Fellow Dutchman on Ryan Gal's feat at the World Time Trial Championships: 'He was already flying last week in Limburg'

Ryan Gal pulled off a stunning upset on Monday by becoming the U23 world time trial champion in Montreal. The Dutch rider, who normally rides for Metec, surprised friends, foes, and even his own compatriot Michiel Mouris in Canada. Mouris, last year’s junior world champion, finished ninth himself and spoke with IDL Pro Cycling afterward.

Mouris watched the final moments of the World Time Trial Championships in the mixed zone and couldn't quite believe it either. "Ryan is a great one to start with," said the Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe rider when he came over to us.

"He was really strong today. At the Dutch National Championships, he was already a minute ahead of me. Just last week, the whole team was in Limburg. When you see him in action during a time trial training session like that… he was really flying. But I still didn’t expect him to just go out and win here," Mouris explains.

"We did talk about it, but neither of us really knew where we stood in this field. For him to pull this off is truly amazing," says Mouris, who won't be able to join Gal's celebration on Monday night. While the winner flies home on Tuesday, Mouris still has the road race to compete in.

They did make the final preparations together. “Actually, we’ve been here together for the last four days. How did we do that? We just checked out the turns, figured out how to carry as much speed as possible, and assessed the course, but nothing too in-depth.”

As a freshman, Mouris had reason to be satisfied with a ninth-place finish. “I’m not sure about the result, but I didn’t really feel great. I just couldn’t pick up the pace on the final stretch, so that’s a shame.”

"Given my background in cyclocross, that first part should have suited me well. Although my handling actually improved on the way back; that’s when I got into it a bit better and found my rhythm. But it certainly wasn’t bad," said the youngster. "The plan was to pick up the pace a bit at the end, but unfortunately, that didn't work out."