A strong performance by Columbia-HTC's Tony Martin in the World Championships Individual Time Trial was rewarded with third place overall for the young German. Martin crossed the finishing line two minutes and 30 seconds behind winner Fabian Cancellara of Switzerland, with Sweden's Gustav Larsson taking silver. Another Columbia-HTC rider, Italy's Marco Pinotti finished fifth.


Photo by Tim de waele/tdwsport.com

Tony went on the Team's Scott PLASMA TT. The Plasma TT project is dubbed the most advanced R&D project in the bicycle industry, and the product is one of the fastest bikes the world has yet seen:

"I wanted the podium and I got it. I reached my objective," said Martin afterwards. "It was a tough ride to calculate your strength in, so I had to be careful, but it all paid off. I did a very fast first lap and paid the price a bit for that in the second, where I had cramps and thought I was heading for a difficult moment. But then in the third lap I started feeling better again and finally I could finish strongly and end up with bronze." 


Photo by Tim de waele/tdwsport.com
 
"I'm really pleased with how it all worked out. Normally [2008 World Champion and Columbia-HTC teammate] Bert Grabsch and I are about equal, but today I had a really good day." 

Martin's bronze medal is the second for a Columbia-HTC rider after Linda Villumsen finished third in the women's time trial on Wednesday.