SYDNEY (AFP) - Norway’s Tobias Foss said he was in “some kind of a dream” after pulling off a huge upset Sunday to dethrone two-time defending champion Filippo Ganna and claim a maiden men’s time-trial title at cycling’s road world championships in Australia.
The 25-year-old conquered the 34.2 kilometres (21.2 miles) circuit in 40min 2.78sec to edge Swiss powerhouse Stefan Kung by 2.95sec.
Belgium’s Remco Evenepoel, fresh from winning the Vuelta a Espana Grand Tour this month, was 9.16sec adrift in third on the opening day of the championships at Wollongong, 80 kilometres (50 miles) south of Sydney.
Italy’s Ganna, the current standard bearer in time-trial racing, started strongly on the hilly and twisty circuit as he sought to match Germany’s Tony Martin and Switzerland’s Fabian Cancellara as a three-time winner.
But the 26-year-old tired and faded to finish seventh, 56sec off the pace.
Slovenia’s two-time Tour de France winner Tadej Pogacar, who is not a pure time trial specialist, came sixth.
Jumbo-Visma rider Foss won the Tour de l’Avenir in 2020, but was not among the favourites and admitted he was stunned by the win.
Kung, who was fifth at the world championships last year, was fastest through both the first and second time checks and looked poised to win. But he lost 13 seconds over the final phase.
Home favorite Lucas Plapp set the early pace before European champion Stefan Bissegger went faster, the first rider to average more than 50 kilometres per hour, until his time was shattered by Foss.
British hope Ethan Hayter looked destined to go close, but disaster struck mid-race when his chain came off forcing him to change bikes and he finished fourth.