It doesn't always work like clockwork, but at least the Swiss' precise timing separated the winning Australian and silver medalist Germany at the end of the mixed relay team time trial at the Road World Championships.

While the mixed relay at the fifth edition of the championships was the most hand-picked finale to date, the farce that took place in the early afternoon highlighted the ongoing problems of the discipline. While the idea of a mixed discipline at the World Championships is laudable, the UCI's opaque execution continues to sell the concept short.

In other sports, relays involve a direct handover from one leg to the next. In cycling, there is no visible changeover between the three men running the first half and the three women running the second half. Instead, the women wait on the starting ramp without being able to see the finish line, and the flag is waved when the two men have completed the race.

On Wednesday, there seemed to be a breakdown in communication from the commissaires, and Algeria paid the price. Like many teams, the Algerian men's trio lost a rider early on the hilly course. Later, a second rider fell and the Algerian relay appeared to be over, but a waiting women's team instead made way for the World Cycling Center's women's trio to take the starting podium.

To the surprise of the commissaires, the next two riders to cross the finish line were from the Algerian team, but in the confusion, the World Cycling Center women's team was flagged to begin competition early, before the men's team reached the finish line. Shortly after, the Algerian women rushed to the start venue and began the time trial, which they were late to begin.

The commissaires quickly ruled that both teams would be awarded the sum of the separate times recorded by the men's and women's trio, but under the circumstances, it was not surprising that Algeria finished in last place in the dungeon, over 30 minutes behind Australia and nearly 14 minutes ahead of the closest team, Afghanistan It was not surprising.

“We were told we couldn't start, so we had no warm-up or anything. Algeria's Yasmin El Medda explained in the mixed zone after the race.

“We were told that the men's race had a fallen rider and a crashed rider, and the women's race could not start. The rider who fell off later returned and the men's rider returned with him, so we were told we could start. In any case, this is our first time participating, so we want to learn for next year”

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A record number of 20 teams participated in Wednesday's mixed relay, but federations such as the Netherlands, Belgium, and Great Britain did not participate. The Netherlands, Belgium, and Great Britain did not participate. Both the length and difficulty of the course were undoubtedly factors in their decision.

“It was only a week ago that I was selected for the team, and when I got the call from the national coach I thought it was a joke,” Lealini said after Italy won the bronze medal by eight seconds over Australia. I'm not a time triallist, but maybe the course suited me because of all the climbs.” The course was also a test for my road racing. I learned how hard the climbs are.”

Each trio had to tackle a 409-meter climb per lap, and the steep climb up Zurichbergstrasse, which began after only 2 km, caused great confusion for many teams, including the latecomers. The long climb up the Witticong that followed was not an easy team effort.

For the first time, Canada took part in a mixed relay, finishing seventh in 2 hours 42 minutes. Derek Gee was enthusiastic about the general concept of the event, but acknowledged that such a hilly course was not ideal for a team time trial.

“It's hard to get teamwork going on a course like that,” he said. Even if you do a pull and swap places, it's still uphill. You can't recover and there's very little time to get into a rhythm. It was a real tour de force on that course.”

“I think it's also difficult to take advantage of the strength gap within the team. Some players hit the wall right away and get out of shape because of it. But it's interesting. It was a tough start for us, but it's nice to have a different course every year.”

Meanwhile, a handful of bike races broke out. In the men's race, Australians Ben O'Connor, Michael Matthews, and Jay Vine were the fastest, but they were only seven seconds behind Italy's Filippo Ganna, Edoardo Affini, and Mattia Cattaneo.

The gap closed in the second leg. Germany, led by Antonia Niedermeier, was once again in contention for the gold medal. Meanwhile, Australia lost Ruby Roseman-Gannon, but had Brody Chapman and elite women's time trial champion Grace Brown.

It was Germany that finished first among the medal contenders, and Niedermeyer and Liane Lippert may have thought they had done enough to take the title, with Chapman and Brown sprinting to the finish. Australia finished just 0.85 seconds ahead of Germany.

On the road course, the Italian duo of Leaarini and Elisa Longo Borghini were still going strong. Realini's small stature did not provide much shelter when Longo Borghini swapped turns, but at the final check, they were only two seconds apart. In the end, however, he finished third, eight seconds behind the Australian.

Matthews confessed that his entry in the mixed relay was to provide a rare opportunity to scout a road race course at high intensity. 'That was my main goal,' he said. It was to see the course at full pace, full lactic acid,” Matthews said.

Still, his excitement at the possibility of a team world title was palpable as the Australian men completed their efforts. As Ben O'Connor began his interview in the mixed zone, Matthews drew his compatriot's attention to the men's best times on a nearby television screen.

“We beat the Italians,” he said. Matthews smiled.

With Brown anchoring the Australian relay, Matthews must have known he might end the day in the rainbow jersey. Brown will be racing for the last time in his career as he retires next month at the Crono de Nations.

Amidst the celebration, the 31-year-old Brown offered a clear-eyed assessment of a concept that has yet to reach its sum total, questioning why the mixed relay was held on a course designed for road racing.

“It was a really difficult course for a team time trial because there were literally no flat sections, and it would have been nice to have more than three riders, because the course was so flat that it would have been impossible to have more than one rider. It's a completely different team time trial than your normal Grand Tour or whatever,” Brown said.

“Perhaps it could be tweaked to make it a little more exciting, more well attended, and a better event. Due to the crashes in previous years, many countries have not entered teams, and some competitors don't want to risk competing in other events. Overall, I like the concept of doing something with the boys and doing something as a team.

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