Event of the Day: UCI Road World Championships
Our event of the day is Day 5 of the UCI Road World Championships in Innsbruck, Austria. The main event of the day is the Men’s Elite Individual Time Trial. The 52.5km course will be a great challenge for the riders today. After an initial 30km, whose lack of ascents is designed to encourage speed from the competitors, riders approach the main climb of the course. Between Fritzens and Gnadenwald, riders face a 5km ascent with an average gradient of 7.1%. After hitting a time split at the Gnadenwald plateau, riders will wind their way through picturesque Austrian villages as they approach Innsbruck. The race ends in front of the iconic Hofburg Imperial Palace.
The one to watch is Dutchman Tom Dumoulin, who will be the last to leave the start. A talented all-rounder, Dumoulin will be looking to defend the gold medal he won in the event at last year’s championships in Bergen. Also watch out for Rohan Dennis of Australia, who came 8th in the event last year but who Dumoulin has mentioned as his biggest perceived rival. Whatever happens on the roads of Austria, it is sure to be an exciting day. The past few days have certainly seen some memorable cycling. In the junior men’s time trial yesterday, Belgian prodigy Remco Evenepoel dominated and finished 1:23 ahead of his nearest competitor. The 18-year-old began celebrating his victory as he rode the final 50m to the finish line, where his family was waiting for him. There were hints of a potential cycling dynasty in the making on show in the junior women’s time trial. 16-year-old Elynor Backstedt, daughter of a past winner of the prestigious Paris-Roubaix race, finished third in the race, giving Great Britain it’s first medal. Hopefully, this is the start of a promising career for the young Brit. The German team, Canyon-SRAM, fought hard to win a close race in the Women’s Team Time Trial, holding off fierce competition. The victory marks Canyon-SRAM’s fifth victory in the event.Today should provide another excellent day of cycling.
Honourable mentions around the globe go to the Caraboa Cup, where Chelsea faces Liverpool at Anfield. Both sides come into this exciting 3rd round cup match unbeaten in domestic competition this eason. Liverpool sit atop the Premier League with six wins from six games, as well as a perfect record in the Champions’ League. Chelsea have five wins and a draw, going goalless against West Ham on Sunday to end a perfect start to the season. This is a clash between two high-powered attacking sides - both teams have scored 14 goals in 6 games while only allowing 6 goals between them. The game is made more exciting by the fact the two teams will face each other again on Saturday in a Premier League fixture. With both teams holding ambitions for titles and cups this year, this is going to be a hard-fought and exciting must win match. Elsewhere, the Colorado Rockies continue their hunt for the playoffs in the MLB, as they host the final game of a 3-game series against the Philadelphia Phillies at Coors Field.
Whatever you’re watching, enjoy!
Photos by UCI Cycling