Canada 9th in mixed relay team time trial at road cycling world championships

Canada placed ninth of 15 teams in the mixed relay time trial at the road cycling world championships on Tuesday, while victorious Italy knocked off two-time defending champions Australia in Montreal.

The six-member Canadian team completed 40.6 kilometres with 290 metres of climbing in 53 minutes 39.96 seconds, 2:07.68 behind the Italians (51:32.28). France and Switzerland finished 2-3 for a second straight year. The French clocked 51:40.91 and Switzerland 51:52.18.

The Australians were fourth (52:12.76), a little more than eight seconds ahead of the fifth-placed Germans.

The absence of the Netherlands and Belgium on Tuesday opened the competition for medals.

Pier-André Côté, Michael Leonard and Nickolas Zukowsky rode the first 20.3 km for Canada, with Olivia Baril, Nadia Gontova and Alison Jackson completing the same course. The combined performance determined the final result.

Each rider crossed the St Lawrence River to visit the Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve, home of the Formula 1 Grand Prix, before returning to the Old Montreal and heading to the uphill finish.

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Two years ago, Canada was seventh in mixed relay team time trial in Zurich, its debut in the discipline at worlds since it was introduced in 2019.

Derek Gee-West of Osgoode, Ont., didn’t race for Canada on Tuesday after suffering a rib injury in the Sept. 13 Grand Prix Cycliste de Montreal. Gee-West, who was ninth in the 2024 Tour de France, is scheduled to compete in the elite men’s road race on Sunday morning.

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Tuesday’s mixed relay team time trial served as a transition between the individual time trials and road