Chris Froome adds world time trial bronze to Tour de France-Vuelta double

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Media caption,

Froome misses out on world title to Dumoulin

UCI World Road Championships 2017

Host: Bergen, Norway Dates: 17-24 September

Coverage: Live coverage of the elite men's and women's time trials and road races on BBC TV, BBC Red Button, Connected TV, BBC Sport website & app. Men's time trial, Weds 20 Sep: 12:00-17:30 - BBC Red Button and online; 14:30-16:45 - BBC Two - full broadcast schedule here

Britain's Chris Froome added a World Championship bronze medal in the time trial to this year's historic Tour de France and Vuelta a Espana double.

Froome, 32, finished in third, one minute 21 seconds behind the winner - Tom Dumoulin of the Netherlands.

Dumoulin crossed the line in 44mins 41secs, with Primoz Roglic taking silver over the 31km course.

Earlier this month, Froome became the third man to complete the Tour de France-Vuelta double in the same year.

He ends the World Championships with two bronze medals, having finished third in Sunday's team time trial with Team Sky.

"It would have been nice to be competing for the gold medal here but I have no regrets," he said. "It is an amazing way to end the season, with two bronze medals.

Media caption,

Froome has 'no regrets' after time trial bronze

"It has been a long season and an amazing season that I will forever be grateful for. I am glad to be at the end of it now."

He came into Wednesday's race as one of the favourites but with limited expectations, admitting that "anything would be a bonus" after being unable to train properly for the event.

Froome's start - going out third from last - coincided with a heavy downpour of rain in Bergen, but despite the tougher conditions, he remained in contention for the podium.

His chances of gold faded quickly as Dumoulin attacked the course with a powerful ride that at one stage took him close to overtaking the Tour de France winner, despite starting 90 seconds behind him.

However, the Brit persevered on the gruelling climb up the 9% gradient of Mount Floyen to take third.

Only two British riders have won time trial gold, Chris Boardman taking the inaugural title in 1994, with Sir Bradley Wiggins winning in 2014.

Dominant Dumoulin completes Dutch double

Netherlands' Annemiek van Vleuten won the women's race on Tuesday and her compatriot Dumoulin produced a fine performance as his time was almost a minute faster than Roglic's.

Dumoulin, the 2017 Giro d'Italia winner, was third fastest at the first checkpoint, before taking control despite being one of the riders who made their run as the rain began to fall in Norway.

He said: "I can't believe it. It is amazing. I had such a good day. I felt really good.

"It started raining and I had to take the corners really slow. Every corner the back wheel was slipping."

Roglic, 27, has only been a professional cyclist for five years and had competed in ski-jumping events as a teenager, winning the world junior title in 2007.

The race also featured another two-sport competitor as New Zealand's Hamish Bond, who won gold medals at the 2012 and 2016 Olympics in the coxless pairs rowing events, finished 39th.

Ireland's Nicolas Roche came 12th while Great Britain's Tao Geoghegan-Hart ended in 43rd after falling during the race.

"You would have to use a beep noise to describe that ride," Geoghegan Hart told BBC Sport. "I couldn't get on top of it, I couldn't get my breathing right, it was not a great ride.

"I came off on one of the corners. I overcooked it a little bit - I was too ambitious and trying to go too fast."

Image source, Rex Features
Image caption,

Froome is the third man to complete the Tour de France-Vuelta double in the same year - and the only man to do it when the Vuelta was held just a month after the Tour

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