As we approach the new year, we look back on the UCI World Championships and the week where the world stopped and had it's eyes on the Wollongong and it's spectacular sights.
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There was a lot of conjecture pre-races, with road closures and an overall lack of transparency between the organisers and local businesses creating angst in the region.
Read more: 50 great Illawarra sport photos from 2022
Crowds - or lack of - was the big topic of discussion during the mid-week races. Overseas media working out of the hub at the Wollongong Entertainment Centre were left bemused as to how little attention the races were getting from the general Illawarra and Australian public.
The people did turn out in droves during the elite women's and men's races on the Saturday and Sunday, the final two days of competition.
Rain made for a tough course for the elite women but in turn created a brilliant atmosphere, whilst in the men's the sun was shining in what was a sensational day to cap off the event.
But despite pre-event jitters from some, the races got underway.
Time Trials
On the first day of official racing in September the elite women, elite men and U-23 women took to the circuit in the time trials.
Over 34.2km, the world's elite racers tried to finish the course as quickly as possible.
In the women's, Australian Grace Brown had the title in her hands for the majority of the race, finishing with a time of 44:41.33 but faced a nervous wait to see how the other competitors fared.
Dutch champion Ellen Van Dijk broke the heart of Brown and all Australians cheering her on, coming away with the rainbow jersey after finishing 12 seconds ahead of the Aussie.
In the men's, Tobias Foss produced a stunning ride to beat Swiss rider Stefan Kung and Belgian Remco Evenepoel in the time trial.
The youngster finished with a time of 40:02.78. He went early and had to watch atop of the podium for a fair chunk of the race, but the Norwegian produced a ride that was unmatched.
Italian junior Vittoria Guazzini took out the U-23 women's time trial.
Following the first day of racing, eyes were planted on the men's U-23 time and junior time trials and it was success once more for Norway with Sren Wrenskjold winning gold in the U-23's. In the juniors, Aussie Hamish McKenzie rode away with silver as he finished 19 seconds behind winner Joshua Tarling (34.59.26).
Junior Races
Great Britian's 'next big thing' Zoe Backstedt took out the women's junior time trial, proving a class above.
Backstedt finished in a time of 18.26.78 minutes, almost 1.45 seconds ahead of silver medal winner Justyn Czapla from Germany.
Belgian rider Febe Jooris finished in third, while Isabelle Carnes was the best of the three Australians in the race, finishing in eighth position.
Mixed Time Trial
One of the more intriguing races of the week, the mixed time trial saw team Switzerland beat team Australia for the top place on the podium.
The mixed time trial was a relatively new addition to the world's, with the inaugural event held at the 2019 championships in Yorkshire and the 2021 championships in Brugge.
Australia were pushed to bronze by a stellar performance from Georgia Baker, who overturned the initial intermediate split set by the men which saw the team behind the leaders early on.
The mixed time trial saw the likes of war-torn Ukraine and minnows Samoa compete in the event against all the odds.
Junior Road Races
In the junior men road race over 135.6 kms, Germany's Emil Herzog won a thrilling and bruising race. Herzog was in a drag race with Portugal's Antonio Morgado, who won the nation's first ever medal in the race.
Belguim's Vlad Van Mechelen won bronze.
There was drama straight from the off in the race with three of the major favourites suffering a crash on the first lap of the contest. Dutch rider Max Van Der Meulen, Great Britain's Joshua Tarling, who won the junior time trial earlier in the week and Australian Hamish McKenzie all felt the effects of the rain which pelted down in Wollongong the night before.
In the junior women is was again Backstedt who claimed victory - her second of the week - this time in the road race.
Kiwi Niamh Fisher-Black took away glory in the U-23 women's event whilst in one of the surprises of the whole championships, Kazakhstan's Yevgeniy Fedorov claimed the rainbow jersey in the U-23 men's race.
Elite Road Races
In the final two days of action, it was the women's and the men's elite road races in which there were some sensational scenes with incredible crowd numbers turning out to both days.
On the Saturday, the elite women took to the gruelling 164.3km course.
What followed was one of the most inspirational moments in world sport.
Dutch rider Annemiek van Vleuten - who crashed and broke her elbow in the time trials earlier in the week - sat at the back of the podium for the majority of the race, never looking like troubling the leaders.
Then, in the last kilometre, she was still in with a chance and she went for it, coming in on the outside to win the rainbow jersey right out from underneath all her other competitors.
At the scenes post race, van Vleuten seemed simply at a loss as to how she pulled off one of the greatest moments in not only cycling, but in world sport.
At 39 years of age, she proved that she was one of the greatest ever cyclists in Wollongong.
In the elite men, Canberra's Michael Matthews was the 'great Aussie hope' to claim victory in the 266.9km race.
It was close and there was nothing to separate the top riders all race, but Belgian wonder-kid, Remco Evenepoel - who was swooped by a magpie earlier in the week - broke his nation's great drought by winning the race.
And just like that it was all over and the worlds were complete.
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Jordan Warren
Illawarra Mercury sports journalist. Feel free to get in touch jordan.warren@austcommunitymedia.com.au.
Illawarra Mercury sports journalist. Feel free to get in touch jordan.warren@austcommunitymedia.com.au.
