Oceania’s impressive start to the cycling world road race championships continued on the second day on Tuesday in the time trials, as New Zealand won two medals just a day after Australian riders had dominated.
Hours after James Oram had taken silver in the junior men’s event, Linda Villumsen claimed the Kiwis’ second medal of the championships with a silver in the elite women’s race against the clock.
Adopted New Zealander Villumsen admitted, however, that half of her medal belonged to her native Denmark.
Photo: AFP
“I would say it’s 50-50,” she said when asked who she had won the medal for. “It [Denmark] is still my roots, it will always be here.”
A four-time Danish champion who finished in the top 10 of the Olympic road race in 2008, Villumsen swapped allegiances to ride for New Zealand last year.
What is Denmark’s loss should be New Zealand’s gain.
Having won a maiden world time trial medal, a bronze, in 2009 for Denmark, the 26-year-old from Herning has now won two time-trial medals for New Zealand, bronze last year and now silver.
Villumsen was also second in the Commonwealth Games time trial last year.
And with the women set to battle it out on a London Olympic course, which, like Copenhagen, is not hilly, Villumsen looks odds-on for a medal.
Villumsen admitted, however, she is still coming to terms with the rules of her adopted country’s national sport.
“I do have an All Blacks shirt, but I don’t really watch rugby because I don’t understand all the rules,” she said. “I prefer to watch netball.”
On a damp 27.8km course, which was flat and technical, Judith Arndt finally ended her quest for an elusive gold in the discipline.
Germany’s former world road race champion pushed Villumsen down to second place when she stopped the clock at 37 minutes, 7.38 seconds.
Villumsen timed 37:29.11, while Britain’s defending champion Emma Pooley took the bronze in 37:31.51.
It was Pooley, however, who arguably got the biggest boost. Known for her climbing skills, which got her Olympic time-trial silver in Beijing, her bronze showed her that she, too, can harbor hopes of a medal in London.
“I’m quite pleased, I was hoping for a place in the top 10 so it’s great to get on the podium,” Pooley said.
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