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Vasil Kiryienka of Belarus powered to victory in the road cycling world championship time trial in Richmond, Virginia as Tony Martin’s run of six consecutive podium finishes ended.
Kiryienka, the bronze medallist in 2012 and fourth-place finisher the last two years, surprised the favourites by covering the 53km (32.9 miles) course in 1hr 2min 29.45sec. The Italian Adriano Malori came home 9.08sec adrift to take silver, with the Frenchman Jérôme Coppel grabbing the bronze.
“The most important thing today was to race against myself, a time trial against myself,” Kiryienka said. “I knew the time, the references but it was not so important but what I knew from the very beginning was I doing really well. Tony Martin and Tom Dumoulin were favourites but I think today was my day.”
The winner of three straight rainbow jerseys from 2011 before his streak was halted last year by Sir Bradley Wiggins, Martin was widely expected to return to the top of the podium in the United States but the 30-year-old never challenged for the medals.
Kiryienka, the winner of the long time trial at the Giro d’Italia in May, dominated from the start. The 34-year-old Team Sky rider posted the fastest time at every interval on a course ideally suited to his strengths.
“Today I knew it was a good race for me because the course was exactly the kind I like, that suits me,” he said. “OK, Cancellara was not here and Wiggins has stopped but all the other great time trial riders were here so I think the level was very high because everybody was there.”
With Cancellara and Martin having won seven of the last nine rainbow jerseys in the time trial, the podium took on a new look as the favourites faded.
Dutchman Dumoulin, third behind Wiggins and Martin last year, was expected to challenge for top spot but settled for fifth just ahead of the Australian Rohan Dennis.
Dumoulin appeared to tire in the latter stages, drained from a punishing Vuelta, where he surrendered the overall lead on the penultimate stage less than two weeks ago.
“While my objective was to have a better place than last year and I was sixth last year, to go from sixth to second place I think is really good result for me,” Malori said. “It was a very long time trial and I think next year’s course will also be a very good one for me and I hope that next year Vasil will let me have first place.”
Dennis, the winner of the opening time trial at the Tour de France in July, had his hopes of claiming the rainbow jersey damaged midway through the race when he ran into mechanical problems and had to change bikes.
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