Road World Championships 2021 - Ellen Van Dijk storms to victory in women's individual time trial

Updated 20/09/2021 at 15:52 GMT

Follow the women's individual time trial as it happened at the 2021 UCI Road World Championships with Niamh Lewis. Ellen Van Dijk wins second world championship. You can watch the 2021 UCI Road World Championships live and ad-free on the Eurosport app and Eurosport.co.uk. Download the Eurosport app for iOS and Android now.

'Is this a gold medal winning ride?' - Van Dijk sets world title winning time

Time trials complete!

Head over here for the report and highlights, and stay tuned this week for more UCI World Championships coverage in Flanders.

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It's a 'dream come true'

Ellen Van Dijk said on her second ITT world title: "I didn't know I would become so emotional but it has been a dream for so long to get that world title once again. Everything this year felt so good Marlen Reusser was so strong I knew I had good level, but I knew she was super strong and in the last few weeks she has beaten me in the time trial and I had to ride the best ever time trial.

"She had a faster intermediate time so I thought she would be faster but in the end... I can't quite believe it... it has been a dream for so long.

On sitting in the hot seat, she says: "It's horrible when I arrived in the hot seat Annemiek [Van Vleuten] still had to start, I didn't know if it [my effort] was worth it I think the TT was good but I didn't know and you sit there have nothing to do... it's nerve racking . TT is my discipline and I knew it was going to be a really good course for me so I put everything into it... it's a dream come true."

ELLEN VAN DIJK IS WORLD CHAMPION!

Nobody can beat Ellen Van Dijk today!

Marlen Reusser settles for second, and Annemiek Van Vleuten cannot go any faster than third.

4. Amber Neuben (USA)
5. Lisa Brennauer (GER)

Oh wow....

It was SO close all the way, but Reusser has to settle for silver, coming in +11 seconds on Van Dijk.

Van Vleuten is still out on the course, but it's too late...

Brennauer comes in third... for now

Reusser

The Alé BTC Ljubljana rider is in her fifth year as a pro and won the European Championships ITT in Italy, two weeks ago...

Second intermediate time check:

Reusser continues two seconds quicker through the second time check...

1. Marlen Reusser - 24:48
2. Ellen Van Dijk +2
3. Annemiek Van Vleuten +16

Marlen Reusser looks fast!

I'm a big fan of Marlen Reusser's (SUI) TT position. Any weekend warriors should take note and get a bike fit to have a back as flat as hers. Apart from her legs doing smooth, powerful pedal strokes, the rest of her body is still -- the way it should be.

And with that in mind, she passes the first intermediate time check quickest, just three seconds faster than Van Dijk.

Current top five:

1. Ellen Van Dijk (NED) - 36:05
2. Lisa Klein (GER) - 37:57
3. Joscelin Lowden (GBR) - 38:05
4. Riejanne Markus (NED) - 38:05
5. Karol-Ann Canuel (CAN) - 38:53

Van Vleuten sets off

We are now into the business end of the day as Emma Norsgaard, Lisa Brennauer, Amber Neben, Marlen Reusser, and Annemiek Van Vleuten are all out on the course.

Ellen Van Dijk still stands as the quickest through the first intermediate time check. Neben has slotted in 37 seconds off the pace there.

TTing is hard

Don't ever let anyone tell you that time trials are easy.

Current finish standings:

1. Ellen Van Dijk (NED) - 36:05
2. Lisa Klein (GER) - 37:57
3. Riejanne Markus (NED) - 38:05
4. Karol-Ann Canuel (CAN) - 38:53
5. Leah Thomas (USA) - 38:56
6. Audrey Cordon-Ragot (FRA) - 39:02
7. Nathalie Eklund (SWE) - 39:03
8. Karolina Karasiewicz (POL) - 39:09
9. Pfeiffer Georgi (GBR) - 39:24
10. Ganna Solovei (UKR) - 39:35

Van Dijk first on time check

Ellen Van Dijk passes through the second time check ahead of current leader Markus, she is ahead by one minute and 22 seconds.

