Cycling: Puncture deflates Hamish Bond's chances at world champs

Hamish Bond at the world championships. Photo / Getty

A puncture has deflated Hamish Bond's performance in the individual time trial at the world road cycling championships.

Having only started riding full-time in January following a distinguished rowing career, Bond finished 39th out of 64 riders in his first taste of elite level riding on the 31 kilometre Norwegian course.

The two-time Olympic champion in the coxless pair crossed the line three minutes and 33 seconds down on winner Tom Dumoulin, who dominated the race. The Giro D'Italia 2017 champion won by an incredible 57.79 seconds over the second placed Primoz Roglic, with Tour de France and Vuelta a Espana victor Chris Froome earning third.

While still a quality ride when given the proper context, Bond's finish could have been more impressive if not for the early setback.

The 31-year-old was just 12 seconds behind the leader through the first 3.4 kilometres, but a puncture saw him lose over a minute over the next eight kilometres as he dropped off the pace.

Placed 44th after a third of the race, Bond slowly came back from his moment of ill-fortune, pacing himself smartly throughout the remainder of the course's flat portion, and his larger frame held up well on the punishing final climb.

While his whole race was a venture into the unknown, that was no more so than on Mount Fløyen, where Bond was expecting to suffer through the 3.4 kilometre finish.

At an average gradient of 9.1 per cent, the tight climb was flanked by fans, and for many riders required a bike change as they transitioned from the flat to the climb.

Bond impressively held his own, taking 11 minutes and 27 seconds to navigate the closing climb and clock the 39th best time, completing the course in 48 minutes and 14 seconds.

Of the big names on the world cycling stage, Bond did finish ahead of Colombia's Jarlinson Pantano, while without the puncture he could have challenged the times of Portugal's Rui Costa and impressive Swedish time trialist Tobias Ludvigsson.

Other riders to suffer from bad luck was one of the favourites to make the podium, Australia's Rohan Dennis, who hit the deck as the rain started to pour as the favourites hit the course.

However, the conditions didn't impact the overwhelming Dumoulin, who put on one of the most dominating displays in the history of the race to claim his first individual time trial gold.