During an extremely damp time trial through the English countryside, Chloe Dygert (Brownsburg, Ind.; Sho-Air TWENTY20) rode her way to her eighth World Title clocking a time 1:32 ahead of the silver medal finisher, Dutch rider Anna Van Der Breggen. During her ride, Dygert passed seven riders who had started ahead of her in 1-minute intervals, clocking the fastest splits time check after time check. Dygert’s performance today earned her not only the Rainbow Jersey but also the title as the youngest person, male or female, to win the Elite Time Trial at the UCI World Championships.
Dygert, who sat the majority of 2018 and early 2019 out while recovering from a knee injury and concussion, proved that she was back in full form and ready to continue chasing her goals. Some of her notable accomplishments during her comeback season were winning won all four stages of the Colorado Classic as well as winning the overall USA Cycling Pro Road Tour Calendar.
“It’s really, really special,” said Dygert about her comeback performance, “Especially for all those people who still believe in me and stick by my side. This has really been for all those people and I wouldn’t be here without them.”
Dygert wasn’t the only American to finish in the top 10 in the Elite Women’s race. Two-time World Champion, Amber Neben (Lake Forest, Calif.; Cogeas-Mettler Pro Cycling), placed fourth and 2019 Continental Champion Leah Thomas (Santa Clara, Calif.; Bigla Pro Cycling) placed seventh. Dygert and Neben’s performances automatically qualified them for a spot on the Long Team for next year’s Olympic Games, Tokyo 2020.
“Our women have continued to be a force to be reckoned with in the pro peloton,” said Scott Schnitzpahn, Vice President of Elite Athletics for USA Cycling, “Chloe continues to push the limits day-in and day-out and after having a difficult year, it’s a great feeling to watch not only do but exceed what we have always known she is capable of. To have all of our riders today place in the top ten, including three on the podium gives me great hope and excitement for the future of our riders. We feel extremely lucky to have so many amazing ambassadors of this sport who do so with integrity, humility and strong work ethics.”
Racing will continue tomorrow with the Men’s Elite Individual Time Trial. Coverage will start at 6am MT on the Olympic Channel.
To follow along with Team USA at the 2019 Road World Championships, follow @USACyclingLIVE on Twitter and @USACycling across all other platforms. For more about the 2019 UCI Road World Championships, please visit the event website at https://worlds.yorkshire.com.
