Cyclo-cross Worlds: Great Britain wins blended group relay

Great Britain scored the win on the blended group relay on the UCI Cyclo-cross World Championships.

The six-rider group of Zoe Bäckstedt, Thomas Mein, Oscar Amey, Cat Ferguson, Zoe Roche, and Milo Wills delivered the rainbow jersey, with Mein getting back from third place on the ultimate lap to take gold.

Two seconds later, Italy got here by for second place and the silver medal as Stefano Viezzi completed off the job began by his teammates Sara Casasola, Mattia Agostinacchio, Lucia Bramati, Giorgia Pellizotti, and Lucia Bramati.

The podium was accomplished by reigning champions France 5 seconds again with their group of Célia Gery, Florian Fery, Joshua Dubau, Jules Simon, Hélène Clauzel, and Zélie Lambert.

The opening lap of the six-lap race noticed Great Britain’s Zoe Bäckstedt among the many first runners, although it was Italy and the USA who led the operating through Mattia Agostinacchio and Scott Funston.

With Bäckstedt being the one girl to exit on lap 1, Great Britain lay ninth out of 10 at 52 seconds off the lead whereas Belgium have been in seventh at 28 seconds.

With Gioele Bertolini racing for Italy on lap two, the nation retained the lead, pulling out 20 seconds over the USA, as reigning champions France moved as much as match them. Great Britain and Belgium lay in fifth and eighth at 1:15 and a couple of:20 again.

The Belgians used their under-23 and junior riders first, choosing a backloaded technique. Sanne Cant and Toon Aerts would tackle the ultimate two laps. Great Britain’s Cat Ferguson and Thomas Mein would face off in opposition to them.

On lap three, Belgium’s males’s under-23 rider Kay De Bruyckere labored his manner up the sector, reducing down the hole to the frontrunners. By the tip of the lap, fourth-placed Belgium lay at 45 seconds off the brand new leaders France as Célia Gery concluded her lap. Italy and the USA have been in second and third at 10 seconds down.

Belgian junior girl racer Sanne Laurijssen went out for lap 4, leaving the nation in seventh at a deficit of 1:31 earlier than Cant and Aerts. The USA took over the lap heading into the final two laps, 24 seconds up on Great Britain, with Italy (35 seconds) and France (40 seconds) following.

Cant confronted off in opposition to Ferguson and Italy’s Sara Casasola on lap 5. She gained just a few seconds, however it was the USA who took over to guide Italy by eight seconds, Great Britain by 9, and France by 21 seconds heading into the ultimate lap. Toon Aerts started the ultimate lap with a deficit of 1:36 to the chief.

At the entrance of the race, the battle for the rainbow jersey was contested by Great Britain’s elite males’s racer Thomas Mein and the under-23 males of the USA and Italy, Henry Cote and Stefano Viezzi.

It was Mein who got here out on high, with he and Cote battling in opposition to each other on the ultimate lap earlier than Mein created a niche and jumped clear. He duly soloed house to take gold and the rainbow jersey for Great Britain.

Further again, it was Viezzi who got here by to take silver for second place, two seconds behind Mein. Cote dropped out of the rostrum locations with France leapfrogging the USA to safe bronze, 5 seconds off the lead. With an excessive amount of floor to make up, Aerts would come house in sixth place for Belgium at 1:21.

Results

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