"The differences will be small ... We win or we lose in the city."~ OPQS Sport Director Tom Steels The UCI World TTT Championship victory of Omega Pharma – Quick-Step Cycling Team was far more than just the result of riders and staff. The win, which was a difference of just .81" to ORICA-GreenEDGE, was the product of crucial support from our technical/equipment partners and an intense drive for success that fostered incredibly focused collaboration. For example, our TTT testing in Zolder, where OPQS staff worked closely with sponsor Specialized to analyze data and optimize our time trial performance leading into Worlds. Without such collaboration, this victory would not have been possible.
The course leading into Firenze was not so technical until the teams reached the city. However, a difference of seconds between teams leading into those final kilometers meant OPQS relied on superior materials, such as the fantastic and aerodynamic body suits of Vermarc, that allowed our riders to focus simply on putting power to the pedals and maintaining momentum. Then, when OPQS reached the small roads and technical final 10 kilometers in the city, the riders had to trust that the technical partners material would enable them to take risks and gain the seconds they had lost going into the third and last checkpoint. OPQS winning by less than a second — through gaining time in the toughest section of the course — was a combination of team effort and superior materials from our technical/equipment partners.
OPQS would like to thank all of our technical/equipment partners, as they were key factors in our second UCI World TTT Championship. We appreciate the support. OPQS looks forward to future collaboration in working toward our next goals.
Please also enjoy the photo gallery or our UCI World TTT Championship victory attached to this story.