Australia retained their mixed relay time trial crown at the road world championships in Kigali on Wednesday.
The team, comprising three men and three women, finished the 41.8km course in 54 minutes, 30.47 seconds. France took silver, five seconds behind and Switzerland were third.
"We only arrived a couple of days ago and we didn't ride out there on the roads until yesterday," said Michael Matthews. "But it all came good."
Matthews and teammates Luke Plapp and Jay Vine were on their feet cheering as Felicity Wilson-Haffenden, Brodie Chapman and Amanda Spratt raced up the last hill of the closing leg.
"I could hear the men) screaming: 'Sprint, sprint sprint' coming to the close," said Spratt.
Fifteen teams lined up for the only event of the fourth day of competition at the first UCI road world championships to be held in Africa in the 104-year history of the event.
To mark the occasion, four African teams Benin, Uganda, Ethiopia and Rwanda launched the race at the Kigali Convention Centre.
The Ethiopians won the local bragging rights. They finished in 10th place in just over 62 minutes. Rwanda and Mauritius were 11th and 12th with Uganda and Benin bringing up the rear in 14th and 15th respectively.
Reusser and Evenepoel take first titles at world cycling championships in Kigali
Glory for Dutch youngsters
On Tuesday, the Dutch 18-year-olds Michiel Mouris and Megan Arens won the individual time trials in the men's and women's junior events.
Mouris completed the 22.6 km course between the BK Arena in Kigali and the Kigali Convention Centre in 29 minutes, 07.61 seconds.
Arens finished the 18.3km between the same venues in 25 minutes, 47.41 seconds with an average speed of 42.574 km/h.
Spain's Paula Ostiz was 35 seconds behind and Oda Aune Gissinger from Norway came third.
"It’s incredible that we both won here," said Mouris. "And it’s amazing to deliver my best performance and win the world title.
"Pacing was difficult, and it was hard not to blow up, but I managed to recover enough in the descent to keep my legs going for the final climb.
The victory caps a season in which he won the juniors title at the Paris-Roubaix race and claimed stage victories at BESTRONICS Acht van Bladel in the Netherlands in June and in the Grand Prix West Bohemia in the Czech Republic in May.
“The course was really tough," Mouris added. "And the heat made it even harder. It was definitely one of the most difficult time trials I’ve done.”
The American rider Ashlin Barry took silver in the men's juniors and Seff Van Kerckhof from Belgium came third.
The road world championships culminate on Saturday and Sunday with the road races for the elite women and men.
The women's and men's Tour de France winners Pauline Ferrand-Prévot and Tadej Pogacar are scheduled to race in the respective events.
