UCI road cycling world championships: Annemiek van Vleuten crash video, Australia claims surprise gold

Australia were the beneficiaries after the Dutch favourites - and cycling legend Annemiek van Vleuten - stunningly crashed in cruel scenes in Wollongong.

The Australian cycling team won a surprise third medal at the UCI world road championships in Wollongong on Wednesday after a shocking crash involving Dutch cycling legend Annemiek van Vleuten ruined the chances of the race favourites.

The Australian combination of Lucas Plapp, Luke Durbridge, Michael Matthews, Georgia Baker, Alexandra Manly, Sarah Roy posted a time of 34 minutes 25.57 seconds after the three men then the three women each took their turn on the 14.1 km circuit around the streets of Wollongong.

The Aussies eventually finished 38 seconds behind Switzerland, who pipped Italy by less than three seconds to win the gold. Australia held on to claim the bronze after Grace Brown and Hamish McKenzie had earlier won silver medals in their individual time trial events.

“It’s our first time we’ve done this event,” Durbridge said. “I think it has quite a big future.”

Luke Durbridge celebrates winning the bronze medal with his Australian teammates. Picture: Getty

Baker, who turned 27 on the day, said: “It’s actually my second birthday at a world championships; my 18th was at Junior Worlds. I like competing on my birthday. I think it’s a good vibe.”

The heavily favoured Dutch team finished fifth after two major setbacks, with Bauke Mollema suffering a broken chain during the men’s leg then multiple world champion van Vleuten crashing heavily when her front tyre burst just after the Dutch women took off down the ramp.

“I don‘t know exactly what happened with Annemiek,” her teammate Ellen van Dijk said.

“I thought her chain came off. I also know she had a puncture, but I don‘t know if that’s because of the crash; I don’t know what was first.

⚠️ CRASH for @AvVleuten!! ⚠️

Mechanical issue causes horrible crash for the Dutch superstar.
Really disappointing day for the Dutch. #Wollongong2022pic.twitter.com/rU5LYNnlcu

— UCI (@UCI_cycling) September 21, 2022

“I thought I was also going to crash but somehow I rode over something and I was still upright. I thought we had to stop but then it took me a couple of seconds to realise that, actually, we still had to finish with the two of us of course.

“I hope she‘s okay because it looks really nasty, the crash. And I still don’t know really how she is.... today was not our day for sure.”

Thursday is a rest day before competition resumes with the road races taking place over Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

MAGPIES TERRORISING WORLD’S BEST CYCLISTS

- The Times

When a thousand elite riders in the world’s largest road cycling championship came to Australia, it seems that one detail was overlooked – the threat posed by angry birds.

“It was terrifying. But that’s Australia, apparently. I hope it’s the only time it happens, but I am afraid of it,” said the Belgian rider Remco Evenepoel, one of several competitors in the UCI World Road Championships to have been dive-bombed by Australian magpies over the weekend.

Native to Australia and southern New Guinea, the Australian magpie is known for its carolling song and intelligence – it is said it can remember up to 30 human faces. It is also a vicious protector during its peak September mating season. Adult males, which are much bigger than their European cousins, defend their nests by swooping on anything they consider a threat.

In Sydney, it is usual to see cyclists wear helmets equipped with spikes to deter the birds. Attacks on walkers are common. A year ago a five-month-old girl died when her mother fell while under a magpie’s attack.

Yet despite their meticulous planning in the coastal city of Wollongong, 60 miles south of Sydney, the organisers of the road championship underestimated the birds, it seems.

The finish line of the race is close to a sign that for years has warned cyclists of a magpie attack hot spot.

Belgium's Remco Evenepoel.

“Birds swooping!” it reads. “Dismount and walk your bike through this area. Magpies are nesting in this area.”

Dismounting is hardly an option for the more than 1,000 cyclists from 70 nations competing in the week-long event; it is one of the top five sporting spectacles in the world, watched by more than 300 million viewers.

“A fairly large bird came very close, and it just kept following me,” said Evenepoel, 22, the son of Patrick Evenepoel, the champion cyclist who won the 1993 Grand Prix de Wallonie.

The Australian cyclist Grace Brown said she was no fan of magpies and their dive-bombing habits at this time of year, while a Swiss competitor, Stefan Kung, also reported an incident.

“Really? They’re talking about birds attacking. But yeah, one of our guys has been attacked already by a magpie,” Kung said.

