de Campo. The men ride over two laps of the 22 km course that was used by the women, and we can expect winning times of around 52-53 minutes, depending on conditions. At the moment, it's warm and sunny, with temps in the mid-20s and not too much wind.

The rider to go will be Matias Medici (Argentina) at 1pm, followed at 2'00 intervals by Fumiyuki Beppu (Japan), James Lewis Perry (South Africa) and Jan Hruska (Czech Republic). Like yesterday's U23 men's event, the Elite Men will start in four different waves (49 riders total), with Michael Rogers (Australia) the last to leave at 16:24. The big local favourite is Ruben Plaza Molina (Spain), who sets off fourth last at 16:18. He is coming off a solid Vuelta a España, where he won the final time trial at a record average speed of 56.2 km/h. Today won't be as fast, because it's not wind assisted the whole way, but he is in good form.

13:00 CEST   
Medici rolls up to the start house and gets ready to go as the first rider. He gets the countdown, and is on his way.

13:02 CEST   
Medici gets up to speed over the first part of the course, which is uphill. He's chased by Fumiyuki Beppu, the young Japanese Discovery Channel rider.

13:04 CEST   
South African James Perry, a national champ in this discipline, is now on his way, as the third rider on the course.

13:07 CEST   
Probably the best credentialed rider in the first wave, Jan Hruska (Cze) is now on his way. He starts hard, and is obviously looking for a good time. OK, I didn't mean it like that, despite the setting of this time trial.

13:10 CEST   
Finland, Finland, Finland's Tommi Martikainen starts next, getting his big frame down low over his TT machine. He's followed by Ryder Hesjedal (Canada), who has just signed for Phonak.

13:13 CEST   
Linas Balciunas (Lithuania) sets off next, forgetting to throw away his handkerchief until he gets going. He takes time to adjust his skinsuit - maybe something wrong with his radio. He's in the bars now.

13:14 CEST   
Matias Medici (Argentina) has gone through the 10.5 km check in 13'52, the first rider to do so.

Juan Carlos Lopez Martin (Colombia) is under way.

13:16 CEST   
Beppu goes through the first check in 14'16, just as Gregor Gazvoda (Slovenia) starts his ride.

13:19 CEST   
Perry is now through the 10.5 km check in 14'26, the slowest of the three riders through there to date. Vasil Kiryienka (Belarus) is under way too.

13:21 CEST   
Hruska is second fastest at 10.5 km in 14'09, 17 seconds slower than the Argentinean Medici. Lukasz Bodnar (Poland) is riding now, the second last rider of the first wave.

13:22 CEST   
The final rider of this wave, Denis Shkarpeta (Uzbekistan), sets off up the treelined starting avenue. He's quickly into his rhythm and up to speed.

13:23 CEST   
Martikainen goes through 10.5 km in a relatively slow 15'01, the fifth rider to pass that check.

13:27 CEST   
Medici is at the end of his first lap in 27'09. He still has the best time at km 10.5 with 13'52. Hesjedal went through there in 14'15, third best.

13:34 CEST   
Vasil Kiryienka (Belarus) gets within 2 seconds of Medici's time at km 10.5, while Gregor Gazvoda slots into third at 11 seconds.

At the halfway check, Perry is already a minute behind Medici. Hruska goes through in 27'40, not good enough to beat the Argentinean.

13:38 CEST   
Tommi Martikainen (Finland) comes past the start/finish in 29'33, as Hesjedal follows him at 27'41, third best.

13:41 CEST   
Balciunas is through halfway in 28'26, the sixth fastest to that point. Medici is still the best, with the top five at halfway looking like:

1 Matias Medici (Argentina) 13.52
2 Vasil Kiryienka (Belarus) 0.02
3 Gregor Gazvoda (Slovenia) 0.11
4 Jan Hruska (Czech Republic) 0.17
5 Ryder Hesjedal (Canada) 0.23

13:43 CEST   
Medici is now at the 33 km check, powering through in 41'54, which is of course the best to date.

13:45 CEST   
Kiryienka comes up to halfway, puffing a bit but he's got a good time: 27'16, the second quickest. It looks like Medici will be the quickest of this first wave.

13:51 CEST   
Hruska comes past km 33 a minute slower than Mr Medici, while James Perry has the third fastest at that point.

13:53 CEST   
Hesjedal is also suffering to the third check, passing in 42'47. It's second best at this point. Hruska is trying to bring it home, but he won't best Medici's time.

