No one had seen it coming. Norwegian Tobias Foss created a sensation by becoming world time trial champion on Sunday, September 18, in Wollongong, Australia.
Faced with the enormity of the feat he was accomplishing, the 25-year-old runner gave himself huge slaps on the cheeks while he was still sitting in the “hot seat”, reserved for the provisional leader of the race. When the last rider in the running, two-time Italian title holder Filippo Ganna crossed the line in a disappointing seventh place, he rose, stunned, to make his way to the podium he would share with Swiss Stefan Küng, second, and the Belgian Remco Evenepoel, third.
? Norwegian Tobias Foss becomes world time trial champion! ? ♂ Left before the favorites, he knew how to achieve… https://t.co/dydATTpjZ7
“I am living a dream. I would have signed for a top 10. So to become world champion… I don’t realize, it’s unbelievable, unreal”stammered the rider of the Jumbo Visma, in shock. “I really gave it my all, I couldn’t do better. I knew I had good legs but to win from there… it’s unbelievable. Wearing the rainbow jersey for a year will be very special, I will do everything to honor this jersey”underlined the Norwegian, a former biathlete.
” Eh ? Foss? »
Nobody saw Tobias Foss coming, and certainly not Remco Evenepoel who, when a member of his team told him the name of the winner at the finish line, opened his eyes wide and exclaimed : ” Eh ? Foss? “I was surprised, because my team had never mentioned his name in the headset”he explained to the press.
It must be said that the Norwegian hasn’t been talked about much since he succeeded Tadej Pogacar on the winners of the Tour de l’avenir in 2019, except for a ninth place at the Giro in 2021. For the rest, he only won three races, each time in the Norwegian Championships, twice in the time trial and once in the road race.
But on Sunday he realized “the perfect race”, leaving everyone behind on a technical 34.2 kilometer course through the city center of the southeastern Australian resort town. Second, Stefan Küng, has long believed he could win gold. But, after taking the lead in the two intermediate times, the Swiss, who collects places of honor, collapsed at the end of the course to settle for silver, after bronze two years ago. ” My feeling ? I could cry, and no joy. I’ve been circling gold for a while, but there’s always someone to beat me”he said sorry.
Third coronation for Ellen van Dijk
For her part, the Dutchwoman Ellen van Dijk retained her title of world champion. This is the third world title in this discipline for the former speed skater, also crowned in 2013.
Starting in last position, she beat the Australian Grace Brown by twelve seconds and the Swiss Marlen Reusser by forty-one seconds.
“I never imagined winning today! The course did not suit me at all. But I approached the race with the right mentality, without pressure, with the right amount of effort. And I gave it my all. It’s awesome “she reacted to the arrival of a race which for the first time took the same course as the men.
Her victory – the fifth in six editions for the Netherlands since 2017 – once again confirms the domination of the Dutch in women’s cycling. And this despite the poor performance of Olympic champion Annemiek van Vleuten, who only finished seventh, one minute and forty-three seconds behind her compatriot.