Australian cyclist Grace Brown has continued her stunning 2024, claiming a first world championship title in the time trial at the cycling world championships in Switzerland on Sunday.
However, there was disappointment — and pain — for fellow Aussie Jay Vine, who crashed horribly while challenging for a podium place, ending the race bloodied and bruised in fifth spot.
Vine said he was "heart broken" after a "silly mistake" cost him a likely podium after he crashed in the closing stages.
"It's gut wrenching to think what could have been," Vine wrote on social media.
"Silly mistake on a non technical section of the course cost me potentially the bronze medal.
"I'm going to be beating myself up about this one for a while. Heart broken. 5th place is still good, but for the time being I'm gutted. Sorry team, I really tried."
There were no such issues for Brown, though, who enjoyed yet another stunning addendum to her career.
The 32-year-old had also won the Olympic gold medal in this event in Paris, completing a phenomenal double.
Brown had finished second in the event in the previous two years before finally getting up on the top step of the podium.
"It honestly feels like I'm in a bit of a dream these last couple of months," Brown said.
"These big goals that seem ambitious but I've just been able to get out on the road and do it and realise those dreams."
Brown completed the 29.9-kilometre course from Gossau to Zurich in 39 minutes, 16 seconds, finishing 17 seconds ahead of Dutchwoman Demi Vollering and 56 ahead of defending champion Chloe Dygert of the United States — who Brown also beat to gold in Paris.
After a strong start, Dutch superstar Vollering got into her rhythm through the middle sector to establish an eight-second advantage heading into the final, flat 10km along the banks of Lake Zurich, but Brown was able to power away to claim victory.
"I was pleased that I was ahead at the top of the climb," Brown said.
"I expected I might be a bit back against Vollering because she is such a good climber then I guess she just attacked the middle section of the race a little bit more than I did, maybe.
"It took me a couple of kilometres on the flat to get into a rhythm after all the climbing but I felt I had gained strength toward the end so that's how I was able to gain back that time I lost," Brown said as she held off the 2023 Tour de France Femmes champion.
"I think the experience of the Olympics and having that success on my shoulders already gave me a lot of confidence.
"As I was riding in the last couple of k's I just kept telling myself I can be world champion and that gave me the strength to push all the way until the end.
"I'm still finishing up at the end of this season, I just feel really lucky to end my career like this it's really special."
Brown, who became a four-time national time trial champion this year, also won the prestigious Liège–Bastogne–Liège classic after two second-places, saving her most successful ever season as a professional for her last.
In the men's race, Brown's fellow Olympic time trial champion Remco Evenepoel claimed victory in the race against the clock to defend the title he won in Glasgow last year.
His victory marks the first time riders in the men's and women's races have won both Olympic gold and the rainbow jersey in the same year.
It also means that the 24-year-old Belgian remains on course for a double-double heading into next Sunday's road race, having also won that title at the Paris Games.
The Belgian has previously won the men's senior road race title at the 2022 championships in Wollongong.
He is among the favourites for this year's title alongside Dutch defending champion Mathieu van der Poel and Slovenian superstar Tadej Pogacar, who will be aiming to become just the third man in history to win cycling's triple crown, having already triumphed in this year's Giro d'Italia and Tour de France.
Evenepoel completed the 46.1-kilometre course around Zurich in 53 minutes, 2 seconds and raised his fingers to the sky, but his win was far from straight forward after a drama hit the Belgian minutes before the start.
"It was a pretty tough day for me. My chain dropped one minute before the start. I took the start and I had no power meter at all, so it was a pure TT [time trial] on feeling," Evenepoel said.
"Without having the power meter it was pretty difficult to keep the pace, but in a TT it doesn't matter what the gap is. I saw my time in green and I felt like celebrating."
He finished just six seconds ahead of Italian Filippo Ganna, who was also second last year, with the two rivals the only men to average over 52 km/h across the course.
Italian Edoardo Affini was 54 seconds back, while Australia's only male competitor Vine finished in fifth place, one minute and 24 seconds back despite his crash.
Vine had been challenging for a podium spot, sitting in third place at the final check point, only to appear across the line battered and bruised.
The 28-year-old came into the race fresh from winning the king of the mountain jersey at the Vuelta a España, having recovered from a horror crash five months ago that saw him suffer injuries that had the potential to be life-changing.
ABC/wires
