Former world road race champion Judith Arndt defied the wet conditions to claim her maiden time trial gold at the world road championships on Tuesday. Arndt scorched over a rain-hit and technical 27.8km course to clock a winning time of 37min 07.38sec, pushing Danish-born New Zealander Linda Villumsen down to second place.
Villumsen timed 37:29.11 to take the silver medal while Britain’s defending champion Emma Pooley took the bronze in 37:31.51.
Arndt, who won the road race gold in 2004, has been attempting to win the worlds time trial for years and came close to her goal last year when she finished second behind Pooley on a far more difficult course in Australia.
In 2010, it was the same three riders on the podium, with Villumsen finishing in third place. Pooley, a climbing specialist, came into the race playing down her medal hopes because of the flat and technical profile of the course in the Danish capital.
Danes claim first gold of road worlds: Denmark’s Mads Wurtz Schmidt handed the hosts their first gold medal of the road world championships on Tuesday when he powered to victory in the junior men’s time trial.
Schmidt, 17, clocked a winning time of 35min 07sec for the 27.8 km course, held over two laps in Copenhagen, to leave 18-year-old New Zealander James Oram in the silver medal position.
Oram had set the early pace in 35:11. Australian David Edwards, 18, stopped the clock at 35:28 to secure the bronze medal.
