Nicola Rutzou
The Australian team is off to a good start after competing in the Elite Individual Time Trials on Sunday in Rwanda.
Canberran Jay Vine delivered a strong result behind Olympic and World Champion Remco Evenepoel, winning the silver medal in the men’s elite individual time trial. Vine put in an assured performance across the hilly 40km route in Kigali.
At the second and third intermediate checks, he comfortably beat the previous best times. When he reached the finish atop Kigali’s cobbled climb, Vine stopped the clock over a minute ahead of his nearest rival, putting himself in the virtual hot seat until the final riders arrived.
Victoria’s Luke Plapp also rode strongly to finish seventh, giving the Australian team two riders in the top 10.
Queenslander Brodie Chapman kicked off Australia’s world championship campaign in the women’s elite race with an impressive fourth place in the individual time trial.
An 11th place at last year’s Worlds showed a promising glimpse of Chapman’s ability, but she had big shoes to fill after the retirement of last year’s winner, Grace Brown.
On Sunday, Chapman took another emphatic stride forward by averaging 42km/h on a hilly Kigali course, placing her just 16 seconds shy of a podium spot.
Nicola Rutzou – a long-time contributor and, most recently, the editor of Bicycling Australia. Nicola is a keen Sydney-based road cyclist who writes reviews, news, and destination pieces, as well as the weekly e-newsletter for BA online.
