Magnus Sheffield (USA) was on track for a top result in the UCI Road World Championships elite men's individual time trial in Wollongong, Australia on Sunday. However, a spectacular crash into the barriers in a turn wrecked the 20-year-old's chances. Although he got back up and finished the race, it was in a distant 17th place behind gold medalist Tobias Foss.
Sheffield was fourth-fastest at the second time check after 24.5 kilometres of the 34.2km route, 16 seconds behind third-placed Remco Evenepoel (Belgium). But went in too hot into a turn and crashed into and over the metal barriers.
After gathering himself from the flood of emotion and bitter disappointment, Sheffield spoke to the media assembled in the mixed zone. "I think it's tough because I put in a lot of work into the season," he said. "I've had a lot of success ... and I really wanted to come here and come away with a result. I felt like I started really well, I just got a bit too greedy in one of the corners."
Canada's Alison Jackson also crashed in the same turn during the elite women's time trial, and Sheffield explained that the corner was especially tight.
"I tried to cut it a bit too much in the apex. You're always trying to balance not coming in too hot but carrying the momentum out of the corner. I just came in too hot and came out too wide and wasn't able to right myself.
"I hit the barrier quite fast but was able to get back on my bike and finish. I'll probably be quite sore but I still have the road race to look forward to."
Sheffield, winner of the Brabantse Pijl this spring and more recently, the time trial in Tour of Denmark is in his first pro season in the WorldTour, having joined Ineos Grenadiers this year. A bronze medalist as a junior in 2019 in the road race, Sheffield still has prospects in Sunday's elite men's road race and was already looking beyond this season.
"I just have to use this as a learning experience for the future. I have a long career ahead and this won't be the last time - I just have to not be too down on myself.
"I think my preparation was really good coming into this race. I felt really confident. I felt like a lot of the pressure coming into this was the expectations I put on myself. I've done quite well in a lot of these other time trials. It's really important just to ride inside your ability and slowly increase the speed. That's the art of time trials, you're on that limit."
Sheffield could at least be consoled in making it to Australia. Lawson Craddock was scheduled to take part in the elite men's time trial but ran into problems obtaining a visa to enter the country. His paperwork went through 20 minutes too late for Craddock to board his flight.
The country is also missing several other top riders from its intended roster: 2019 junior world champion Quinn Simmons and Olympian Brandon McNulty begged off citing fatigue, while Matteo Jorgenson was kept back by his Movistar team to chase points toward the 2023 UCI WorldTour, as were Kevin Vermaerke (Team DSM) and Sean Quinn (EF Education-EasyPost).
Scott McGill (Wildlife Generation) and Keegan Swenson (Santa Cruz Bicycles) were called up in their stead. Swenson, leader of the Life Time Grand Prix after winning the Leadville 100 MTB, Crusher in the Tushar, Unbound and Sea Otter, finished third in Saturday's Chequamegon Fat Tire Festival before his departure for Australia where he will compete in the elite men's road race.
Kyle Murphy (Human Powered Health), Neilson Powless (EF Education-EasyPost), and Sheffield round out the USA men's team for next Sunday.
