Richie Porte (Australia) came in sixth place(Image credit: Riccardo Scanferla)
Jack Bobridge (Australia) finished an impressive fifth(Image credit: Fotoreporter Sirotti)
Australian Men's Road Coordinator Matt White declared he was happy with Australia’s performance in the men’s time trial at the UCI World Championships, where Jack Bobridge and Richie Porte finished fifth and sixth, respectfully.
Both riders came into the event as top 10 contenders although Porte entered the ring with more experience having finished fourth in last year’s corresponding event.
It was Bobridge who caught the eye in Copenhagen though, pipping his teammate to a top five placing despite having never ridden a such a long time trial.
"Jack was exceptional. We didn’t expect that result and he’s never done a 46 kilometre time trial before," White told Cyclingnews at the finish.
"He came a little bit unstuck towards the finish, but he’s gone out and given himself the best chance of a medal and it’s a great result for a 22-year-old."
Bobridge came into the event relatively under-raced, while Porte was the opposite having competed in both the Giro d’Italia and Tour de France this year.
"He’s had very little in terms of racing preparation but he’s done very specific time trialing work and it was a super ride. It shows just how talented he is."
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"Richie is the opposite of Jack because he’s had a load of races and he actually needed a rest to reboot the engine. Still, that was a very solid ride for a small guy who didn’t really suit the course, but sixth place in the Worlds is still a great result. It’s been a good day out."
White and the Australian squad will now regroup with a break in racing coming on Thursday before the final block of events, culminating in the men’s road race on Sunday. It’s an event in which Australia have historically performed well, winning in 2009 with Cadel Evans and picking up a bronze last year through Allan Davis.
Both riders are missing from this year’s roster but the squad will line up with a number of options. Matt Goss is perhaps their best option for a sprint – despite not having won a race since mid-May – while Simon Gerrans, Stuart O'Grady and Chris Sutton all possess alternatives.
"Today doesn’t really affect the road race but we’ve had a great championships as a nation and we’ll take it one day at a time. We’re still developing our tactics for the road race."
"We’ll talk about things as a team and we’ll have a couple of options for the weekend. A sprint is one of our plans. I’m not fussy. I have guys for both plans."
Daniel Benson was the Editor in Chief at Cyclingnews.com between 2008 and 2022. Based in the UK, he joined the Cyclingnews team in 2008 as the site's first UK-based Managing Editor. In that time, he reported on over a dozen editions of the Tour de France, several World Championships, the Tour Down Under, Spring Classics, and the London 2012 Olympic Games. With the help of the excellent editorial team, he ran the coverage on Cyclingnews and has interviewed leading figures in the sport including UCI Presidents and Tour de France winners.
