"I could cry, and not out of joy" - Stefan Küng forced to endure another painful near miss in World title attempt
Cycling
Stefan Küng has been an incredibly successful rider over the past years, but has also often been on the brink of a big breakthrough title. Today in Wollongong at the World Championships that could've been it, but three seconds have seen him away from gold and 12 months of rainbow stripes.
"I could cry, and not out of joy. I've been circling around this big win for quite some time," Küng said after the time-tria. "I've been second, I've been third, I've been beaten by Remco a few times, by Ganna, by the other guys. I thought ‘I know how to beat them, I've beaten them all in the past – I just have to beat them all on the same day'. Today that was the case, but the Swiss found an unexpected rival, who will take home the gold medal because of a margin of only three seconds - Tobias Foss.
"I made a list of the favourites this morning and I beat them all, but I didn't have Tobias in mind, who put in a great ride today. I did a very good time trial today, but he was stronger," Küng said. He led the field through the first intermediate points, but could not hold the dash of Tobias Foss in the final split, who ended up taking a shocking win.
The route was one that satisfied him: "It’s a bit punchy, it's a bit left, right, a lot of changes of rhythm. It suits me quite well. I preferred this year's course over last year's. I was really confident going into today. I knew what I had to do, what had to be done, and the first lap felt like flying," Küng described. "For sure the second lap was a bit harder but when I heard the time split, that I was ahead on Remco and Ganna and Pogačar, I thought 'that is nice, let's keep it in the flow'. I think Tobias surprised us all today."
After several near misses, which include having lost the Europeans by less than a second this past August, this defeat came as another tough hit. "I have to accept it and keep on working. Keep on fighting. One day I hope it will turn my way," he concluded.
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Rúben SilvaEditor-in-Chief
A founding contributor to CyclingUpToDate since its launch in January 2022, Ruben Silva has played a central role in shaping the site’s editorial direction and long-term growth. Before joining the project, he built his experience through independent blogging at Echelons Hub and by producing race previews for Ciclismo Internacional, developing a strong analytical voice rooted in daily engagement with professional cycling.
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Originally from the Porto metropolitan area in Portugal, he holds a bachelor’s degree in Geography. His path into cycling journalism was shaped not through formal media training, but through independent reporting, community engagement, and sustained on-the-ground involvement in the sport.
Over the course of his career, he has conducted approximately 100 interviews across road cycling and cyclocross, ranging from one-to-one conversations and online formats to press conferences and on-site pre- and post-race coverage. His interviews include leading riders, team managers, and prominent figures within cycling media: Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, Mathieu van der Poel, Primoz Roglic, Wout van Aert, Joao Almeida and Tom Pidcock; managers like Patrick Lefevere and Joxean Matxin; and YouTube personality Bryan Kennedy (BKXC)...
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- I had no idea about that either.
santiagobenites10-11-2026 - great analysis thanks! appreciate you posting this. I didn't realize CX had a different standard for deviation. this is even more egregious it seems.mij10-11-2026
- As he isn't currently with Red Bull, I guess if he want to race for one more year he needs to find a team. He's 37 so this will be his last year I would guess, unless he wants to race for almost nothing like Froome did.awp10-11-2026
- I think some are making much ado about nothing. Even though Jonas is getting older, before his crash in the Tour, he looked like a solid 2nd all the way home. No one can really climb with Tadej until this year, Eric Mas showed himself which I think was a one off year for him and Paul Seixas has been able to be pretty close to him. Whatever stage race Jonas enters as long as Tadej is not there he is a favorite to win.awp10-11-2026
- Giro or not Giro, he won't win the Tour!MajorPayne10-11-2026
- Very true.awp10-11-2026
- Ciccone had a very strong end of season. Consistently attacking and livening up races. Hope he makes that last leap in progress and starts notching some significant wins. Great rider to watch.Occam10-11-2026
- Me too!!!!!Occam10-11-2026
- they can sign any 100 of top riders today but Pogi will win over Remco any time at the TDF unless something goes wrongabstractengineer10-11-2026
- the time for a GC rider to retire is when they cannot win stages, or have a significant level drop like from winner/podium into top 5/10 consistently. Roglic is still competitive and Froome raced even though he became pack fodder.abstractengineer10-11-2026
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