The Australian relay team won the mixed relay at the world championships in Zurich on Wednesday, narrowly ahead of Germany and Italy.
Australia became world champions in the mixed relay time trial at the World Road Championships, beating Germany by just 0.85 seconds in Zurich on Wednesday.
Italy completed the podium 8 seconds behind the Australians, while France, who were the reigning vice-world champions, finished in fourth place, 23 seconds behind.
The Australian team, made up of Grace Brown, world time trial champion last Sunday, Brodie Chapman, Ruby Roseman-Gannon, Jay Vine, Ben O’Connor and Michael Matthews, succeeds Switzerland, who were double defending champions but were deprived of Stefan Küng and Marlen Reusser this year. This is the first world title for Australia in this recent event, which appeared in 2019 at the World and European Championships, which brings together three men, then replaced by three women in each team.
Cordon-Ragot feels “guilty”
“Another jersey to fill my wardrobe. It was very close at the end, we gave everything to stay in front”commented Grace Brown, Olympic champion in Paris this summer and very recent world time trial champion last Sunday. “She was the one who made the difference”Matthews assured.
Frenchwoman Audrey Cordon Ragot, like Brown, will retire at the end of the season and was competing in her last race with the French team as she was not selected for the road race on Saturday. She was inconsolable on Wednesday as she felt “guilty of this fourth place.”
“I was off topic today, it was going too fast for me. To go out like that is a bit hard. I apologize to the team”lamented the Breton who was teamed up with Juliette Labous, Cédrine Kerbaol, Bruno Armirail, Thibaut Guernalec and the Olympic omnium champion Benjamin Thomas.
