Katie Colclough (Specialized-Lululemon) – world team trial success

All the focus prior to Florence was on Sir Bradley Wiggins in the individual time trial and Chris Froome in the road race. However, while Wiggins had to settle for silver before Froome, and the rest of his team, all failed to finish the road race, Britain did leave with one world champion – former European team pursuit champion Katie Colclough. The 23-year-old’s success on the track had not previously been replicated on the road, but Colclough and her Specialized-Lululemon team mates had already proved their credentials with a stunning team time trial victory during the Boels Ladies Tour.

On that occasion, they beat Orica-AIS – including track star Annette Edmondson – by more than a minute, while Colclough also proved her own individual time trialing ability with third place behind former team pursuit team-mates Joanna Rowsell and Lizzie Armitstead at the British national championships.

And at the worlds, the defending champions – having won without Colclough in 2012 – stormed to victory. With little to choose between the main competitors at the first time check, Specialized-Lululemon dropped the hammer over the remainder of the course, and all six riders – Colclough included – finished together to clock a time more than one minute faster than Marianne Vos’ second-placed Rabobank Liv-Giant team.