'I got super scared': Riders criticise rough roads at Worlds time trial

Marlen Reusser (Switzerland) and Remco Evenepoel (Belgium) delivered the expected victories, but the road to the rainbow jerseys received mixed reviews. Rough surfaces, potholes, tight corners and the difficulty of carrying speed became recurring themes in riders’ reactions to a course that tested more than pure power.

Brandon Rivera (Colombia) crossed the line with a badly rubbing front wheel, torn clothing and bloodied skin. Ethan Hayter (Great Britain) hit a barrier and was nursing a sore hand as he spoke to journalists. Jakob Söderqvist (Sweden) saw his podium challenge disrupted by a slide-out in the closing technical section.

“The roads are pretty low quality and having half the road is really hard to judge with the cones,” said Hayter, who finished 18th. “You don’t quite carry the speed the same as a normal road.”

Silver medallist Filippo Ganna (Italy) also criticised the surface during his press conference, saying he had expected better and that "everyone would have benefitted from a better road."

For American Brandon McNulty, familiarity with the roads did little to soften the demands of the closing kilometres. The former Grand Prix Cycliste de Montréal winner briefly occupied the second-place hot seat before finishing fourth, 12 seconds off a medal.

"You hit those corners with a lot of fatigue in your legs. It never feels good," he said.

The finish was familiar from his previous appearances in Montréal, but that offered little comfort.

"I think that was one of the worst times I’ve done it," he said.

The men’s crashes followed concerns from riders in the women’s race who tackled their longest time trial in the event’s history.

For Spain’s Paula Blasi, distance was not the issue. She felt she had the form to produce a strong ride, but struggled to find confidence.

Blasi, one of the season’s breakout stars on the road, had crashed during reconnaissance of the Spanish National Championships time trial course in June. The memory of that crash made the bumps and holes harder to negotiate.

"Already when we were doing the recon, I think the road is not as good as we were expecting," she said. "It didn’t help at all to have these holes on the road."

The flatter stretches and smooth roads of the Formula One circuit offered some respite. The technical opening, however, left her giving away time despite feeling strong.

"The road was super bumpy, and mentally I got super scared, so every corner I was losing two, three seconds," said Blasi, who finished 18th. "You cannot compete with that."