Great Britain’s Sir Bradley Wiggins took an emphatic win to become world champion in the elite men’s time trial, denying three-time winner Tony Martin of Germany by 26 seconds.
Twice a silver medallist in 2011 and 2013, the Olympic champion became the first British man to win the elite title since Chris Boardman’s inaugural win in 1994.
The result was given extra significance for Wiggins, 2014 his last tilt at the world time trial title before turning to the track ahead of Rio 2016.
“I knew coming into it I had the legs and once I saw the course I realised that if I was ever going to beat Tony again it was on a course like this,” said Wiggins after the race.
“It’s been an up-and-down year, I didn’t ride the Tour.
“I want to dedicate this to my family because my wife and children back home were there for me the whole summer and had to put up with me when I was at home June and July,” Wiggins continued.
“My last world time trial championship and I’ve finished with a gold medal, I don’t know what to say.”
Defending champion Martin started hot, four seconds faster than Wiggins at the first time-check at 12-kilometres. However, Wiggins began to apply the pressure further into the 47.1-kilometre course, 2.6 seconds up at the second check.
But the best was yet to come as Wiggins approached the final hilly section over the climbs of Confederacion and Mirador, which, pre-race, the Team Sky rider eyed as his chance to gain time.
And as the race hit the hills, Martin’s bid to make it four world titles crumbled as Wiggin’s pressed home his advantage.
At the final check, Wiggins was ahead by almost ten seconds and continued to gain on his German rival, eventually stopping the clock on 56:25.52, 26 seconds ahead of Martin, with the Netherlands' Tom Dumoulin 40 seconds back in bronze.
Alex Dowsett finished in 20th position, still feeling the effects of his heroic ride in the Tour of Britain.
"The first 12-kilometres, which we expected to be really fast was in a headwind so it wasn't quite as easy as I thought it was going to be," Dowsett explained after his effort.
"At the end you had to be able to lift the watts and then drop them, lift them and then drop them again.
"It was a real power-to-weight course.
"I was looking at my power meter all the time Unfortunately I was looking at it hoping that it would say a bit more that it did."
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