What a thriller of time trial from the elite men. A young pretender clad in green, a flurry of hotseat shuffling as the lead switched four times in the last ten minutes, a brave defending champion’s ride, and finally – FINALLY a shriek of triumph as rainbows were reclaimed.

Men Elite ITT

Tony Martin (Germany) delivered a cool performance amidst the heat of Doha to claim a record equalling fourth time trial gold. TT Tony has been decidedly off-peak in his performances against the clock this year but a return to his old position on the bike saw him back at his best. He poured out the power, sweat soaked and turning a huge gear to conquer the 40km course in an astonishing 44:22 mins – a time that would have put him in the top 10 for the TTT. Young Irishman Ryan Mullen produced the surprise ride of the day, blitzing around the course to occupy the hot seat for most of the afternoon until a stealth ride from Maciej Bodnar (Poland) took it from him. They would eventually end in fifth and fourth place respectively as the medals were decided in a thrilling finale. Vasil Kiryenka‘s (Belarus) typically metronomic ride grabbed him a last gasp silver at 45secs behind Martin. Spain’s pocket rocket Jonathan Castroviejo rounded out the podium at +1:11 mins, a fitting end after just missing out on Olympic bronze.

GOLD!!!!

This is what a 40km TT in Doha takes… Alex Dowsett

Ryan Mullen captured in action by a VeloVoice favourite…

Tomorrow the focus switches to road racing…

Full video is here.  Full report at Cycling News.

Header image: Tony Martin  © Photo by Bryn Lennon/Getty Images)