Hello and welcome to the Cyclingnews live coverage of the elite men's individual time trial
Ramunas Navardauskas (Lithuania) will be the first rider down the start ramp at 13:18:30 local time. The 56 competitors set out at 90-second intervals thereafter, with defending champion Rohan Dennis (Australia) the last man off at 14:42:30. The full list of start times is available here.
Hello and welcome to our live coverage of the elite men's time trial.
The elite men race over a 54km route from Northallerton to Harrogate.
It's another wet and cloudy day in Yorkshire.
The time trials thus far have seen some astonishing performances. Aigul Gareeva (Russia) claimed the junior women's title despite going off course in the final kilometre, while Antonio Tiberi (Italy) won the junior men's event despite having to stop for a bike change immediately after rolling down the start ramp. Mikkel Bjerg's victory in the under-23 race yesterday seemed almost routine by comparison, were it not for the fact that it was his third successive crown and he won it on a course rendered treacherous to the very extreme by heavy rain and surface water. In the afternoon, Chloe Dygert Owen produced a performance for the ages in the women's time trial, with a record winning margin of 1:33.
John Archibald was a late call-up for Great Britain following Geraint Thomas' withdrawal from today's time trial. The Scot is off at 13:32, and had this to say ahead of his ride: "It’s nice that the rain has stopped and I’ve seen the course over the last two days. I’m unsure about it but excited. Ideally I’d like it to be flatter but it’s the length that’s the unknown bit for me. This is 54km but I’ve got to go into it with positivity and just bash it out. It’s the World Championships so I’ve got everything to play for."
European champion Remco Evenepoel (Belgium) is among the favourites for the rainbow jersey this afternoon despite his tender years. Just 12 months ago, he was the junior world champion in the time trial and road race, but he has eschewed the under-23 race to dive straight into the elite event. "I'm not going to say that I'm nervous about it but I'm quite excited to see how I will handle this long distance," Evenepoel said on Monday. Patrick Fletcher has more here.
The state of Rohan Dennis' form, meanwhile, is an unknown. The defending champion hasn't raced since his dramatic abandon at the Tour de France but national coach Brad McGee says he has trained well in the intervening period. Dennis will, it seems, line out on an unbadged BMC bike rather than his Bahrain-Merida team-issue machine. He declined to discuss his future at Bahrain-Merida on Monday, limiting himself to previewing today's race. "My expectations are to back up and win again. I think in the worst case scenario, it will be a podium for myself,” he said. Read more here.
The day's first starter Ramunas Navardauskas (Lithuania) readies himself in the start house and then rolls down the start ramp to get the elite men's time trial underway.
Eddie Dunbar (Ireland) sets out. The Banteer native is one of two Irishmen in the field today, together with Ryan Mullen, who was silver medallist in the under-23 time trial in Ponferrada in 2014 and 5th in Qatar in the elite race three years ago.
Rohan Dennis will indeed ride an unbranded BMC Timemachine TT this afternoon. You can read more on his choice of machine here.
John Archibold in his distinctive POC helmet rolls down the start ramp, the tenth rider to begin his effort. We're still waiting for Navardauskas to hit the first time check at the 16.7km mark. The second time check comes after 37.7km.
Tour de Romandie prologue winner Jan Tratnik sets off, but all eyes will be on his fellow Slovenian Primoz Roglic, who will be the third last man to set out. Roglic, a dominant winner of the Vuelta a Espana, is perhaps the favourite for today's race, particularly given Dennis' uncertain build-up and Evenepoel's youth. On the other hand, Roglic is looking to do something that hasn't been achieved in two decades. In the late 1990s, the Worlds time trial was briefly the preserve of Vuelta champions - Alex Zulle in 1996, Abraham Olano 1998 and Jan Ullrich in 1999 all doubled up - but nobody has won both races in the last twenty years.
Navardauskas hits the 16.7km mark in a time of 21:53. The Lithuanian is a robust rouleur and provides a decent early benchmark for those who follow.
Eddie Dunbar hurtles through the first time check in 20:18, which is some 1:35 up on Navardauskas. The second best time has been set by Kamil Gradek (Poland), who was 7 seconds down on Dunbar at the 16.7km mark.
