Chloe Dygert of the US powers to cycling world title in road time trial
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It was the 26-year-old Dygert’s second gold medal of the UCI World Championships.
PHOTO: EPA-EFE
GLASGOW – Three years after a horror crash almost ended her career, Chloe Dygert of the United States won the women’s time trial with a dominant ride over 36.2km at the road cycling world championships on Thursday.
The American was world champion in 2019. But, in a frightening accident during her title defence at the 2020 worlds in Imola, Italy, she careered over a roadside barrier.
That led to emergency surgery on her leg. After two more operations, her left leg is now 3cm shorter.
But the 26-year-old showed a week ago that her form was back by winning an individual pursuit gold at the track cycling world meet in Glasgow and qualifying for the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.
There she did a victory lap of the track holding the American flag, little knowing she was among many who had picked up a respiratory bug at the noisy indoor event.
“I spent the last four days praying to God to be OK today,” she said after her win.
“If the race had been yesterday I’m not sure I’d have started,” added the champion, who has also undergone heart surgery and overcome a bout of the Epstein Barr virus – a condition that causes chronic fatigue.
“I’m not 100 per cent but I started the race today to give everything I could and it was just enough for today.”
Setting a pulsating early time on Thursday, Dygert took the title five seconds ahead of Grace Brown of Australia. Austria’s Christina Schweinberger was third, 1min 12sec off the pace.
Her blistering 46min 59sec on the 36.2km course that culminated with a steep climb to the imposing Stirling Castle stunned the field, with only Brown getting anywhere near the champion.
She was not threatened until Brown put in a tremendous finish on the climb.
“This title is truly special,” added Dygert. “Not just for me, for everybody behind me – the team, USA Cycling, my family, my personal team, this means a lot for us. I’m really thankful.”
Pre-race favourite Marlen Reusser, a faller in the mixed relay time trial, abandoned the race in tears halfway through while 2022 champion Ellen van Dijk was absent due to her pregnancy.
Another threat was Women’s Tour de France winner Demi Vollering of the Netherlands, who came in sixth.
With 86 riders going down the ramp at 75-second intervals, Arefa Amini of Afghanistan was first to start and ended 21min 49sec slower than the winner.
Her compatriot Fariba Hashimi, however, was less than 10 minutes off the pace in 66th place.
Dygert embarked way before the other main contenders and faced a long wait before she was crowned champion. AFP, REUTERS
