Evenepoel wins third consecutive time trial world title

Remco Evenepoel won his 3rd consecutive individual clip proceedings world title astatine nan Road World Cycling Championships successful Rwanda.

The 25-year-old Belgian retained nan rainbow jersey by crossing nan statement successful 49 minutes 46.03 seconds aft a wholly ascendant show successful nan nation's superior Kigali.

Australia's Jay Vine vanished 1 infinitesimal 14.80secs down Evenepoel and Ilan van Wilder clinched third, 2 minutes 36.07secs down.

"It felt beautiful bully consecutive distant connected nan first level part," Evenepoel told BBC Sport. "I was holding my gait without going complete nan limit, and past nan first climb was really rather difficult on pinch nan past 2 ones.

"I really pushed it there, and aft I tried to support a gait I could hold.

"I hated nan cobbles. It was so, truthful difficult to push done them but successful nan extremity I won and that is nan astir important thing.

"My team-mate Ilan [van Wilder] came 3rd truthful it is simply a phenomenal time for us."

Evenepoel, who won Olympic golds successful nan clip proceedings and nan roadworthy title astatine nan Paris Games past summer, was nan favourite going into nan title and it was his to suffer aft specified an awesome first climb.

His gait was truthful beardown that he passed Slovenia's Tour de France victor Tadej Pogacar connected nan people contempt starting a mates of minutes aft him.

The championships are being held successful Africa for nan first clip and person been described arsenic nan toughest ever because of nan steep ascents and precocious altitude.

There was no typical from Great Britain successful nan men's race.

However, Olympic metallic medallist Anna Henderson was nan sole British entrant successful nan women's clip trial, and vanished eighth.

Henderson, 26, crossed nan statement 1 infinitesimal 37.72secs aft Switzerland's Marlen Reusser, who secured her first world title rainbow jersey.

"I almost can't judge it," Reusser told BBC Sport. "I cognize it's existent and it happened, but I've tried truthful galore times and it didn't activity retired and now I've made it.

"I went really difficult connected nan climbs, and connected nan last climb I deliberation I went excessively difficult successful nan opening truthful I was afloat of lactic acid, but I deliberation it was nan correct measurement to gait it."

Anna van der Breggen of nan Netherlands took 2nd (+51.89secs), and compatriot Demi Vollering (+1:04.73) vanished successful third.

The people featured 460m of climbing crossed 31.2km, but it was nan steep cobbled climb of Cote de Kimihurura successful nan last shape that troubled nan riders nan most.

Henderson looked group to situation for a podium decorativeness but struggled to support her gait connected nan cobbled climb and could not regain immoderate clip pinch a sprint finish.