Dylan van Baarle (Netherlands) sets out. 22 out of the total 57 riders have now begun their efforts. Nils Politt (Germany) and Yves Lampaert (Belgium) sit by the start house waiting for their efforts, while Luke Durbridge (Australia) arrives for his pre-ride bike check.
Fine start from John Archibald, who is the first rider to break 20 minutes at the first time check. His 19:44 is 33 seconds up on Eddie Dunbar's previous best.
Yves Lampaert begins his effort, the first of a redoubtably strong trio of Belgian riders. Like Remco Evenepoel and Victor Campenaerts, Lampaert will harbour ambitions of a podium finish by day's end.
Pierre Latour (France) is second quickest at the first time check, 15 seconds down on John Archibald (Great Britain). 13 riders have gone through the 16.7km mark thus far.
Ryan Mullen (Ireland) is out on the course, and it will be fascinating to see how he fares on this particular parcours.
Alex Dowsett (Great Britain) will be the next starter. "It’s massive here. It’s a once in a career opportunity. I’m going to make the most if it. I’ll even stick around for a couple of days after," Dowsett said beforehand. "It’s a nice course. It’s very British. There’s a bit of everything. There’s a couple of climbs, it’s not flat but there are flat sections. Weather? Who knows what’s going to happen. I just want to make sure that I get everything out of myself by the end. Everyone on the startline wants to win. If I finish fifth that would be a nice result but I’ll be looking at the gap to fourth. If I finish 20th I’ll be looking at the gap to 19th."
21 riders have gone through the 16.7km mark and John Archibald is still the quickest rider, though it will be interesting to see what Yves Lampaert (Belgium) can do when he hits that point.
Nils Politt (Germany) hits a glitch with his gears and briefly struggles to right his chain. He solves the issue, for now at least, by unclipping briefly and tapping his rear derailleur with his shoe.
Luke Durbridge (Australia) always looks smooth on his time trial bike, but it does appear that he has begun strongly. He blasts past his minute man Jan Cully (Slovakia) before reaching the first checkpoint.
Van Baarle went through the 16.7km mark 14 seconds down on Archibald's best time.
Eddie Dunbar, meanwhile, has the best time at the second check after 37.7km, more than 4 minutes up on Navardauskas.
24 riders are through the first time check, and John Archibald is still the quickest. Yves Lampaert had the second best time, 3 seconds down. Gradek, meanwhile, is 16 seconds quicker than Dunbar at the second check.
2015 champion Vasil Kiryienka and Bob Jungels are both out on the road. European champion Remco Evenepoel, meanwhile, sits behind the start ramp and waits for his effort, which gets underway at 14:21:30.
Luke Durbridge (Australia) sets the new quickest mark at the 16.7km mark, 13 seconds clear of John Archibald (Great Britain).
Archibald is still going strongly at the 37.7km point, where he sets the new quickest mark, 1:06 up on Gradek.
Remco Evenepoel begins his effort, but freewheels briefly after 50 metres or so to adjust his socks. The UCI have, of course, been measuring sock length rigorously ahead of all time trial events this week.
Maciej Bodnar (Poland) begins his effort. Only ten riders are left to start:
Filippo Ganna (Italy) clocks the new best time at 16.7km. His 19:24 is 7 seconds up on Durbridge's previous mark.
Third best time at the same point for Alex Dowsett, who is 11 seconds down on Ganna after 16.7km.
Four-time world champion Tony Martin rolls down the start ramp to begin his effort. Stefan Kung (Switzerland) will follow, before Chad Haga (USA) sets out.
Eddie Dunbar (Ireland) is the first rider to finish after catching Jaser, Alkhalaifah and Navardauskas along the way. He clocks 1:09:52 for the 54km, giving him an average speed of 46.4kph.
Navardauskas comes home some 5:48 down on Dunbar.
Bob Jungels is struggling to find his tempo. The Luxembourger is 44 seconds down on Ganna at the first check. Ryan Mullen, incidentally, was 46 seconds down at the same point.
New fastest time at the finish from Kamil Gradek (Poland). His 1:09:17 is 34 seconds quicker than Dunbar.