13:55 CEST   
Medici hammers up the final hill and punches it home to the finish. His time after 43.8 km is 55'11, an average of 47.941 km/h. His second lap was about a minute slower than his first.

13:57 CEST   
Hesjedal is looking a little knackered as he nears the end of his ride. Just another few minutes of suffering for the Canadian.

Beppu is nearly at the finish now.

13:59 CEST   
Beppu fights all the way to the end, and crosses in 56'47, over a minute and a half slower than Medici.

14:00 CEST   
James Perry (RSA) comes up to the finish, and he's ridden better in the second half and ends with 56'33. Fairly even splits on each lap for the South African.

Sylvain Chavanel, French national TT champ, starts the second wave of riders.

14:02 CEST   
Seb Lang (Germany) gets the drei, zwei, eins countdown and is on his way.

Hruska finishes in 56'12, a minute slower than Medici, but still good enough for second.

14:03 CEST   
Ben Day (Australia) is up next. He's a past national champion in his discipline.

14:06 CEST   
Day is into his rhythm now, trying to keep it steady as he hits the first climb.

Vasil Kiryienka (Belarus) has gone through the third check in 42'20, 26 seconds slower than Medici.

Brian Vandborg (Denmark) is next cab off the rank.

14:06 CEST   
Hesjedal comes home in 56'17, for 3rd best to date.

14:08 CEST   
David George, the second South African, is in the gate and now on his way. He's generally good against the clock.

14:09 CEST   
Tommi Martikainen (Finland) finishes in 1:00:48, 5'30 slower than Medici.

14:11 CEST   
Leif Hoste, in the Belgian blue with black, yellow and red stripes, is under way now. He gets up to speed without panicking, and is travelling up the hill nicely now.

Medici, Hruska, and Hesjedal are sitting in the hot seats as the three quickest to date.

14:12 CEST   
Hoste is starting fast, and has a good speed up the first hill. He's chased by the young Swede Thomas Lövkvist.

14:13 CEST   
Colombia's Lopez Martin is at the finish, and is almost caught by Gazvoda who is home in 56'30 or thereabouts.

14:14 CEST   
Vasil Kiryienka (Belarus) finishes in 56'00, 12 seconds better than Hruska.

Joost Posthuma (Netherlands) is on his way. He definitely can TT.

14:16 CEST   
Ondrej Sosenka (Czech Republic) starts his ride. He's a huge powerhouse.

Chavanel is past 10.5 km in 14'11, fifth best.

14:17 CEST   
Lang has gone through 10.5 km a bit quicker than Chavanel, in 14'09.

Sosenka has got the big gear going as he tackles the first climb.

14:18 CEST   
Marco Pinotti (Italy) looks happy as he gets ready to start. He sets off to a big cheer from the Italian fans.

14:20 CEST   
Yaroslav Popovych (Ukraine) is the last rider to go from the second wave. Plenty of Discovery riders here today!

14:22 CEST   
Denis Shkarpeta (Uzbekistan) finishes in 59'24 for 11th. He's the last rider of the first wave to finish.

Another early favourite, Brad Wiggins (Great Britain) is on his way.

David George is at 10.5 km in 14'13, in the top 10.

14:25 CEST   
Hoste goes through 10.5 km in 14'11 - no-one has beaten Medici's time, although Ben Day is very close.

14:26 CEST   
Slava Ekimov is warming up. He is always a candidate for a medal in these major championships. He's one of the best time trialists around.

14:27 CEST   
Thomas Lövkvist (Sweden) is through 10.5 km in a relatively slow 14'47. That puts him in 17th place already.

14:27 CEST   
Chavanel comes up to halfway in a time of 27'45, for sixth.

14:29 CEST   
Joost Posthuma is at 10.5 km in 14'20, just the 13th best. Medici is not to be beaten!

Lang is at halfway too, crossing in 27'31 for third.

14:31 CEST   
Sosenka has finally beaten Medici's time at km 10.5 in 13'45!

Meanwhile, Ben Day crosses the halfway point in the third best time of 27'20.

14:33 CEST   
Pinotti is past 10.5 km in 14'01, fifth best. Just two more riders to come after him.

Popovych is driving it, in a fairly big gear at the moment.

14:34 CEST   
Vandborg is riding smoothly, but is a bit off the pace in 27'42 for seventh at halfway.

