Italy breakthrough in Montreal: first world title in mixed team time trial
Italy has won gold in the mixed team relay at the UCI Road World Championships in Montréal, earning the country's first-ever world title in this event on Tuesday. The six-rider squad completed the 40.6km course in 51'32" at an average speed of 47.266 km/h, crossing the line eight seconds ahead of France.
How the race unfolded
The victory came on Italy's seventh attempt in a discipline introduced to the world championships in 2019. The men's trio of Filippo Ganna, Mattia Cattaneo and Matteo Sobrero set the foundation, posting the fastest time in their half of the race. They completed their 20.3km leg in 24:23.86, giving Italy an 11-second advantage over France at the handover.
The women's trio — Vittoria Guazzini, Elisa Longo Borghini and Monica Trinca Colonel — maintained the pace. France recovered only a handful of seconds in the closing stages. Switzerland took bronze, 19 seconds behind Italy, after Stefan Küng suffered a mechanical problem in the men's leg.
A first rainbow jersey for Longo Borghini
For Longo Borghini, the 35-year-old from Piedmont, the victory carried particular weight. It was her first world championship title after 27 appearances across all events and categories — a record for an Italian cyclist, male or female.
"I've done many world championships and I've often stood on the podium but this is my first rainbow jersey and it gives me chills," Longo Borghini told Rai after stepping off the podium. "I believe in this group and winning gold with the team is truly beautiful."
'A special group'
Ganna, who took silver in the individual time trial earlier in the week, paid tribute to the squad's depth. "From the start of the season we were thinking about this objective, the course suited us, it suited a group that has been working together for years," he said. "We finally did it."
Italy's national coach Marco Villa called it "a beautiful victory" built on mutual support between the men's and women's squads throughout the week. Team manager Elia Viviani said everyone had performed at their best.
The gold is Italy's third medal of these championships, following silver for Ganna in the elite men's individual time trial and silver for Nicolas Milesi in the Under-23 time trial.
What comes next
The road races begin Thursday. Longo Borghini is also entered in the women's elite road race on 26 September.
