Thursday afternoon saw Chloé Dygert (Brownsburg, Ind.; CANYON//SRAM Racing) take on the Time Trial event in downtown Stirling, Scotland, to earn the coveted rainbow jersey. Dygert was the first from Team USA to battle the challenging climbs and corners of the 36.2-kilometer course.
Finishing in a time of 46:59.80, Dygert remained in the hot seat for the entire day. She went into the event not feeling 100% after catching a cold earlier in the week, “It was definitely 16 kilometers too long for me. After a certain point, I couldn’t catch up with my breathing. The [mucus] was coming up. The fatigue set in; I did everything I could to make it to the finish at that point. I’m really lucky it was enough,” said Dygert.
After a life-altering crash at the 2020 UCI Road World Championships in the Individual Time Trial, Dygert has been battling back from injury and illness over the past three years. To win another World’s gold medal after all she has been through is quite a feat. “I think this is a very special title for everybody behind me. At the beginning of this year, it was unclear if I was even going to be able to race this season. But to be able to be here and to win, it’s just a huge accomplishment for everyone who believed in me,” said Dygert after her podium ceremony. Back-to-back wins in the Individual Pursuit and the Individual Time Trial have only ever been done by one other cyclist in modern history, Filippo Ganna of Italy.
The last year has been a true comeback story for Dygert. Surgery, illness, and crashes caused a significant delay to the start of her season. “In November, I had my heart surgery. One month later, I got sick for four weeks. Then I crashed in a team camp, and I tore a little bit more of the muscle in my bad leg. I didn’t really get to start training until March. I went to Washington State, that’s where I trained before Yorkshire. That’s where my training really started, and I had my first race in Milton in April.”
When asked how it felt to win again, she said, “I don’t even know; I don’t have the words. It’s been a long three years. To be able to come back like this is absolutely amazing.”
Winning the Elite Women’s Individual Time Trial is Dygert’s twelfth World Championship Title. “I had to work just as hard as everyone else to get to this moment. At the end of the day, it's just an honor to be able to put this jersey on,” said Dygert.
With Dygert’s result, she is now automatically qualified for the Paris 2024 Sumer Olympic Games. This will be her third consecutive Games.
With all eyes on the Road Race, Dygert will be lining up with her American teammates on Sunday. They will compete on the 154.1 road race course that will go through Balloch and end in Glasgow City Center.
Elite Women's Individual Time Trial -
1 - Chloe Dygert (USA)
2 - Grace Brown (AUS)
3 - Christina Schweinberger (AUT)