Sosenka is flying though, really giving it full gas on this first lap.

14:35 CEST   
Wiggins is superb though, as he comes past 10.5 km in 13'30. Brits go wild.

14:37 CEST   
Wiggins is opting for a saddle mounted bidon today. Tricky to get at.

14:38 CEST   
Hoste comes to halfway in 27'45, just inside the top 10 but not really on a good pace.

14:39 CEST   
Wiggins slices through the air, also tall and thin like Sosenka. He's on track for a very good ride, and he certainly knows how to time trial.

14:41 CEST   
Lövkvist is at the halfway check in just under 29'00. He'll be happy when this is over. He did well in the TT in the Tour of Poland last week, but hasn't got the legs today.

14:43 CEST   
Wiggins powers over the top part of the course, which is more exposed. There's not much wind at all today.

Posthuma is at halfway in 28'19 for 14th. He'll need more than that.

Sosenka follows him still flying. The Czech's time is 27'10 - just slower than Medici. He might have overcooked it at the start.

14:44 CEST   
Lang reaches the third check in 42'07, the second best time to there.

14:45 CEST   
The current top three:

1 Matias Medici (Argentina) 55.11
2 Vasil Kiryienka (Belarus) 0.49
3 Jan Hruska (Czech Republic) 1.01

Pinotti makes the halfway check in 27'20 for fifth.

14:47 CEST   
Popovych is at halfway now, but isn't one of the quickest. His time is 27'33, 7th best.

14:49 CEST   
Wiggins is much better though, the tall Brit coming through halfway in 26'44 - finally beating Medici's benchmark.

14:51 CEST   
David George is at km 33 in 43'33, for 12th.

14:53 CEST   
Hoste is also past km 33, in 43'07 for 11th.

Christophe Moreau (France) is warming up, looking very red and sweaty in the tent.

14:57 CEST   
Sylvain Chavanel is the first rider from wave 2 to make the finish. The Frenchman's time at the end of 43.8 km is 56'53, only good enough for 8th.

Sebastian Lang (Germany) follows him and he's quicker: 55'09! New best time!!

14:59 CEST   
Lang's second lap was faster than his first - impressive ride.

Meanwhile, Sosenka has dropped off the pace a bit at km 33, crossing in 42'09 for third.

Ben Day (Australia) drives it to the finish and stops the clock at 55'40 for third best so far.

15:00 CEST   
Eric Wohlberg (Canada), at 40 years old a veteran of the World Championships, is the first rider of the third wave to depart.

15:02 CEST   
Csaba Szekeres (Hungary) chases Wohlberg at 2'00.

Vandborg comes to the finish in 56'17 for 6th best.

15:04 CEST   
Wiggins comes up to the km 33 check in the best time, but only 7 seconds quicker than Medici. Wiggins' time is 41'47.

15:05 CEST   
Andrey Kashechkin (Kazakhstan) is the next rider to set off. He's up to speed fairly quickly.

David George finishes his ride in 57'21 for 12th.

15:07 CEST   
Raivis Belohvosciks (Latvia) is now going, and going fast. He's a specialist in this discipline, but hasn't had a great year after his team wasn't allowed to start until very late in the season.

Leif Hoste finishes in 56'54 for 12th.

15:08 CEST   
Denmark's second rider, Michael Blaudzun, is next to go. He's a national champ in this discipline.

15:10 CEST   
Now Spain's first hope, José Ivan Gutierrez Palacios, is on his way. He gets a huge cheer from the partisan crowd.

15:11 CEST   
Lövkvist finishes in 59'15, while Posthuma follows him in 57'23, then Sosenka in 55'29. The Czech has the third best time, after a more promising start.

15:15 CEST   
Slava Ekimov, not quite the oldest in the field, is on his way. Let's see if he can pull out a big one today.

Pinotti finishes in 55'56, the fifth best time.

15:16 CEST   
David O'Loughlin, Irish champ, is on the start ramp. He sets off, slightly wobbly.

15:17 CEST   
Here's Wiggins, trailing Popovych to the finish. Popo ends in 57'02 but Wiggins has him in his sights and crosses in 55'06, three seconds better than Sebastian Lang.

15:18 CEST   
Colombian Victor Hugo Peña sets off next, but his condition could be affected by his crash in the final stage of the Vuelta. He's normally very solid against the clock.

15:22 CEST   
Neither Kashechkin nor Belohvosciks can make the top five at the first check after 10.5 km.

