Switzerland was one of the favourites to win the mixed relay team time trial at the UCI Road World Championships on Tuesday, but their chances took a massive hit just three kilometres into the 40.6km test.
Stefan Küng, the Vuelta a España time trial stage winner and powerhouse for the men's leg, suffered a mechanical and had to take a bike change. That left Stefan Bissegger and Mauro Schmid to cover the next 17km on their own - a massive disadvantage in a team time trial.
"We said before the race that we wouldn't wait for anyone, because the time that you lose, that's what you gain in the end, so yeah, it's a bit frustrating."
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The men finished sixth at the relay point, losing 35 seconds to eventual winners Italy, and Küng thinks the problem might have cost them the gold medal after the women came through the finish just 20 seconds down on Italy.
"It's hard to say afterwards, but uh yes, I think so. We would have been in contention for the gold medal, because we lost by 20 seconds, and our guys were 35 seconds behind the Italians. When you see also where the other teams finished, I think we could have been up there."
Marlen Reusser, the world champion from Sunday's elite women's individual time trial, rallied her teammates Noemi Rüegg and Jasmin Liechti to keep fighting for the rainbow jersey, doing enough to hold off Australia for the bronze.
"I knew it was going to be so much more difficult now, but we knew from other times - we had a mechanical now the third time in this discipline already - so I knew we can still be on the podium, and if everything goes extremely well, maybe we still win.
"You never know if others are also going to have a mechanical or a problem, mis-pacing, lose somebody too early. So, I just said, 'Girls, let's give it all and see at the finish line'," Reusser said.
Ultimately, the Swiss team fell short of the gold medal, and Küng was left wondering what could have been.
"It's a lot of ifs, and it's part of the sport," Küng said. "Unfortunately, I wasn't able to contribute more with the mechanical issue that I had, and that obviously feels frustrating."
While the team were able to win the bronze medal thanks to the determination of the rest of the team, Küng stood on the podium with a feeling of regret. "I think I never felt that unhappy on a podium, even though it's a medal.
"It really feels like I didn't contribute anything, and as if I let the team down. I know it's not my fault at all. Big thanks and big chapeau to my teammates that they kept it together and kept fighting till the end, and we were rewarded with a medal. You win as a team, you lose as a team, but today feels a bit different for me."
"We were World Champions twice already [in 2022 and 2023]. Last year we had a mechanical in the women's team, and this year again. So, yeah, we're going to be at the start again next year, and we want to get this jersey back."
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