Against the odds, Dygert back in old routine

GLASGOW : It has been a while since American rider Chloe Dygert powered around a velodrome to a gold medal with her rivals seemingly pedalling through treacle far behind.

But nearly three years after suffering an horrific career-threatening leg injury at the world road championships time trial in Italy, the 26-year-old proved on Thursday she is back.

Dygert, the golden girl of American cycling, reduced the individual time trial field to also-rans on the opening day of the UCI World Championships in Glasgow.

So dominant was she around the polished boards of the Chris Hoy Velodrome that she caught her opponent in the final lap of the 3km event in which riders start on opposite sides of the 250m oval and victories are usually measured in bike lengths.

Germany's Franziska Brausse never really stood a chance.

Dygert's time of 3 minutes 17.5 seconds earned her an 11th world title but her first since winning individual and team pursuit golds at the Berlin World Track Championships in 2020.

Yet her initial reaction appeared to be one of disappointment as her time was not lower than the world record she already owns in the discipline - perhaps a result of a lack of real opposition and "heavy" track conditions.

"It's been a long three years to get back to here," Dygert, who was left with a deep laceration in her leg after careering over a roadside barrier and down a ravine on a high-speed corner in northern Italy in 2020, said after soaking in the anthem.

"After 2020 and Tokyo, I worked with the medical team and staff at USA Cycling and Canyon/SRAM (her road team) to get me to the point where my body could compete again.

"The goal is always to go faster but this ride felt good."

When she left the Berlin worlds in 2020 it seemed she was set