BOOM TAKES SECOND WORLD TITLE IN 2007

Click here to see a gallery of photos from the Men's Under-23 Time Trial World Championships

Dutch World U-23 Cyclo-Champion Lars Boom added another gold medal to his 2007 collection when he won the Men?s U-23 time trial on Wednesday in Stuttgart.

Already part of the Rabobank U-23 line-up, for whom he took both the prologue and the time trial stage of the Tour of Britanny this summer, Boom is all but certain to join the professionals in 2008 after taking the opening competition of the 2007 World Road Championships.

Second on the 38.1 kilometre course, just nine seconds adrift, was Russia Mikhail Ignatiev, winner of the Laguiglea Trophy this February and a stage of the Tour of Burgos in August. Bronze went to Frenchman Jerome Coppel.

?I didn?t expect to beat Ignathiev, he?s been World Champion already.? Boom admitted. ?He was definitely the toughest rival I had out there, as you can see by the small margin I have over him.?

Britain?s one representative in the event, T-Mobile stagiere Ian Stannard, finished 36th, 3-07 down and in the middle of the field.

?He went better in the second lap rather than the first, and he didn?t have any crashes or punctures.? Max Sciandri, following him in the BC team car told CW. ?but Ian?s still tired after his stagiaire rides in Britain and his time trialling?s not been the big focus of the last few weeks.?

?I know he?ll be disappointed, but it?s about where he finished in the Europeans, so he?s not going backwards even if it?s not an improvement.? U-23 coach Rod Ellingworth added.

As for Britain?s two representatives in the Men?s Elite Time Trial on Thursday, Bradley Wiggins and Dave Millar, Sciandri reported that ?they?re both doing fine, in great shape.?

?They?ve seen the circuit, they went round it on their bikes yesterday [Tuesday] at midday, and today they?ve done a couple of hours easy in the morning before spending some time on the rollers this afternoon. It?s looking good.?

World Championships Men?s U-23 Time Trial 38.1km

1 Lars Boom (Holland) 48-57

2 Mikhail Ignatiev (Russia) at 9sec

3 Jerome Coppel (France) at 46sec

4 Michael Christensen (Denmark) at 1-10

5 Adriano Malori (Italy) at 1-12

British

36 Ian Stannard at 3-07

2007 ROAD WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS NEWS

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Cooke out of Worlds, Brailsford names GB squad

British team get extra places for U23 Worlds

Boonen out of Worlds

Should Valverde ride the Worlds?

2007 ROAD WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS COVERAGE

2007 Road World Championships preview

Elite Men Time Trial: full start list

Elite Women's Time Trial: Pooley takes eighth,

Under-23 Time Trial: Boom takes second world title in 2007

TV guide: World Champs on British Eurosport

TV guide: World Champs on BBC

2007 ROAD WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS PHOTO GALLERIES

Elite Women's Time Trial World Championships

Men's Under-23 Time Trial World Championships

2006 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS

World Champs 2006: Cancellara nets gold in TT

World Champs 2006: Cooke blasts to bronze in Salzburg

EXTERNAL LINKS

Official 2007 Road World Championships website: www.radwm2007.com.

Union Cycliste Internationale: www.uci.ch.