Disaster struck for one of the outside favourites in the UCI Road World Championships under-23 men’s time trial in Montreal on Monday as Australia’s Cameron Rogers suffered a serious mechanical and had to ride most of the 31.3-kilometre route in a huge gear.
“It was just unfortunate with the gearing and the mechanical problem,” a devastated Rogers said. “The chain fell off the front chainring not even 10 kilometres in. I was on a really good run. I felt super super fast and had really good legs today – it’s just unfortunate.”
At first, the Australian mechanic was quickly there with a spare road bike and tried to help get the chain back on, but as soon as Rogers tried to get going, he realised he was in a massive gear and couldn’t shift.
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His temper flared as he realised he had two options: get on the road bike and lose massive amounts of time to his competitors, or wait to see if the mechanic could fix it – still losing time.
Three times he tried to fix the problem, finding that it was in ‘crash mode’ – where the rear derailleur locks out after a hard impact – but each time he got back on to pedal, he couldn’t get out of that massive gear.
His frustration was palpable as he let out a crescendo of curses in anger, then fell into despair, and finally into acceptance as he knew his chances were over.
“The derailleur was bent almost in half. I had to bend it back myself. I don’t know how long I was sitting on the road,” Rogers said. “I was like three minutes, stationary, not moving. And then yeah, I was stuck in the biggest gear for the entire race with nothing I could do.
“I tried to even reach behind the bike myself and take it out of crash mode, but it didn’t work. So decided to switch the road bike for the final climbs because it’s faster than a bike that’s stuck in a 66-tooth chainring.”
Finally ending his misery after crossing the line, Rogers admitted that he nearly gave up. But he soldiered on, finishing 39th, 3:24 behind winner Ryan Gal (Netherlands).
“I wanted to get in the car, to be honest. I saw them getting the road bike off [the car], and there’s just no point in riding one of these,” he said, gesturing to the offending road bike beside him, “to the finish. There was a lot leading up to today.
“To be honest, I thought I could win this race, just in myself. I had no one to prove it to but myself, and yeah, now I have to prove it in the next race, in the next opportunity. Whenever that comes.”
Unfortunately for Rogers, nephew of ex-pro and three-time elite time trial world champion Michael Rogers, his birthday is on December 16, when he will turn 22, meaning he is not eligible for the under-23s next year. But with enough talent to win the under-23 Gent-Wevelgem while racing for Netcompany Ineos’ development team this year, he undoubtedly has a bright future in the sport.
Rogers will line up with his Australian compatriots, Conor Leahy, Michael Matthews, Georgia Baker, Mackenzie Coupland and newly crowned U23 women time trial champion Felicity Wilson-Haffenden for the Team Time Trial Mixed Relay early on Tuesday morning.
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