First time on the board

Riejanne Markus (NED) has finished in 38:05. However, Ellen Van Dijk has passed the first time check exactly one minute faster than Markus passed through.

She's riding around 52kph (32mph) ish.

What aerodynamics?

This lot didn't have that problem, back in 1934.

Aerodynamics?

Watching riders roll down the starting ramp, it's interesting to see the different strategies riders have got of putting their race radio. Some have it stuffed in their sports bras at the front, others have it on their lower back under their skinsuits. There's not really a good or comfortable place to put it!

Ellen Van Dijk starts

Could it be battle of the Dutch once again? Van Dijk, a favourite of the day starts. Meanwhile team-mate Markus has gone through the second time check the quickest so far after 26:12.

No Chloe Dygert

If you cast your minds back to last year's women's elite ITT you'll remember that Chloe Dygert, the reigning world champ at the time, had a horror crash.

Although she's back riding her bike after surgery, she's still recovering and is not competing.

Leah Thomas is out on the course, competing for Team USA.

Time check

It's early days but Riejanne Markus (NED) is quickest at the first time check after 17:28 with an average speed of 47.405 km/h.

Annemiek Van Vleuten favourite?

The Dutchwoman is in the form of her life, and will start last today. With her Dutch rival/team-mate Van Der Breggen not competing, maybe Ellen Van Dijk, Marlen Reusser or somebody else feeling lucky can pull something impressive out of the bag?

Off we go!

Watch live on Eurosport & GCN+

Today's course

Today's course follows the same route as the U23 men. A 30.3km route from Knokke-Heist to the beautiful city of Bruges. The route is very flat with some lovely long, straight stretches of road on the way out, a sharp 90 degree bend and a hairpin in the middle and then a technical 5km finish through Bruges, so there's plenty of opportunity to go full-gas for the most part.

New men's U23 world champion finished in 34:41, so there's a ball park figure while the women are about to set off.

No Van der Breggen

Anna Van Der Breggen, double world champion, has decided not to defend her rainbow stripes in this year's TT and withdrew from the start list last week citing a lack of motivation.

"Riding a time trial is something you only can do with a 100% focus and motivation. Which I don’t have anymore because I am absolutely happy with all the time trials I did in the past and I have a different goal in my final worlds.. making it a good last one, helping the girls who helped me a lot in previous years," she wrote on Instagram.

Women's elite ITT starts 13:35 BST

We have 50 riders lining up for this afternoon's time trial. The first rider off is Fernanda Yapura of Argentina.

Welcome

Hello and welcome to Eurosport's live text coverage of the UCI Road World Championships 2021. What better way to spend your Monday than watching the niche discipline of time trialling?

So far at this world championships our winners are:

Men's elite ITT: Filippo Ganna (ITA)

Men's U23 ITT: Johan Price-Pejtersen (DEN)

UCI Road World Championships: Full schedule

Individual time trials

September 19: Elite Men - Knokke-Heist to Bruges (43.3km)
September 20: Men U23 - Knokke-Heist to Bruges (30.3km)
September 20: Elite women - Knokke-Heist to Bruges (30.3km)
September 21: Junior women - Knokke-Heist to Bruges (19.3km)
September 21: Junior men - Knokke-Heist to Bruges (22.3km)

Mixed team relay

September 22: Mixed elite - Knokke-Heist to Bruges (44.5km)

Road race events

September 24: Junior men - Leuven to Leuven (121.4km)
September 24: Men U23 - Antwerp to Leuven (160.9km)
September 25: Junior women - Leuven to Leuven (75km)
September 25: Elite women - Antwerp to Leuven (157.7km)
September 26: Elite men - Antwerp to Leuven (268.3km)

- - -

You can watch the 2021 UCI Road World Championships live and ad-free on the Eurosport app and Eurosport.co.uk. Download the Eurosport app for iOS and Android now. You can also watch the most comprehensive live & ad-free racing on GCN+. Go deeper and get interactive with live polls & quizzes, plus rider profiles, race updates, results & more – plus stream exclusive cycling documentaries.

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