The Swiss team powered by European champions Stefan Bissegger and Marlen Reusser won the time-trial mixed relay at cycling’s road world championships in Australia yesterday in a race marred by Dutch star Annemiek van Vleuten crashing heavily.
Bissegger, Stefan Kung and Marco Schmid set the fastest pace among the men before Reusser, Nicole Koller and Elise Chabbey brought it home in 33min 47.17sec, fending off a strong surge from Italy to win by just 2.92sec.
Australia came third and defending champions Germany were fourth around the 28.2 kilometre (17.4 miles) circuit at the coastal city of Wollongong, south of Sydney.
“We’re really happy, it means a lot to our country,” said Kung, who was second to Norway’s Tobias Foss in the elite time-trial on Sunday.
Reusser said their strategy in the 16-team race was to “go hard and finish hard”.
“But we wanted to go only so hard so that we could survive, so we really tried to be kind to each other and make it together. It was very, very good in this way,” she said.
But it was a disastrous day for the powerhouse Dutch team, the 2019 champions spearheaded by women’s world time-trial winner Ellen van Dijk.
National champion Bauke Mollema’s chain came off during the men’s leg and they finished 40 seconds off the pace after the opening loop as they handed over to the women.
In a terrible start Olympic champion Van Vleuten crashed heavily just seconds after rolling down the ramp with what looked like a mechanical problem.
Bruised and battered, she sat on the side of the road in shock with cuts to her leg as Van Dijk and Riejanne Markus tried to regroup, but could only finish fifth.
“Looks like the tyre exploded” she tweeted “after hitting the side of the road”.
Van Vleuten, who is 39, won the Tour de France, Giro and Vuelta to sweep the women’s major tours this season.
“Back from hospital” in Wollongong, she later posted above a picture showing her lying on her back as her two teammates headed up the road.
“Stable fracture elbow, no surgery needed. I am allowed to ride my bike, but depends on pain and need to be sensible. Hope I can sleep. At least I can already laugh about this picture.”
The Dutch cycling Federation issued a statement saying a decision on whether she would participate in Saturday’s road race, in which she was a heavy favourite, would be made “later this week”.
“Annemiek is allowed to race,” it said. “But the question is obviously how much pain she is in. We will see that in a few days.”