Kasper Asgreen (Denmark) has enjoyed a remarkable 2019 campaign, and he might well sign off on his year with a special display here. Only three more riders set off after the Dane: Roglic, Campenaerts and Dennis.
Primoz Roglic rolls down the start ramp and begins his effort. The form book suggests he is the man to beat, but how has he recovered from the physical and mental exertions of the Vuelta?
John Archibald delights the home crowds by setting a new quickest mark at the finish. A fine display from the Briton, who is over a minute up on Gradek. His 1:08:16 gives him an average speed of 47.5kph.
Victor Campenaerts powers away and starts his challenge. The world hour record holder took bronze a year ago, and will have designs on more this time out.
Remco Evenepoel (Belgium) scorches through the first time check with the best time so far. The 19-year-old is 6 seconds up on Ganna and 13 ahead of Durbridge.
Rohan Dennis (Australia) is underway. All 57 starters have now begun their time trials.
A development at the second time check, meanwhile, as Yves Lampaert goes through the 37.7km mark with a lead of 3 seconds on Archibald.
Time at finish
Luke Durbridge has set the best time at the second time check, 14 seconds up on Lampaert and 17 ahead of Archibald.
Remco Evenepoel is positively flinging himself into the corners out on this course. The on-screen graphics suggest he is running 40 seconds quicker than Archibald after 22km.
Third best time for Tony Martin at the first check, just under 9 seconds down on Ganna. Paddy Bevin and Jos van Emden were 15 seconds down at the same point.
Alex Dowsett has improved considerably on the second part of the course. The Briton is quickest at the 37.7km mark. His 47:41 puts him 14 seconds up on Durbridge and 28 clear of Lampaert.
Dowsett's mark doesn't last long. Ganna clips through in 47:25, 16 seconds up on the Briton.
Chad Haga, meanwhile, is 31 seconds down on the mark of Ganna at the first time check.
The early, unofficial GPS time checks suggest that Roglic has not begun well, but we await his arrival at the first intermediate checkpoint.
The on-screen graphic wasn't altogether inaccurate. Roglic is 20th best at the first time check, some 41 seconds down on Evenepoel. His hopes of emulating the Vuelta-Worlds doubles of Zulle, Olano and Ullrich look slim even at this early juncture.
Tanel Kangert (Estonia) has performed well on the second part of the course, and he is just 0.55 of a second behind Ganna at the 37.7km mark.
John Archibald's is still the best time at the finish, 25 seconds up on Van Baarle and 33 ahead of Latour.
Rohan Dennis has clocked 18:58 at the first time check, 19 seconds up on Evenepoel and 20 ahead of Victor Campenaerts. All 57 riders are now through this first check.
Intermediate time check 1 - 16.7km
A new quickest time at the finish, as Luke Durbridge bumps John Archibald from the hot seat by 10 seconds.
Best time for Evenepoel at the second time check, 35 seconds up on Ganna.
Time at finish
A disconsolate Yves Lampaert reaches the finish more than 10 minutes down on Durbridge. It seems clear that the Belgian was a faller out on the course. There were some damp patches from yesterday's rain and now some leaden drops of rain are falling over the course.
Alex Dowsett dislodges Durbridge from the hot seat. He is 59 seconds quicker than Durbridge for an average speed of 48.3kph.
Filippo Ganna (Italy) cruises through the finish line 6.7 seconds quicker than Dowsett to move atop the provisional standings.
Time at finish
Rohan Dennis looks remarkably smooth out on the course. Evenepoel is a little more ragged, but the Belgian is riding strongly all the same. His fellow countryman Campenaerts looks to have suffered a mechanical problem...
In fact, Campenaerts appears to have crashed. We haven't seen pictures of the incident, but the hole in the shorts of the skinsuit tells it own story. He had a motorbike following him, so perhaps we will see a replay of the incident in due course.
Campenaerts, unsurprisingly, has lost his rhythm altogether, and he has been caught and passed by Rohan Dennis, who began 90 seconds behind him. The last two starters have yet to reach the 37.7km mark and the second time check.
