Cycling: Cancellara retains time trial crown with ease

Swiss rider Fabian Cancellara had no problems repeating his 2006 time trial victory in the Road World Championships here yesterday, riding home with a devastating 52-second margin over second placed Lazlo Bodrogi of Hungary.

Cancellara's superiority was such that he overtook last year's silver medallist, Dave Zabriskie of the United States, 5km from the finish of the 45km hilly course.

Britain's representatives, Bradley Wiggins and David Millar, finished 10th and 18th respectively, and neither were satisfied. "I thought I had an outside chance of a medal, but that didn't work and I'm not sure why, though I never really felt fantastic at any point," Wiggins said. "It was just a bad day for me," Millar added. However, Wiggins' top 10 result guarantees Great Britain two starters in the Beijing Olympics for the men's time trial event.

Meanwhile, organisers here are trying to stop 2006 World road-race champion Paolo Bettini taking part in Sunday's race in a row over an anti-doping pledge implemented by the UCI, cycling's governing body, which Bettini has refused to sign.