Mikkel Bjerg wins third men's U23 World Championships time trial title in a row
The Dane smashed the next best time amidst treacherous conditions in Yorkshire
Mikkel Bjerg won a third men's U23 time trial title at the Yorkshire Road World Championships 2019, on a Harrogate morning marred by torrential rain and treacherous conditions.
The Dane was the last out of the start hut, and beat Ian Garrison's (USA) time by 27 seconds. It was another American on the podium to take bronze, as Brandon McNulty missed out on Garrison's time by just one second, on day marred by crashes caused by the rain.
>>> Watch: Chaos reigns supreme at Yorkshire Worlds U23 time trial
Bjerg's Danish compatriot Morten Hulgaard was the first out of the start at 10.20am, and held the fastest time until Garrison came through over an hour later.Charlie Quarterman was Britain's strongest finisher, coming 14th, 1-53 slower than Bjerg.
Just as Quarterman will move up to the WorldTour ranks in 2020 with Trek-Segafredo, Bjerg has landed a three-year contract with UAE Team Emirates, and will look to become the first rider ever to win both the U23 and men's elite time trial World Championship events in the future.
Speaking after the finish, Bjerg said: "Today was really crazy, the weather conditions were terrible but I managed to pull it off.
"I was told five minutes before the start there were some big puddles of water on the road and my coach navigated me through the course and told me to just hold on to my bars and go full gas.
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"This course was harder, there was more pressure, it would have almost been bad if I didn't win, so I'm really happy."
Result
UCI Road World Championships 2019, men's U23 time trial: Ripon to Harrogate (30.3km)
1. Mikkel Bjerg (Denmark), in 40-20
2. Ian Garrison (USA), at 27 seconds
3. Brandon McNulty (USA), at 28s
4. Mathias Norsgaard Jørgensen (Denmark), at 38s
5. Brent Van Moer (Belgium), at 44s
6. Morten Hulgaard (Denmark), at 56s
7. Nils Eekhoff (Netherlands), at 1-01
8. Byron Munton (South Africa), at 1-27
9. Markus Wildauer (Austria), at 1-39
10. Daan Hoole (Netherlands), at 1-47
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Jonny was Cycling Weekly's Weekend Editor until 2022.
I like writing offbeat features and eating too much bread when working out on the road at bike races.
Before joining Cycling Weekly I worked at The Tab and I've also written for Vice, Time Out, and worked freelance for The Telegraph (I know, but I needed the money at the time so let me live).
I also worked for ITV Cycling between 2011-2018 on their Tour de France and Vuelta a España coverage. Sometimes I'd be helping the producers make the programme and other times I'd be getting the lunches. Just in case you were wondering - Phil Liggett and Paul Sherwen had the same ham sandwich every day, it was great.