Once again, Switzerland?s Fabian Cancellara clinched the World Time Trial Champion with a faultless performance on Stuttgart?s hilly, rain-soaked circuit on Thursday.
Although not quite as strong as in 2006, when he finished 1-29 ahead of CSC team-mate Dave Zabriskie on a slightly longer course, Cancellara?s 52 second margin over Hungarian Lazlo Bodrogi left little room for doubt who was the strongest, particularly as he caught and passed Zabriskie two minutes from the line.
Bronze was taken by rising Dutch star Stef Clement - after the Under-23 time trial win for Lars Boom, Holland?s second medal in two days - and a fine result for the Bouygues Telecom rider just three days after his 25th birthday.
The winner of the London prologue in the Tour (and a stage into Compeigne to boot), the 26-year-old Cancellara knew full well he had taken his second straight gold when he crossed the line at Stuttgart, raising his right fist in the air in triumph.
The Swiss rider - who said before the race that the World Championships was not such a huge objective as it had been in 2006, when he missed out on the Tour de France - never looked uncomfortable on a course where the corners, climbs and technical sections made it hard to get into a race-winning rhythm.
For Britain, Bradley Wiggins respectable 10th place, 2-10 behind the Swiss rider, means that the UK will have two slots in the Olympics in 2008. Team-mate Dave Millar also took a top 20 result - 18th at 2-40.
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Britain's Bradley Wiggins on his way to tenth. Photos by Andy Jones
WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS ELITE MEN TIME TRIAL: RESULT
1 Fabian Cancellara (Switzerland) 55-41.35
2 Laszlo Bodrogi (Hungary) at 52.06 secs
3 Stef Clement (Netherlands) at 57.71 secs
4 Bert Grabsch (Germany) at 1-12.12
5 Sebanstian Lang (Germany) at 1-17.43
6 Vladmir Gusev (Russia) at 1-46.91
7 Jose Gutierrez Palacios (Spain) at 1-56.18
8 Andrey Mizurov (Kazakhstan) at 2-02.67
9 Vasili Kiryienka (Belarus) at 2-03.44
10 Bradley Wiggins (Great Britain) at 2-10.78
British
18 David Millar (Great Britain) at 2-40.06
2007 ROAD WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS NEWS
Bettini denies supplying drugs to Sinkewitz
Valverde can race at World Championships
Eddy Merckx not welcome at Worlds
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
