Italy hit all the right notes to claim Worlds Mixed Relay TTT

Italy powered to victory in the mixed relay team time trial at the World Championships after assured displays from their male and female trios. They finished eight seconds clear of France and 19 seconds ahead of Switzerland to win their first-ever title in the discipline.

Defending champions Australia came home in fourth, 40 seconds down on Italy.

Filippo Ganna led Italian teammates Matteo Sobrero and Mattia Cattaneo to the quickest time on the first leg, 11 seconds quicker than France and 12 faster than reigning champions Australia, and the women’s trio proceeded to extend their advantage. Vittoria Guazzini, Monica Trinca Colonel and Elisa Longo Borghini were 16 seconds clear of France at the final check, and they had enough in the tank to finish as world champions by eight seconds.

Switzerland will rue the broken handlebars that saw Stefan Küng lose contact with their male trio in the opening kilometres. They were 35 seconds down on the Italians at the change, but Marlen Reusser dragged them back into contention with a remarkable ride that left them 19 seconds behind at the finish.

Now in its seventh edition, the mixed relay has established itself as a fixture of Worlds week, even if it has yet to match the highs produced by its athletics equivalent, the mixed 4x400m relay.

Fifteen squads took part in Montreal, and though the medals were always likely to be decided by the final wave of starters, there were some striking early displays, with Norway and Poland enjoying spells in the hot seat before Spain – featuring an impressive Paula Blasi – recorded the quickest time.

Once Ganna and Italy rolled down the start ramp, however, it was clear that the Azzurri would take beating. The Hour Record holder was humbled by Remco Evenepoel in Sunday’s individual time trial, but he was the mainstay of the Italian effort here, piloting them to the changeover with an eight-second lead over Bruno Armirail and France.

Küng’s handlebars forced Mauro Schmid and Stefan Bissegger into a two-up effort, and the Swiss would surely have been closer than 35 seconds had they been at full strength.

The Australian male trio of Michael Matthews, Cameron Rogers and Conor Leahy were third at the changeover, 12 seconds down, but Georgia Baker, Mackenzie Coupland and Felicity Wilson-Haffenden couldn’t hold off the Reusser-led Swiss charge and they finished out of the medals.

Germany, fifth at 28 seconds at the change, suffered a setback when Ricarda Bauernfeind suffered a mechanical early in the second leg, and Franziska Koch and Antonia Niedermaier had to settle for fifth at the finish.

France’s female trio of Juliette Berthet, Marion Borras and Cedrine Kerbaol, meanwhile, battled to get back on terms with Italy, but although they pulled back some time on the uphill finale, they had left themselves with too much to do.