At the World Road Cycling Championships, which were held in Wollongong, Australia, on Sunday, Norwegian cyclist Tobias Foss caused a sensation by winning the world title in the time trial. He did this by defeating all of the favorites in the event. The Jumbo-Visma rider, who is only 25 years old, finished ahead of the Swiss rider Stefan Küng and the Belgian rider Remco Evenepoel, who was the most recent victor of the Vuelta. The two-time champion, Italian Filippo Ganna, finished in the seventh position, barely one spot below Slovenian Tadej Pogacar. Ganna failed to defend either of his titles. Bruno Armirail and Rémi Cavagna, both from France, crossed the finish line in 10th and 11th place, respectively, on a 34.2-kilometer circuit that began and ended in the town center of the coastal resort.
“I can’t believe this is real life. If they had offered me a Top 10, I would have signed it. To achieve this goal of becoming a world champion… Tobias Foss observed, “I don’t realize, it’s incredible,” as he patted himself on the cheek while attempting to comprehend what was taking place for him. “I don’t realize, it’s incredible.” The youthful and unassuming Norwegian was the winner of the Tour de l’Avenir in 2019, taking Tadej Pogacar’s spot on the list of winners. Since then, the young man hasn’t been talked about much, except for his ninth-place finish at the Giro in 2021. But on Sunday, he had an epiphany “the ideal competition to win and beat everyone else. Whether it’s Stefan Küng, who was in the lead at the two intermediate times and who has long held the belief that he can win his first gold medal at the Road World Championships, or someone else, the competition is fierce. Or, there are the two heavy favorites, Remco Evenepoel and Filippo Ganna. The Belgian, who had come to compete for the gold, appeared disheartened, while the Italian, who had come to compete for the hat trick, appeared to be a mere shell of his former self.
