When Rohan Dennis spectacularly abandoned the Tour de France this July, just one day before the time trial stage he was expected to win, focus immediately turned to the South Australian’s wellbeing. The 29-year-old has long been known for his fiery temperament, but to abandon the biggest race of the year mid-stage was something else entirely.
With Dennis and his team Bahrain-Merida remaining tight-lipped about the circumstances behind his withdrawal, some in the close-knit Australian cycling community became genuinely concerned for the 2018 world time trial champion. After 10 weeks away from the spotlight of competition, his scheduled appearance in national team colours at the Road World Championships to defend his rainbow jersey was much anticipated.
On Wednesday, he amply delivered. Triumph seemed assured from the moment Dennis rolled down the starter-ramp, calmly maintaining pace throughout and overhauling several riders along the way. But while his blistering victory in Yorkshire may have indicated that the recent turbulence did not impact his physical ability, the rider’s post-race comments revealed the internal battle he has faced.
“It has been the toughest period of my career, it was almost breaking,” said Dennis. “I was reminding myself today was all in my head.”
The Australian even name-checked his sports psychologist, David Spindler, in the post-race interviews. Spindler collected Dennis from the airport after he returned home from the Tour de France in the midst of the furore, and has worked closely with him ever since. “I mean physically I have always had it, but it was always the negativity in my head thinking not the positive things.” On Wednesday, Dennis overcame those demons.
His assured victory in Harrogate was a powerful reminder that, presently, no one on the planet has the same ability to race against the clock. After years of coming close to that crown, only to be felled by mishap or misadventure, Dennis beat defending time trial champion Tom Dumoulin last year in Innsbruck by over a minute. Twelve months later, he again put more than a minute into his nearest rival, this time teenage prodigy Remco Evenepoel.
Dennis’s rainbow stripes will buoy the Australian national team as they head into a big weekend of action. After finishing second in 2018, Amanda Spratt is a prime contender in the women’s road race on Saturday, in what shapes up to be an enthralling battle between the powerhouse Australian and Dutch teams.
On Sunday, Michael Matthews is among a group of favoured riders likely to be in the final selection in the men’s 285km epic. Dennis’s ride in the time trial offers hope that he can be an important support player for Matthews, alongside veteran Simon Clarke and climber Jack Haig.
Once the Road World Championships have concluded, Dennis will turn his mind to 2020. His future at Bahrain-Merida is unclear. He has recently indicated he intends to see out his contract, which runs through to 2020. But Dennis rode an unmarked bike on Wednesday – it is believed the dispute which saw him leave the Tour de France related to equipment.
Whichever trade team Dennis is riding for in 2020, his performance in Yorkshire augurs well for the Tokyo Olympics. The Australian’s dominant showing, in the face of such a challenging recent period, suggests that the work of psychologist Spindler is paying dividends. If Dennis can head to Tokyo next July without any of the distractions that have plagued him this year, he will be a strong favourite to claim Olympic time trial gold.