Sir Bradley Wiggins wins world time trial title after beating Tony Martin by 26 seconds
By Matt Westby
Last Updated: 25/09/14 11:41am
Sir Bradley Wiggins won his first world time trial title after beating defending champion Tony Martin by 26 seconds with a supreme performance.
The 34-year-old Briton was four seconds down on his German rival at the first time split but had edged ahead by the second checkpoint and continued to extend his lead all the way to the finish.
Wiggins becomes only the second Briton to claim the world time trial title after Chris Boardman's victory in the inaugural event in 1994, and he now adds a rainbow jersey on the road to the six he had already won the track.
He is also now the reigning national, world and Olympic time-trial champion, having beaten Martin to gold at the London Games two years ago.
Wiggins said: "I don't know what to say. I knew coming into it I had the legs and when I saw the course I realised that if I was ever going to beat Tony again, it would be on a course like this.
Speechless
"It has been an up-and-down year and I want to dedicate this to my family. My wife and children back home have always been there for me and had to put up with me. This was my last World Time Trial Championship, so to finish it with a gold medal - I don't know what to say."
Wiggins went into the event as second favourite behind Martin, who was looking for a fourth consecutive world title and had beaten the Briton into second place in both 2011 and 2013.
The 47.1km course, which started and finished in Ponferrada, in north-western Spain, contained two late climbs that suited Wiggins over Martin.
As expected, the pair were the fastest two riders in the field from start to finish, with Martin edging 4.14 seconds in front at the first checkpoint, after 12.2km.
Wiggins fought back over the next 11km to take a slender 2.64-second lead by the second time check, after 23.2km, but then began to dominate and was 9.64 seconds in front by the third and final split, after 35.2km.
I knew the difference would be made on that final loop. I paced it perfectly and I still had gas in the final.
Sir Bradley Wiggins
'Paced it perfectly
The road then started rising up and with Wiggins the superior climber, he put another 16 seconds into the wilting Martin to add yet another global honour to his already glittering palmares.
Wiggins added: "I have prepared for things like this so many times in the past and when I know the form and the condition is there, I'm quite relaxed and I know what I have to do once I get out on the bike, so it's just a case of waiting all day.
"I knew the difference would be made on that final loop. I paced it perfectly and I still had gas in the final. Even on that last descent, I heard I was ten seconds up, but I was pushing all the way and not taking any risks. It was superb."
Tom Dumoulin, of the Netherlands, finished 40 seconds down on Wiggins to take the bronze medal, while the other Briton in the race, Alex Dowsett, finished 2min 35sec down in 20th.
Result
1 Sir Bradley Wiggins (Great Britain), 56:25
2 Tony Martin (Germany), +26
3 Tom Dumoulin (Netherlands), +40
4 Vasil Kiryienka (Belarus), +47
5 Rohan Dennis (Australia), +57
6 Adriano Malori (Italy), +1:11
7 Nelson Oliveira (Portugal), +1:21
8 Anton Vorobyev (Russia), +1:29
9 Jan Barta (Czech Republic), +1:43
10 Jonathan Castroviejo (Spain), +1:44