Evenepoel now carries the Belgian challenge alone and he may be the only man who can lay a glove on a very, very fluid Dennis this afternoon.
Second best time at the 37.7km mark for Nelson Oliveira, who caught Chad Haga for 90 seconds. The Portuguese rider is 29 seconds down on Evenepoel.
2015 champion Vasil Kiryienka reaches the finish some 3:20 down on provisional leader Filippo Ganna.
Primoz Roglic is struggling, meanwhile, and he is more than a minute down on Ganna ahead of the second time check.
Bob Jungels reaches the finish more than 3:30 down on Ganna.
Kasper Asgreen's medal challenge has fallen away in the second third of the race. He hits the 37.7km point with the 13th best time, 1:36 down on Evenepoel.
Best time at the finish for Remco Evenepoel. His time of 1:06:14 is 46 seconds better than that of Ganna, and his average speed is 48.9kph. It looks like a medal-winning ride, but can he deny Dennis?
It seems unlikely. Dennis has just scorched through the second time check all of 1:05 clear of Evenepoel.
Time at finish
Insult to injury for Campenaerts, who calls for a bike change. He was 8th at the second check, and his already faded hopes of a medal has disappeared altogether.
Intermediate time check 2 - 37.7km
Rohan Dennis swoops past Primoz Roglic, catching him for three minutes. Dennis is bouncing back in the most emphatic fashion from that dramatic abandon at the Tour de France. Barring accident, a second successive time trial world title is his. Whether it's with Bahrain-Merida or elsewhere, his 2020 time trials will be in the rainbow bands and - on this form - he will be the favourite for gold in the Tokyo 2020 Olympics to boot.
Tony Martin won't add to his haul of world title. He crossed the line 1:18 down on Evenepoel, enough for provisional 7th place.
Jonathan Castroviejo (Spain) comes in more than 3 minutes down on Evenepoel.
At this juncture, it looks as though Dennis will be world champion and Evenpoel will be silver medallist. It seems the suspense will come from the battle between Nelson Oliveira and Filippo Ganna for the bronze medal.
8th best time at the finish for Stefan Kung, 1:37 down on Evenepoel. There are six riders left to finish.
Into the final kilometre with Oliveira. He won't trouble Evenepoel's time, but can he finish ahead of Ganna?
Olveira faded badly in the final part of the course. He was third best after 37.7km but he crosses the line with provisional 7th place, 1:00 down on Evenepoel. Ganna looks set to claim the bronze medal.
Time at finish
Rohan Dennis is into the final kilometre with Roglic in his slipstream. He knows another world title is in the bag.
Rohan Dennis is world time trial champion.
Dennis comes home in 1:05:05.30 to win the world title by 1:09. Remco Evenepoel claims silver, while Filippo Ganna will take bronze.
Dennis embraces his wife, the former rider Melissa Hoskins, who wears a "Team Dennis" cap, and his infant child, who wears a miniature rainbow jersey. As answers go, this was pretty emphatic.
A disappointed Campenaerts crosses the line with the 11th best time. 2:49 down. Dennis offers a consolatory pat to the unlucky Belgian.
Dennis pointed to his head at the finish line and then punched the air in celebration. Roglic, somewhat bizarrely, sprinted against Dennis for the line, though he had to settle for 13th place, 3 minutes down on the flying Australian.
Result
Rohan Dennis speaks: “I didn’t go without a lot of preparation: a lot of time at home, a lot of work on my head to get myself mentally prepared for today. It’s been a lot tougher than what it looked out there for me. There’s a lot of people to thank, and, look, it’s just good to repay then on a day that really matters.
On the podium, Rohan Dennis is helped into the rainbow jersey and accepts his gold medal and a new watch, before the Australian national anthem sounds in Harrogate.
“It was a really hard race and very long. I worked a lot to prepare for it, also because I’d never ridden such a long time trial. The result surprised me, I didn’t think I was ready, especially mentally, to get such an important result,” says bronze medallist Filippo Ganna, who may find himself in action on the track and the road in Tokyo next year.
Remco Evenepoel on his fine display: “The difference is a minute, so Dennis was just too strong. He is the deserved winner, silver was the highest achievable.
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