Results 2025 World Championships Mixed Relay TT | Australia claim gold again as Plapp, Matthews, Vine, Chapman, Spratt & Wilson-Haffenden dramatically retain world title

The Australian team of Luke Plapp, Michael Matthews, Jay Vine, Brodie Chapman, Amanda Spratt and Felicity Wilson-Haffenden have taken victory at the 2025 Kigali World Championships in the mixed relay time trial, defending their title by just 5 seconds in an incredibly dramatic finale.

The early African squads set the stage for what promised to be a fiercely competitive event. Benin kicked things off, followed by Uganda, Ethiopia, and host nation Rwanda, each taking to the 41.8km course in staggered three-minute intervals. China quickly established themselves as early pacesetters, leading after the first two intermediate splits and holding off Rwanda and Ethiopia.

As the European and Oceania teams hit the course, the competition intensified. Spain, Switzerland, France, Italy, Germany, and Australia all posted fast times in the opening stages, with intermediate splits proving decisive in separating the contenders. Switzerland’s men edged out Spain at the early checkpoints, while France managed to improve on Switzerland’s time by less than a second, also putting significant time into Spain’s male riders.

Australia, the reigning champions, dominated the men’s section of the race, setting an early benchmark that would prove difficult for others to match. Their women’s trio also posted strong splits, holding a 33-second advantage over France at one point, signalling their intent to defend the title.

Italy and Switzerland were also in strong form. Switzerland, boosted by world champion Marlen Reusser on the women’s side, built more than a minute-and-a-half advantage over some of the other teams, while France maintained consistent pace across both their male and female squads. Germany showed flashes of speed but was unable to break into the top ranks at the early checkpoints.

As the afternoon progressed, it became clear that the fight for the podium would come down to the final kilometres. Switzerland had overtaken Spain at the finish, completing the course in 54:49 — 1 minute 37 seconds faster — while France surged ahead between the fourth and fifth intermediate points, briefly taking a 15-second advantage over the Swiss.

However, Switzerland’s challenge was far from over. Recently crowned world TT champion Marlen Reusser suffered a mechanical issue with less than six kilometres remaining, costing the team 25 seconds of their lead over Spain and leaving them to tackle the course’s toughest section without their strongest rider. Despite the setback, the Swiss finished with a slender lead of 1:08.

Moments later, French duo Juliette Labous and Maeva Squiban came to the line and as the clock ticked dramatically towards the Swiss's leading effort, the pair gave their all to move into the hotseat by just 13 seconds as they crossed the line. As Italy moved into a provisional 3rd place, more than a minute down on France, all eyes turned towards the Australian pair of Amanda Spratt and Brodie Chapman. In a dramatic finale, the Aussie pair sealed victory by just 5 seconds at the line!