The American squad Specialized-Lululemon defended its title in the women's team time trial to open the road cycling world championships Sunday.
Lisa Brennauer and Trixi Worack of Germany, Katie Colclough of Britain, Carmen Small and Evelyn Stevens of the United States and Eleonora van Dijk of the Netherlands clocked 51 minutes, 10.69 seconds along the 43-kilometer (27-mile) route from Pistoia to Florence.
Dutch team Rabo, featuring Olympic and two-time road world champion Marianne Vos, finished a distant second, 1 minute, 11.09 seconds behind, and Orica-AIS of Australia was third, 1:33.83 back.
The men's team time trial was scheduled for later.
This is the second year the team time trial was held at the worlds, and it is the only event in the weeklong championship for trade teams.