Christophe Moreau is preparing to start now. Trois, deux, un...He's off!

15:23 CEST   
Ivaïlo Gabrovski (Bulgaria) didn't start today, it looks like.

15:23 CEST   
Gutierrez comes up to 10.5 km in a respectable 13'43, 13 seconds slower than Wiggins at that point.

15:28 CEST   
Gutierrez is looking good as he tackles the steeper climb. He doesn't get out of the saddle.

15:29 CEST   
Ekimov is not on the pace today, it seems. He goes through time check 1 in 22nd spot. Victor Peña is nearing that mark now.

15:31 CEST   
Kashechkin reaches halfway in 26'58 - very decent! 2nd fastest to date behind Wiggins.

15:32 CEST   
Andrey Kashechkin (Kazakhstan) is already catching Csaba Szekeres (Hungary), not bad after one lap.

Peña is 12th at time check 1 in 14'06.

15:33 CEST   
Ekimov hits the climb, but doesn't look at his best today. Definitely no medal for the experienced Russian.

15:36 CEST   
Germany's Michael Rich warms up using his SRM on the rollers. He's very experienced at the World's, and has a swag of silver medals in his collection. But this course might be a bit tough for him.

Blaudzun reaches halfway in 27'50, 17th best. But Gutierrez is right on his heels, coming through in 26'27! Excellent ride by the Spaniard, who is obviously very motivated today.

15:42 CEST   
Moreau is riding OK, hitting the climb out of the saddle. The wind is a bit stronger here, blowing across the riders.

Ekimov is at the end of lap 1 in a time of 27'44 for 16th. He's improved a little, but will need an awesome second lap to match the best.

15:42 CEST   
The top five so far, with two waves completed:

1 Bradley Wiggins (Great Britain) 55.06
2 Sebastian Lang (Germany) 0.03
3 Matias Medici (Argentina) 0.05
4 Ondrej Sosenka (Czech Republic) 0.23
5 Ben Day (Australia) 0.34

15:45 CEST   
O'Loughlin comes up to halfway in 28'09, just inside the top 25. Victor Peña is not too far behind him. The Colombian motors along and crosses in 27'16 for 7th.

15:47 CEST   
Kashechkin is through the third time check in a 41'48, only half a second slower than Wiggins. He's already passed Szekeres, and is in search of Wohlberg.

15:48 CEST   
Ruben Plaza and Alex Vinokourov are warming up. Vino is using his ovalised chainrings.
Belohvosciks is past 33 km in 42'29, for a top 10.

15:50 CEST   
Christophe Moreau comes up to the start/finish at the end of lap 1. It's not a good time at all: 28'25. Top 30, just.

15:52 CEST   
The reason for Ivaïlo Gabrovski's non-start today was because he failed a blood test this morning. His Bulgarian teammate Bogdan Stoytchev also failed.

Jose Ivan Gutierrez has smashed Wiggins' time after 33 km in 41'08!

15:57 CEST   
Gutierrez continues to power along in the second lap. He'll have the best time soon, for sure.

Michael Blaudzun suffers as he hits the second climb.

Mick Rogers and Michael Blaudzun warm up now. Rogers is a bit of a mystery man, but you can never discount him in a time trial.

Eric Wohlberg (Canada) reaches the finish, struggling a bit at the end to close in 57'14 for 17th.

15:58 CEST   
Rogers is riding his special Time frame, which he's got on his Advanced Training Systems warmup machine.

15:59 CEST   
Andrey Kashechkin (Kazakhstan) is finishing his ride now, and he's close! He finishes in 55'03, new best time!

15:59 CEST   
Andriy Grivko (Ukraine) is the first rider to start from the final wave.

16:02 CEST   
Szekeres finishes in 58'47, not close to the top 20. Belohvosciks follows him in in 55'51, a decent time for 7th.

16:02 CEST   
Bert Roesems (Belgium) sets off next, another tall time trialist.

16:05 CEST   
Here comes Gutierrez! As expected, he has the new top time with 53'58! That's over 49 km/h, more than a minute quicker than Kashechkin.

Janez Brajkovic (Slovenia) is next to go. He's last year's U23 champ, and is only 21 this year, but has to ride with the elite because he rides for a ProTour team.

16:06 CEST   
Blaudzun is home in 57'30 for 23rd.

Thomas Dekker, another U23 rider in a ProTour team, is next to go. He starts really hard. He wants to win today.

