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World Road Championships - CM
Salzburg, Austria, September 20-24, 2006
Main Page Results & report Race Details Previous Race
Race 3 - September 21: Elite men's individual time trial, 50.84 km
Live report
Live Commentary by Jeff Jones and Laura Weislo, with additional reporting from Hedwig Kröner
Live coverage starts: 14:00 CEST
Estimated finish: 16:00 CEST
13:36 CEST
Welcome to downtown Salzburg on a
bright, sunny afternoon for the elite men's time trial, the third race on the
world championships program. It's a perfect day for racing, with temps in the
mid-20s and no wind. The elite men have the longest course, although the start
and finish are the same as the women and U23 men. The 50.83 km loop takes them
north of the city out to Matsee, then around the Obertrumer See and back along
the same route as the U23 men rode yesterday.
The first starters
are already away, with Erik Hoffmann (Namibia), Benoît Vaugrenard (France),
Svein Tuft (Canada) and Csaba Szekeres (Hungary) setting out from the starting
house in front of a big, appreciative crowd.
13:44 CEST
The riders are leaving at two minute
intervals, with Michael Schär (Switzerland), Thomas Rohregger (Austria), David
O'Loughlin (Ireland) and now Thomas Lövkvist (Sweden) under way. The latter
should be one of the early favourites.
13:47 CEST
Namibian Erik Hoffman comes up the
climb at 10.1 km, clocking 15'54, while Benoit Vaugrenard is much quicker in
15'00.
Yuriy Krivstov (Ukraine) is next to start.
13:49 CEST
Vitaly Kornilov (Latvia) gets ready
to leave, and looks nervous in the starting house. He gets the countdown and
sets off at a steady pace.
Svein Tuft reaches the top of the climb
in 15'12, a little slower than Vaugrenard.
13:52 CEST
Csaba Szekeres (Hungary) is not so
fast up to 10.1 km, and has done 15'47, just a few seconds slower than Hoffman.
13:53 CEST
The long, lean figure of Michael
Schär (Switzerland) comes up to the first time check in 15'18 for third best.
13:55 CEST
Local boy Thomas Rohregger (Austria)
is obviously motivated, and gets to the top in 15'29, fourth best.
13:59 CEST
O'Loughlin is over in 15'13, then
Lövkvist in 14:51. Not surprisingly, that's the new best time.
14:04 CEST
Brian Vandborg (Denmark) is having
a great start, and crosses the top of the climb in 14'34, again lowering the
best mark.
14:15 CEST
Vandborg still has the best time
at km 10.1, as more riders tackle the tough first part of the course. Knut Anders
Fostervold (Norway) is the latest rider to start. He is 34, and only took up
cycling a couple of years ago after injuring himself while playing football.
He was a pro footballer with Molde Football club, part of the European Champion's
League.
Pedro Nicacio (Brazil) is setting a very steady pace on the
hill, but it won't net him a good time: 16'03.
14:17 CEST
Austrian Peter Luttenberger is having
a good start too, staying in the aerobars all the way up the climb to cross
in 14'42.
Further along the course, Vandborg is steaming along at
80 km/h.
14:19 CEST
Chris Baldwin (USA) is the next rider
to start. His compatriots gave America a great kick off to the World's yesterday,
with Kristin Armstrong and Christine Thorburn winning gold and bronze in the
women's TT.
14:21 CEST
Vaugrenard is catching Erik Hoffmann
(Namibia).
14:23 CEST
And now it's time for Finnish rider
Matti Helminen to set off. He tries to go a bit early and had to pull his foot
out of the pedal.
14:24 CEST
Ryder Hesjedal (Canada) makes it
to the first time split with the second fastest time so far.
14:25 CEST
Raivis Belohvosciks (Latvia) is now
on course. Vinokurov is warming up, looking very concentrated and serious on
his wind trainer.
14:26 CEST
Thomas Rohregger (AUT) is pushing
a huge gear along the flatter part of the course, rocking on his machine.
14:28 CEST
Schar comes up to the second check
in the third fastest time of the day at 49:18.
14:30 CEST
One of the surviving Austrians, Thomas
Rohregger, is 4th fastest at the second check in 49:38.
14:31 CEST
South African David George starts...
and David O'Loughlin (Ireland) has set the second fastest time at check two
in 48:12! Nice riding.
