Suffering on the way to Sechseläutenplatz: For Stefan Küng, the World Championship time trial in Zurich was "torture"
Image: Keystone
Küng lost sight of the medal more and more
Image: Keystone
Stefan Bissegger was far from a top result in 29th place
Image: Keystone
Bissegger suffered muscular problems early on in the race
Image: Keystone
Küng now has to recover optimally for next Saturday's road race
Image: Keystone
Suffering on the way to Sechseläutenplatz: For Stefan Küng, the World Championship time trial in Zurich was "torture"
Image: Keystone
Küng lost sight of the medal more and more
Image: Keystone
Stefan Bissegger was far from a top result in 29th place
Image: Keystone
Bissegger suffered muscular problems early on in the race
Image: Keystone
Küng now has to recover optimally for next Saturday's road race
Image: Keystone
The hoped-for fireworks of the Swiss time trial aces at the home World Championships came to nothing. The medals are out of reach. Stefan Küng takes it in his stride, Stefan Bissegger is longing for a break.
Stefan Küng knows what it feels like to stand on the World Championship podium. The most successful active Swiss professional cyclist would have been only too happy to accept a third world championship medal in the time trial on Sechseläutenplatz and make the home crowd happy. However, the Thurgau native, who has often been plagued by hundredths of a second, was far from lucky this time. In eighth place, he lost almost a minute off the podium on the 46 km loop.
"It was torture"
"I quickly realized that it wasn't an ideal day," analyzed Küng, who made up most of his deficit on the climb and at the back. "I didn't manage to change rhythm on the climb. From then on, it was torture all the way to the finish."
The winner Remco Evenepoel and second-placed Filippo Ganna are probably also out of reach for Küng on his super day, but bronze would have been possible for the Swiss rider. Even more so after he got back on track after a summer with many health problems and gained confidence with his stage win at the Tour of Spain two weeks ago.
"I thought the Vuelta was the best preparation, maybe it wasn't after all," said Küng when looking for reasons for the disappointing 8th place. "When things are going well for me, I have a tendency to push too hard in training. Maybe that was the problem."
Not a high-flyer like Cancellara
Physically, "two or three percent" was missing today. "That makes it difficult in a world-class field." Although he regrets not being able to succeed at his home World Championships, he takes it in his stride. "I'm not particularly disappointed. That's not to say that the race means nothing to me."
"I've been compared to Fabian Cancellara since the start of my career." The nine-time medal winner at the World Championships and Olympic Games has often delivered when he has announced victory, says Küng. "I'm just more of an ordinary mortal than a high-flyer."
He cannot blame himself. "I got everything out of myself that was possible. Unfortunately, it wasn't nearly enough," says Küng. "He accepts that. But I won't let it spoil my home World Championships experience." Now it's time to recover in order to be ready for the road race on Sunday.
Bissegger plagued by muscular problems
For Bissegger, it became apparent early on that nothing would come of the hoped-for medal ride. "The first five or ten kilometers weren't too bad. But then I got problems in my buttocks, the muscles on both sides closed up. As a result, I couldn't put any pressure on the pedals," explained the 2022 European champion, who had already dampened expectations in the run-up to the race due to a cold. In 29th place, over three minutes behind the medals, he had no chance.
"I had good legs in Paris, but not here," said the Olympic sixth-placed rider. The time trial was obviously one race too many for him. "My body is at its limit and needs a break to recover."
Until the 26-year-old from Thurgau can go on his long-awaited vacation to Mauritius with his family, he will be competing in the mixed time trial on Wednesday. And his new employer will soon be announced. After five years with Team EF-Education, Bissegger will be making a fresh start at the end of the season.