16:08 CEST   
Marzio Bruseghin (Italy) leaves the start ramp next. He was good last year (6th) and is a very consistent rider.

16:09 CEST   
Piotr Mazur (Poland) finishes in 57'11. He won the TT in Plouay in 2000, but as a junior.

16:10 CEST   
Fabian Cancellara (Switzerland) is next to go. He's another big lad, but is normally best at shorter distances.

16:10 CEST   
Eki finishes off in 56'41 for 16th at the moment.

Thomas Dekker is motoring up the first climb.

16:12 CEST   
Gustav Larsson (Sweden), a surprising fourth last year, is on his way.

16:13 CEST   
Peña finishes off in 55'15, not bad for 6th place. He's followed by O'Loughlin in 57'26.

16:14 CEST   
Bobby Julich (USA) is next to leave. He is one of the favourites for today, as long as he's feeling good. He doesn't start too hard. He's got his camelbak under his skinsuit, as usual.

16:16 CEST   
Denis Menchov, dual time trial winner in the last Vuelta, is next to go. He's riding with the Russian colours today, but has orange Rabobank shoe covers on.

Most riders are using rear disks with a front trispoke or deep section wheel.

16:18 CEST   
Ruben Plaza, Spain's other big hope, is ready to roll. He looks very calm as he sits on the ramp, perched on his Orbea.

16:19 CEST   
Plaza is starting steadily, but powerfully.

Alexandre Vinokourov is next to go, Kazakhstan's second rider.

16:21 CEST   
Moreau finishes in 58'41, around 5 minutes slower than Gutierrez. He's the last of the third wave to finish.

16:22 CEST   
Dekker is already 49 seconds down after 10.5 km for 23rd. That's not good for the Dutch rider. He can probably forget about a medal already.

Michael Rich (Germany) starts.

16:24 CEST   
Rich looks good as he hits the first climb, keeping a very steady tempo, his massive legs pumping up and down.

Now the defending champion Michael Rogers is on the ramp. Three, two, one, go! He's racing, the last rider on the course.

16:25 CEST   
Rogers is quickly onto the bars and gets his big gear going as he approaches the first climb.

16:26 CEST   
Fabian Cancellara (Switzerland) is through 10.5 km in 13'46 for fourth. He's better than Gustav Larsson, whose 14'18 gives him just 25th.

16:28 CEST   
Plaza is riding strongly on the first part of the parcours, getting out of the saddle on the climb a bit. But that will push his heart rate up.

Bobby Julich is past km 10.5 in 14'02 for 12th, knees pointing at odd directions as they always do.

16:29 CEST   
Rogers is riding steadily on the first climb, not going flat out. He's normally an even rider, trying to save a bit for the second half.

Vinokourov is struggling with his rhythm a bit.

16:30 CEST   
Here comes Menchov - The Russian comes past km 10.5 in 14'01, just quicker than Julich.

16:30 CEST   
Plaza looks good, and takes a drink. He's only got a bottle cage mounted on his seat tube, not his down tube.

16:32 CEST   
Plaza comes up to time check one but is not the fastest by any stretch. His 13'56 puts him in eighth.

16:33 CEST   
Rich takes the first U-turn and gets back up to speed again. He's near the 10.5 km check, but Vino will go through first.

16:33 CEST   
Vino punches along to time check 1, and he's good, doing 13'49 for fifth.

16:35 CEST   
Dekker comes past 22 km in 27'58, definitely not on a good ride. Bruseghin is better, in 27'18 for ninth.

16:37 CEST   
Plaza reaches the second climb as Michael Rich passes 10.5 km in a very slow 14'24 for 34th. That's bad, considering there are only 48 riders in the race.

Cancellara is past halfway in 26'35! That's second quickest, behind Gutierrez. Nice riding by the Swiss.

16:38 CEST   
Rogers is now past 10.5 km, in a decent time of 13'48 for fifth. That's good for him, considering he usually doesn't go out too hard.

16:39 CEST   
The top six after 10.5 km, with all riders through now:

1 Bradley Wiggins (Great Britain) 13.30
2 José Ivan Gutierrez Palacios (Spain) 0.13
3 Ondrej Sosenka (Czech Republic) 0.15
4 Fabian Cancellara (Switzerland) 0.16
5 Michael Rogers (Australia) 0.18
6 Alexandr Vinokourov (Kazakhstan) 0.19

16:41 CEST   
Rogers heads back down the hill towards the start finish, as Bobby Julich reaches the halfway point in 27'05 for 5th.