14:33 CEST
Thomas Lövkvist (Sweden) crests the
hill at the second check with a face twisted in pain. Chris Baldwin (USA) is
at the first check in 14:45, third fastest so far.
14:35 CEST
Now it's Ukranian Yuriy Krivtsov
at the second check, who bests the time of Sven Tuft to become the next rider
to be second fastest. Still, Thomas Lövkvist (Sweden) holds the best time at
the second check.
14:36 CEST
Laszlo Bodrogi is on his wind trainer,
sporting an excellent cyclist's tan. He hasn't broken a sweat yet, as he still
has a while before his start.
14:36 CEST
And we have a new best time at the
second check. 45:48, set by Brian Bach Vandborg (Denmark).
14:38 CEST
Wow! That's a great ride by the Dane.
14:40 CEST
Now Erik Hoffmann (Namibia) is sprinting
all-out to the finish to avoid getting caught by Svein Tuft (Canada) who started
four minutes behind Hoffman.
14:41 CEST
Tuft finishes in 1:04:57, but Hoffman
was the first starter, and thanks to his vicious sprint, the first one to finish.
14:42 CEST
Tuft passed Vaugrenard at the line,
putting two minutes into the Frenchman.
14:42 CEST
The contenders are starting to line
up at the start house, and Stijn Devolder (Belgium) pushes off.
14:43 CEST
Vasili Kiryienka (Belarus) still
holds the fastest first check at 14:21.
14:45 CEST
Michael Schär (Switzerland) is heading
to the finish, and will come in at 1:06:56.
Meanwhile, Swede Gustav Larsson
is setting off from the start, looking extremely nervous. He takes a deep breath
to calm the nerves, and pushes off.
14:47 CEST
David O'Loughlin (Ireland) is finishing
now sprinting all out around the last bend, then getting back into the aero
bars to power to the finish. He gets the second best time at 1:05:14.
14:48 CEST
Italian Marco Pinotti has left the
start house.
14:49 CEST
Peter Luttenberger
Thomas
Lövkvist (Sweden) has bested the Irishman's time, coming in at 1:05:11, still
second to Tuft.
14:51 CEST
Now Andreas Klöden (Germany) is in
the start house, sporting his usual attractive "breathe-right" strip across
his nose. He sets out to strong applause from the crowd.
14:52 CEST
Leif Hoste (Belgium) is the next
rider to start off. And Brian Bach Vandborg (Denmark) is setting a very fast
new best finish time at 1:02:04!
14:54 CEST
Luttenberger has caught Pedro Nicacio
(Brazil) for four minutes, that's gotta hurt. Brian Bach Vandborg collapses
on the tarmac, completely spent from his effort. That just means you've done
it correctly!
14:54 CEST
As Joost Posthuma was already warming
up, the press officer of the Dutch team told Cyclingnews that he would
be very happy with a Top 10 result today. "Joost is a good rouleur, but he's
not a specialist. He could do well and set a good time, as he has great capacities,
so a Top 10 finish would already be a great result."
We also talked
to Andreas Klöden (Germany) on the rollers. "I feel good, but I know very well
that I won't be up for a win today. You never know how your form is from day
to day after such a long season. If I do the Top 10, I will already be satisfied."
Asked what would be his choice of gear, he said he had a 44-55 chain ring in
front and 11-23 in the back.
14:55 CEST
Russian Vladimir Gusev sets off from
the start. Ryder Hesjedal is approaching the second check, looking strong on
the hill. He's going to set the second fastest time at this check, 47:17.
14:57 CEST
And now it's the turn of Vincenzo
Nibali (Italy). He sets off with the support of some flag-waving countrymen.
Devolder is now on the hill to the first time check. He's not on a great day,
and is only 5th fastest.
15:00 CEST
Sebastian Lang (Germany) is now on
course. The winner of last week's 3-Länder-Tour in Germany is obviously going
well right now.
15:00 CEST
And it's the Z-man, Dave Zabriskie
(USA) who is next to set off.
15:02 CEST
Andrey Kashechkin (Kazakhstan) starts.
He's sporting the requisite three day growth of beard (blonde) and a gel tucked
in the leg of his skinsuit.
15:04 CEST
Andrey Kashechkin told Cyclingnews
this morning, "I want to achieve a good result today. Now, it's only three days
after finishing the Vuelta, but I feel good. I have good legs. It's true that
I'm also tired, but so is everybody else. On this kind of parcours, it's like
a prologue, you just have to be able to suffer and hold on. And I have the advantage
of having finished the Vuelta in really good shape.
