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VARESE, Italy, Sept 24, 2008 (AFP) - Amber Neben upstaged American
compatriot Kristin Armstrong, the new Olympic champion, by winning the women’s
time trial gold here at the world road race championships on Wednesday.

Austrian Christiane Soeder finished second at just under 8secs to take the
silver medal with Germany’s Judith Arndt claiming bronze after finishing
nearly 22secs adrift in third.

Neben, who finished fourth last year and fifth in 2005, clocked a winning
time of 33min 51.35sec for the rolling 25.15km course to claim her maiden
world title at the age of 34.

“I’m just lost for words, I’m so happy and excited,” said Neben, who
started 14th last from the 43-strong field and led at both intermediate
checkpoints before pushing Russia’s Tatiana Antoshina off provisional top
spot.

After finishing way down the time trial field at the Olympics, the
unassuming Californian who rides as a professional for Dutch Team Flexpoint
had decided on a tailor-made programme to bring her to Varese on top form.

Still, she was ill prepared for the nervous wait in the hot seat, with no
TV pictures to indicate the times of her rivals.

“There were 13 riders behind me so the only chance I had was to finish
fastest and then wait. I tried not to get too excited … I was just praying
and waiting,” she added.

Neben last week won the difficult Tour de l’Ardeche stage race, and raced
some time trials in between to bring her to peak form.

In the end, it allowed her to set a superb time which Armstrong simply
could not beat. She finished in fifth, almost six seconds outside bronze medal
pace.

Time trial specialist Soeder was delighted with her silver medal, having
failed to live up to expectations at last year’s world championships.

In Stuttgart, she was third behind Armstrong and German winner Hanka
Kupfernagel and at the Beijing Games Soeder finished seventh, having spent
precious energy in the road race.

“I think in Beijing I suffered from my efforts in the road race,” said the
bubbly Austrian. “But sometimes you have good and bad days, and this is
definitely one of the good ones.”

Arndt is one of the elder stateswomen of the women’s professional scene
and, despite picking up her fourth medal from the worlds time trial, the
32-year-old is aiming primarily for a medal in the women’s road race on
Saturday.

“I’m really happy because I didn’t expect to win a medal today,” said
Arndt, the 2004 world road race champion.

“I’ve had a lot of ups and downs this season and I didn’t train
specifically for the time trial.”
American Levi Leipheimer meanwhile could add to the US time trial gold
tally. He starts as favourite in the men’s race against the clock on Thursday.