While the peloton has so far been unflappable, magpie attacks on cyclists riding at speed during competition raise safety concerns.

In 2019, a cyclist suffered serious injuries and died after being swooped on while riding in northern Wollongong. Magpie Alert, the website that monitors magpie attacks in Australia, records more than 1,500 attacks so far this season, causing almost 200 injuries.

There was also a risk to the general public, said a Wollongong vet, Paul Partland, who warned of a “calamity”.

He said: “Swooping birds tend to target people that are by themselves and also people that are moving in very fast ways. Unfortunately, I don’t think we’re going to slow down the cyclists in their race to take a little side breather as the birds swoop by.”

Magpies are causing havoc for competitors.

AUSSIE BROWN TAKES SILVER IN WOMEN’S TIME TRIAL

Julian Linden

Less than 13 seconds was all that separated Australian cycling sensation Grace Brown from winning the ultimate prize in her sport — the elusive rainbow jersey.

The 30-year-old Victorian produced the ride of her life to claim the silver medal in the women’s time trial title at the UCI road cycling world championships in Wollongong.

It took a desperate long-bursting effort from Dutch superstar Ellen van Dijk to deny Brown the gold and the rare privilege of wearing the world champion’s multi-coloured rainbow jersey for a year, but she was still rapt after becoming just the fourth Australian woman to win a medal in the prestigious event.

Aussie star Grace Brown has fallen agonisingly short of a historic Time Trial gold medal, after getting pipped at the post. Picture: Getty Images.

“My goal was to be on the podium and my dream was to win the race. I achieved my goal and I can still aim towards that dream,” Brown said.

“It was a rollercoaster of emotions up there … I was feeling really proud of my ride, but it was agonising and I thought there was still a chance that maybe I could win the race overall, but van Dijk had a phenomenal day.”

Fresh from winning the gold medal at last month’s Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, the 30-year-old Brown was one of the first riders to tackle the highly technical Wollongong course.

Ellen Van Dijk of The Netherlands rode last and claimed gold, finishing just 12.73 seconds faster than Brown. Picture: Getty Images.

With no-one to pace herself against she completed the two-lap 34.2km journey in 44 mins 41.33 seconds — going faster on the second lap than she did in the first — to jump straight to the top of the time sheets and into the hot seat, reserved for the race leader.

She remained there for almost two hours as a further 35 riders followed her onto the streets of Wollongong’s Harbour and hinterland.

Her confidence began to grow as each rider tried but failed to match her time — except for van Duik, who was the last rider to set off down the starter’s ramp.

Knowing she had to go quick to beat the Aussie, the 35-year-old Dutch legend pedalled furiously from start to finish to capture her third world title, just 12.73 seconds quicker than Brown, who received her silver medal from Wollongong’s home-bred Olympic swimming champion Emma McKeon.

Fellow Aussie Georgia Baker missed out on a medal but still impressed, finishing eighth. Picture: Getty Images.

The bronze medal went to Switzerland’s Marel Reusser, 41 seconds behind Brown, while Australia’s Georgia Baker finished eighth in her first crack at the world road championships after previously winning gold on the track.

Brown joined Anna Wilson (1999) as only Australia’s second silver medallist in the women’s time trial. Kathy Watt (1995) and Katrina Garfoot (2016, 2017) both won bronze medals but no Australian woman has ever won the gold at either the world titles or the Olympics.

Fourth at Tokyo last year, Brown now has her sights on reaching the top step of the podium at Paris in two years after she came so close this time.

“To come away with a medal here was pretty big,” she said.

“It gives me a lot of confidence that in the years to come that I can really be one of the top names in time-trialling.

“I probably don’t get as many opportunities to do this event as some of the other girls, but it’s always been a specialty of mine. Now I’m really making my mark, which is cool.”

Australia’s Lucas Plapp finished 12th in the men’s elite time trial which was won by Norway’s Tobias Foss in a major boilover.

Foss completed the two laps in 40:02.78 to take the gold just ahead of Switzerland’s Stefan Küng and Belgium’s Remco Evenepoel, who won the bronze ahead of luckless Brit Ethan Hayden, who had to settle fourth after hus chain broke and he had to stop and change bikes.

Foss became the first Norwegian man to win a world road cycling title since Thor Hushovd, who was nicknamed the ‘God of Thunder, won the road race at Geelong 12 years ago.

The elite road races for women and men will be held in Wollongong next weekend.