"I rode the course
yesterday. It's really hard with some steep sections, too." Asked if he thought
Alexandre Vinokourov could win today, he said, "yes, that's possible. There
are the TT specialists like Rogers, but he could do it, still."
15:08 CEST
Laszlo Bodrogi (Hungary) is in the
house, looking very composed. Now Klöden hits the first check at a surprisingly
slow time, only good for about 10th.
Meanwhile, Luttenberger (Austria)
is heading for a respectable time. He'll finish second best so far to a big
cheer from the crowd.
15:11 CEST
David Millar (Great Britain) head
out for his attempt at a (clean) World Championship, and is being followed by
Vuelta winner Alexandr Vinokurov (Kazakhstan).
Brian Bach Vandborg's fastest
intermediate time checks are still holding... We'll soon find out how he holds
up to the favourites.
Andreas Klöden has been assigned number 13, and has
pinned his number on upside down out of superstition.
15:15 CEST
Ryder Hesjedal is through the finish,
struggling with his bike to get across in the second fastest time: 1:04:24,
just faster than Luttenberger. Mick Rogers is now on the course riding for Australia.
And Dave Zabriskie has smashed the first time check, setting a new best at 14:16!
15:19 CEST
Flashback moment: a spectator is
wearing a full Coast team kit, snapping a photo as Fabian Cancellara (Switzerland)
speeds past.
15:20 CEST
Thomas Lövkvist was a little disappointed
with his ride, which has him in fifth overall at the moment. "It didn't go so
well. I had a problem with my hip - it's twisted, and I straightened it out,
but not to 100 percent," he told Cyclingnews. "So my left leg went numb.
I've had the problem for a while now, it comes and goes - normally I keep it
under control. But I crashed in Poland...
"The course is nice. If
you're strong, you can go really fast. There will
be big time differences.
I think the winner will have a time of 1 hour, 30
seconds maybe."
15:24 CEST
World Hour record holder Ondrej Sosenka
(Czech Republic) has a huge grimace on as he heads up the hill to the second
check.
And it's Millar time at the first check, a pretty slow 14:52...
maybe he's saving it.
Vinokourov has dropped his chain and nearly
comes to a stop. He gets a push and tries to get back into his rhythm, but this
is really going to hurt. We've seen a number of riders dropping their chains
this week while trying to get into the small ring. But Vino is 14:38 at the
first check, which isn't too bad. Vino's mechanic might not have done a great
job setting up the bike, but he certainly made up for it by being quick out
of the car!
15:26 CEST
Cancellara is heading up to the first
check, looking very strong. He's got a great rhythm, pedaling a nice, small
gear. He's really flying, and will set a stellar time - 13:58!
15:29 CEST
Raivis Belohvosciks (Latvia) is in
with the third best time, really sprinting quite hard for the line. That's not
easy to do at the end of a 50km time trial!
Mick Rogers (Australia)
is taking it out a bit slower than Cancellara, earning the 7th fastest time
at 26 seconds behind Cancellara. But Rogers is known for a strong second half,
so he's looking pretty solid.
15:32 CEST
Stijn Devolder is picking up the
pace on the last part of the course, doing significantly better at the second
check for fifth fastest time.
Ukranian Andriy Grivko is the third
rider to break 1:03, third best behind Vandborg and Kiryienka.
15:36 CEST
David George (South Africa) is coughing
as he heads to the finish. His time isn't too bad, 1:03:34, good for fifth best.
Vandborg is still in the hot seat, waiting to see when and if his best time
will fall. He's decided to relax by listening to his iPod.
15:40 CEST
Klöden is past the second check,
not looking like he's on a good day - he's well down on the lead. He looks back
at his team car, and nearly loses his balance. In sharp contrast to Klöden's
laboured style, Cancellara is spinning a small gear, really chugging along and
a fast pace. He's certainly got good legs today.
15:47 CEST
The climb to the second check is
really a hard drag - the riders have to find a balance between getting up it
quick and saving energy for the flats. If they could look behind them, they'd
see a very nice view of the Overtrumer See.
Ben Day (Australia) is
across the line in 7th, and Sebastian Lang is third at the second check. Devolder
is in with the 5th fastest time. Now David Zabriskie is approaching the second
check... and we have a new fastest time! Zabriskie is 45'09, 38" faster than
Vandborg!
