Kupfernagel shows off her first world title after blitzing the course

Kupfernagel won the women's 25.1km time trial from defending champion Kristin Armstrong on a hilly, testing course.

Kupfernagel clocked a time of 34 minutes and 43 seconds to finish 23 seconds ahead of American Armstrong, with Austria's Christiane Soeder third.

Briton Emma Pooley, making her World Championship debut, was eighth, while fellow Brit Wendy Houvenaghel was 25th.

Kupfernagel was an early starter and looked increasingly confident as rivals failed to match her intermediate times or challenge her overall time.

606: DEBATE Let's not forget Britain's Emma Pooley who came home in the top 10

And for the 33-year-old, who won Olympic silver in the road event at Sydney in 2000, a first world time-trial title was secured when Armstrong, the last rider on the road, fell short of her mark.

French veteran Jeannie Longo, the 48-year-old multiple world and Olympic champion, rolled back the years again to finish in respectable seventh place.

And Pooley ended the day a further place back, one minute and 32 seconds off top spot.

Result:
1 Hanka Kupfernagel (Germany) 34 mins 43 secs
2 Kristin Armstrong (USA) @ 23 secs
3 Christiane Soeder (Austria) @ 41 secs
4 Amber Neben (USA) @ 1 min 2 secs
5 Christine Thorburn (USA) @ 1 min 11 secs
6 Priska Doppmann (Switzerland) @ 1 min 21 secs
7 Jeannie Longo-Ciprelli (France) @ 1 min 21 secs
8 Emma Pooley (GB) @ 1 min 32 secs
9 Karin Thuerig (Switzerland) @ 1 min 35 secs
10 Li Meifang (China) @ 1 min 37 secs

Selected other:
25 Wendy Houvenaghel (GB) @ 2 mins 39 secs