Velocio-SRAM win fourth consecutive team time trial World Championships

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Velocio-SRAM won their fourth consecutive team time trial World Championship Sunday after coming back in the final kilometres to steal the victory from Boels Dolmans, who had led through the final check point.

The race was a two-way battle between the German-registered defending champions and Dutch Boels Dolmans team, with Velocio eventually grabbing the win by six seconds. Rabo Liv claimed the final podium spot with a time 56 seconds slower than the winners.

Velocio-SRAM led by 11 seconds at the first check, but their lead was down to the single digits at check two, and then they were behind Boels Dolmans by three seconds at the third check. But with five women to Boels Dolmans four, they were able to muscle through the final leg of the course and overtake their rivals.

"We expected a very tight race from the beginning on, and we knew we had to fight to the finish line," Velocio-SRAM's Lisa Brennauer told Cyclingnews. "There was no time where we could take a breath or relax. It was all in until the end. When we heard the last 3k that it would be such a close race, we gave it all in the finish. We're so happy with this victory."

The Boels Dolmans team was hampered by an early puncture to Luxembourg champion Christine Majerus, and had to ride most of the course with five riders, dropping to four in the final leg.

"I'm really proud of how my team raced today," Evelyn Stevens said of her Boels Dolmans teammates. "We had a puncture in the first 5k with Christine, so that was just bad luck. I think we could have gotten down because of that. But were were in contention for the whole race, I had teammates go so deep to fight to stay in. Six seconds is sad, but we're there. It's a matter of doing a few things differently."

Dutch rider Ellen van Dijk struggled to hold onto the back of the other three coming up the final climb, and the team had to slow somewhat for her. "Your fourth rider is your strongest, you have to pace it correctly," Stevens said. "She did so much early work because she can keep the speed where it's really fast where, for instance, I can't. I think it's hard - she was on the limit there but she rode amazing."

Bennauer said they had no idea that Boels had suffered a puncture. "That's of course very bad luck and I'm sad to hear this. It's nothing you wish even on your closest competitors."

How it happened

Twenty16-ShoAir were the early leaders with a time of 49:40, a mark that held until Boels crossed the line at 47:41. The team’s time on the hot seat was short-lived, however, as the defending champions rallied to make up seven seconds as the neared the finish line in downtown Richmond.

Starting last as defending champions, Velocio started out fast and looked to be well on their way to another title. At the first checkpoint they led Boels by 11 seconds, but their advantage slipped to just six as they went through checkpoint number two.

Boels poured on the power from there, catching and passing their three-minute team in Hitec Products and surging ahead of Velocio by three second at the third time check.

Velocio slipped another four seconds down over the final section of the race. Boels' effort in the middle of the race appeared to cost them at the finish, however, when Van Dijk struggled up the last-kilometre climb, forcing her team to slow and wait as she was their fourth rider.

Velocio clearly benefited, and with crossed the line together with a six-second advantage and another set of rainbow jerseys.

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