16:42 CEST   
Julich grabs an energy gel from underneath his shorts and swallows it.

16:43 CEST   
Rogers rides powerfully up the second climb, getting out of the saddle for 15 seconds. He gets a big cheer from the Spanish.

Menchov is at the halfway point now, suffering a fair bit, and his time is 27'27 for a top 15 so far.

16:45 CEST   
Menchov starts his second lap as Gutierrez chats on his mobile phone, while sitting in the hot seat. Gutierrez is a very good chance for a medal, quite possibly gold.

His compatriot Ruben Plaza is past halfway in 26'50, not bad at all. Fourth place.

16:47 CEST   
Plaza has picked up placings to the halfway point, but he's still 23 seconds behind Gutierrez.

Vinokourov is at halfway now. He takes the corner a bit wide, then corrects and comes across the line in 26'57, for fifth.

16:49 CEST   
Michael Rich is next across the start/finish at the halfway check. The German is solid as ever, but is off the pace in 27'31 for 19th. Well, that's better than his first check.

16:50 CEST   
Mick Rogers takes the uphill corner before the start finish and comes across in a great time of 26'35 for second, just 8 seconds slower than Gutierrez and on the same time as Cancellara. This will be a close finish.

16:52 CEST   
Speaking of Cance, the Swiss power man reaches the third check at km 33 in 41'17, 9 seconds slower than Gutierrez.

The top five at halfway, with all riders through:

1 José Ivan Gutierrez Palacios (Spain) 26.27
2 Michael Rogers (Australia) 0.08
3 Fabian Cancellara (Switzerland)
4 Bradley Wiggins (Great Britain) 0.17
5 Ruben Plaza (Spain) 0.23

16:54 CEST   
Vinokourov continues his ride on the second lap, and looks quite good now as he mashes a fairly big gear. All power, all the time.

Ruben Plaza has reached a downhill part and is getting close to the km 33 check.

16:55 CEST   
Cancellara reaches the second climb on the second lap, but has a good pace at the moment. He's on track for a medal, but which colour?

16:55 CEST   
The Swiss changes down a few gears in to the small chainring and gets out of the saddle to punch over the top.

16:56 CEST   
Julich is now past km 33 in 42'10 for 8th. It's a good ride, but not good enough for a medal today.

16:57 CEST   
Rogers reaches the roundabout where Vino went through just before, and grabs a drink from his seat tube mounted bidon cage. He might catch Michael Rich.

16:58 CEST   
Andriy Grivko (Ukraine) comes to the finish as the first rider of the last wave. His time of 57'34 puts him 34th.

Vino slows as the road goes up again, trying to keep it going. He reaches the U-turn.

Bert Roesems (Belgium) comes home in 56'23.98 for 15th.

16:59 CEST   
Menchov is slowing on the second lap. He's past km 33 in 42'42 for 17th. Ruben Plaza is better, crossing in 41'32. Can anyone beat Gutierrez?

17:00 CEST   
Brajkovic finishes in 56'04 for 12th. That's not bad for the young Slovenian.

Julich hits the second climb now, getting out of the saddle like everyone else.

17:02 CEST   
Vino comes up to km 33 in 41'53. No medal for him today either.

17:04 CEST   
Thomas Dekker (Netherlands) finishes off what hasn't been a memorable ride in 57'19, for 26th. He's pretty cooked. He's followed by Marzio Bruseghin (Italy) who does a much better 55'46 for 9th. Then Cancellara, who flies home in 53'58....just slower than Gutierrez by 0.12 seconds. Wow!

17:05 CEST   
Michael Rich is through km 33 in 42'43 for 20th, that's better than his first lap.

But Mick Rogers is through in 41'01!! New best time from the two time champion. He's better on this second lap, that's for sure.

17:07 CEST   
Rogers picked up 15 seconds on Gutierrez between km 22 and km 33. He's flying now. He's on the downhill back towards the second climb. It looks like Rogers, Gutierrez, and Cancellara will take the medals, with Plaza maybe sneaking in too if he has a great finish.

