Overview
- Italy’s six-rider team posted 51 minutes 32 seconds to win the mixed team relay at the Road World Championships, finishing eight seconds ahead of France and 19 seconds ahead of Switzerland.
- The winning Italian quartet was Filippo Ganna, Mattia Cattaneo and Matteo Sobrero on the men’s leg, followed by Elisa Longo Borghini, Vittoria Guazzini and Monica Trinca Colonel on the women’s leg.
- Switzerland, pre-race among the favorites, lost time early when Stefan Küng suffered a mechanical problem that left riders Bissegger and Schmid to complete most of the men’s section with one teammate short.
- Team leaders reacted with visible emotion after the race, with Filippo Ganna saying the squad had chased the jersey all season and Elisa Longo Borghini describing her first world champion’s jersey as a shiver-inducing moment.
- The gold is Italy’s first world title in the mixed relay since the event began in 2019 and is the country’s third medal in Montreal following two earlier time-trial silvers, underlining Italy’s strength in clocked events.