15:50 CEST
Kashechkin has past the second check,
but he's 9th more than a minute behind Zabriskie. He's got to be tired from
his great performance at the Vuelta. Meanwhile, Cancellara is still going strong,
and is catching poor José Ivan Gutierrez (Spain). Ouch.
15:56 CEST
David Millar is way off the pace
today, hitting the second check at only 46:46 and 13th best. Slightly better
than his first check, but it's not looking good for the Brit.
Now
Vinokurov is coming up to the time check, looking like he's recovered well from
his mechanical - 45:39, and he now has the second best intermediate split. Cancellara
is closing on the second check, still looking fantastic. Wow! New best time,
and almost a minute faster than Zabriskie! 44'13!
16:00 CEST
The wind has picked up for the later
riders, although it doesn't seem to have hurt Cancellara.
Rogers
is well off the pace at time check 2 in 45'51. No fourth world title for him.
'Seppl' Lang finishes his ride in 1'02'20 for second.
16:02 CEST
Zabriskie is heading into the final
stretch, staying low on his bars and powering his huge gear along. He grits
his teeth and sprints to the line in a new best time of 1:01:41.
16:05 CEST
Cancellara stays close to the traffic
cones dividing the course, taking the shortest line possible. He still looks
solid, spinning a much smaller gear than Zabriskie.
Kashechkin nearly
overcooks a turn coming into the finish, but manages to steer clear of the barricades.
He didn't really need that gel, as it's still in his pant leg. He won't be making
the podium today, and comes across in 8th, with a 1:03:05.
16:07 CEST
Zabriskie is in the hot seat, looking
slightly nauseated? Worried? Ok, there's a smile. He's got to be a bit worried,
as Cancellara is not slowing down. He's pushing a slightly bigger gear now,
going over some slightly rough roads.
Vinokurov is also looking pretty
good, rocking slightly as he turns over the gear. We'll see what he can do in
the last leg of this challenging course.
16:11 CEST
Millar is heading toward the line
with Vinokurov hot on his heels. Millar's ride is pretty disappointing, 1:03:33
and 13th. Vino is sprinting all out - and will not get Zabriskie, but does knock
a very disappointed Vandborg down a notch. 1:02:01 for the Kazakh.
16:12 CEST
And now Cancellara is in the finish
town, speeding around the corners, still under control. He's had a very consistent
race today, and doesn't appear to be losing any steam. He can see the finish,
and Dave Z knows he's not going to get it. Cancellara simply demolishes his
time - 1:00:11!
16:17 CEST
A superior ride by the Swiss rider.
Gutierrez is done, well behind the top three, and now Rogers has already gone
over Cancellara's time, so Cancellara is now the new world champion!
The Belgian commentators tell us that Cancellara sets a good example for all
the young riders by stopping at all red lights during training. Nothing stopped
him today, however, and he's looking pretty happy at the moment.
Mick Rogers is on the final straight, and comes in at 1:02:43 and 8th place.
So our podium today is Cancellara, Zabriskie, and Vinokurov.
16:25 CEST
That concludes our live coverage
for today. Join us Saturday for live coverage of the Women's and U23 Men's road
races.
Thanks for reading!
Results
km 10.1 (all riders through) 1 Fabian Cancellara (Switzerland) 13.58 2 David Zabriskie (United States Of America) 0.18 3 Vasili Kiryienka (Belarus) 0.23 4 Sebastian Lang (Germany) 0.25 5 Raivis Belohvosciks (Latvia) 0.26 km 35 (all riders through) 1 Fabian Cancellara (Switzerland) 44.13 2 David Zabriskie (United States Of America) 0.56 3 Alexandr Vinokurov (Kazakhstan) 1.26 4 Brian Bach Vandborg (Denmark) 1.35 5 Vasili Kiryienka (Belarus) Finish - 50.83 km 1 Fabian Cancellara (Switzerland) 1.00.11 2 David Zabriskie (United States Of America) 1.30 3 Alexandr Vinokurov (Kazakhstan) 1.50 4 Brian Bach Vandborg (Denmark) 1.53 5 Sebastian Lang (Germany) 2.09 6 Vasili Kiryienka (Belarus) 2.14 7 Leif Hoste (Belgium) 2.32 8 Michael Rogers (Australia) 9 Andriy Grivko (Ukraine) 2.45