17:08 CEST   
The top five after 33 km, with all riders through:

1 Michael Rogers (Australia) 41.01
2 José Ivan Gutierrez Palacios (Spain) 0.07
3 Fabian Cancellara (Switzerland) 0.16
4 Ruben Plaza (Spain) 0.31
5 Bradley Wiggins (Great Britain) 0.46

17:09 CEST   
Gustav Larsson (Sweden) finishes in 56'34, just outside the top 20. A far cry from his brilliant fourth place last year.

Rogers hits the second climb, working hard now.

Julich finishes in 55'19 for 8th.

17:10 CEST   
Rogers stays in the saddle until right near the top, but looks strong as he punches it over for 10 seconds. He's nearly caught Michael Rich.

17:11 CEST   
Rogers hits another small climb and powers past his German two minute man. No silver medal for Rich this year.

17:12 CEST   
Plaza is catching Menchov as he nears the finish. That's not bad riding at all!

The two come in together, virtually, with Plaza clocking 54'18 for third. Menchov roughly 56'20.

17:13 CEST   
Rogers rides away from Michael Rich, who has no choice but to let the Australian go. It never feels good to be caught for two minutes.

Rogers nearly loses it on a corner! Oops. That was tight.

17:15 CEST   
Rogers is on the downhill stretch now, as Alexandre Vinokourov comes to the finish. Vino powers home in 54'54 for fourth. Two more riders to come.

17:16 CEST   
Rogers has a couple more minutes to ride now. This will be close. He's still speeding down the descent.

17:16 CEST   
Rogers takes the last roundabout very smoothly and reaches the final kilometre with 52'17. He'll do it easily.

17:17 CEST   
Michael Rogers takes the last corner before the finish, then powers home in a time of 53'34.49! Triple world champion! That's unprecedented in this discipline.

17:18 CEST   
Michael Rich crosses in 55'48-ish for a top 15.

17:26 CEST   
The podium of the World TT Championships: 1. Michael Rogers, 2. Jose Ivan Gutierrez, 3. Fabian Cancellara. Rogers three times in a row, but he says he wants to win a fourth! "I want to win a fourth one. I don't want to quit here." Oh well, you can't have too many World Titles.

On his ride, he said, "I had the plan to go out - not easy, but still within myself, and try to accelerate in the last half, which I did. It was very, very hard. The second lap, right to the turn around at the top of the circuit. It's uphill all the way and there's a lot of wind. It's a very hard course."

And that's about all from us in Cyclingnews' live blimp, that's double parked above the Casa de Campo. We'll be back on Saturday with live coverage of the women's and U23 men's road races.

Intermediate timing

km 10.5 (all riders through)
 
1 Bradley Wiggins (Great Britain)         13.30
2 José Ivan Gutierrez Palacios (Spain)     0.13
3 Ondrej Sosenka (Czech Republic)          0.15
4 Fabian Cancellara (Switzerland)          0.16
5 Michael Rogers (Australia)               0.18
6 Alexandr Vinokourov (Kazakhstan)         0.19
 
km 21.9 (all riders through)
 
1 José Ivan Gutierrez Palacios (Spain)    26.27
2 Michael Rogers (Australia)               0.08
3 Fabian Cancellara (Switzerland)              
4 Bradley Wiggins (Great Britain)          0.17
5 Ruben Plaza (Spain)                      0.23
6 Alexandr Vinokourov (Kazakhstan)         0.30
7 Andrey Kashechkin (Kazakhstan)           0.31
 
km 33 (all riders through)
 
1 Michael Rogers (Australia)              41.01
2 José Ivan Gutierrez Palacios (Spain)     0.07
3 Fabian Cancellara (Switzerland)          0.16
4 Ruben Plaza (Spain)                      0.31
5 Bradley Wiggins (Great Britain)          0.46
6 Andrey Kashechkin (Kazakhstan)               
7 Alexandr Vinokourov (Kazakhstan)         0.52
 
Finish - km 43.8
 
1 Michael Rogers (Australia)              53.34
2 José Ivan Gutierrez Palacios (Spain)     0.24
3 Fabian Cancellara (Switzerland)              
4 Ruben Plaza (Spain)                      0.44
5 Alexandr Vinokourov (Kazakhstan)         1.20
6 Andrey Kashechkin (Kazakhstan)           1.29
7 Bradley Wiggins (Great Britain)          1.32
8 Sebastian Lang (Germany)                 1.35
9 Matias Medici (Argentina)                1.37
10 Victor Hugo Pena (Colombia)             1.41
11 Bobby Julich (USA)                      1.45

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