{"id":202718,"date":"2025-09-26T11:31:13","date_gmt":"2025-09-26T11:31:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/wide\/?p=202718"},"modified":"2025-09-26T11:31:13","modified_gmt":"2025-09-26T11:31:13","slug":"reusser-saves-swiss-medal-as-australia-again-wins-mixed-relay-itt-world-championship","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/wide\/2025\/09\/26\/reusser-saves-swiss-medal-as-australia-again-wins-mixed-relay-itt-world-championship\/","title":{"rendered":"Reusser Saves Swiss Medal as Australia Again Wins Mixed Relay ITT World Championship"},"content":{"rendered":"

The final climb of the time trials in the UCI World Championships in Kigali didn\u2019t cause any significant mechanical issues on its long stretch of bone-rattling cobblestones, as I had feared, but the C\u00f4te de Kimihurura (1.3 km @ 6.3%), did prove decisive in many of the races.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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A near-disaster<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Ironically, the most dramatic mechanical of the event so far occurred on a stretch of smooth asphalt about halfway through the final lap of Wednesday\u2019s mixed relay race, when newly crowned Elite Women\u2019s ITT<\/a> world champion Marlen Reusser\u2019s bike broke down. She tried several times to make it work, but was finally forced to change bikes. By that time, she was several hundred meters behind her teammates. This had the potential for absolute disaster because the final time of the time trial races is taken when the second of the three riders crosses the finish line.<\/p>\n

But amazingly, she made her way back to her teammates at the foot of the Kimihurura, and just a little later, her teammate Jasmin Liechti\u00a0ran out of gas on the cobbles. Reusser and Noemi R\u00fcegg powered up the climb and managed to save the bronze medal, 10 seconds behind winners Australia, who won their second title in a row, and 5 seconds behind France. Teammate Stefan K\u00fcng was certain that the mechanical cost Switzerland the title.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt’s very unfortunate,\u201d he said. \u201cMarlen didn’t want to put it in numbers, but I am pretty sure the title was lost there. But with ifs and what ifs, we would have been world champions more times already. It’s part of the sport, it’s part of the game, and we are happy for the others. They deserve it, and we did the best we could today.\u201d<\/p>\n

Reusser was able to joke about, telling journalists: \u201cWe planned this yesterday, and we said, ‘You two go and then I go myself and then we catch up and then you two go’. It was a masterclass.\u201d Then, more seriously, she added, \u201cI think it’s hard to judge in this moment what to do, make the right decisions, and now, afterwards, we can discuss and be super smart. But sometimes it’s more about making experiences, and later, you are always super smart, so we are for sure going to discuss it and find better solutions.\u201d<\/p>\n

The winning team was comprised of Michael Matthews, Luke Plapp, Jay Vine, Amanda Spratt, Brodie Chapman, and Felicity Wilson-Haffenden. The Aussie men gave the women a lead of 33 seconds over France, but\u00a0Cedrine Kerbaol, Juliette Labous, and Maeva Squiban rode a fantastic race, and it took a big effort by Spratt and Chapman on the Kimihurura to save the gold.<\/p>\n

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Zobrazit p\u0159\u00edsp\u011bvek na Instagramu<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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P\u0159\u00edsp\u011bvek sd\u00edlen\u00fd UCI (@uci_cycling)<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n