Varese, Italy (September 24, 2008)-Long regarded as one of the top American cyclists of her generation, Amber Neben (Irvine, Calif.) captured the most significant victory of her career on Wednesday with a world title in the elite women's time trial at the 2008 UCI Road World Championships.

Neben outpaced silver medalist Christiane Soeder (AUT) by seven seconds and bronze medalist Judith Arndt (GER) by 21 seconds to add a world's gold medal to an already impressive list of career accomplishments. After twice cracking the top five at the world championships (4th in 2007 and 5th in 2005), Neben becomes the fourth American in history to win an elite women's time trial world title, joining Kristin Armstrong (2006), Mari Holden (2000) and Karen Kurreck (1994). Her victory also ties the United States with France for the most world titles in the event with four since it was made a world championship discipline in 1994.

"This has been a goal of mine for my entire career," Neben said following the presentation of her rainbow-striped world champion's jersey. "Every year you chase it, it's just a dream come true. I don't have any words to describe it, I'm so excited."

Starting 30th in a field of 43 riders, Neben recorded the fastest time at both intermediate time checks and left no doubt as to who the strongest rider was in Wednesday's field. After crossing the line with a mark of 33 minutes, 51.35 seconds over the 25-kilometer course, Neben was left to wait and see whether her time would hold up with several of the pre-race favorites, including Olympic gold medalist Armstrong (Boise, Idaho), yet to finish. When two-time world champion Karen Thurig (SUI) finished her ride 30 seconds slower than Neben, she was confident her time could hold up.

"With 13 riders behind me, I knew the only way to medal would be to first have the top time when I finished, which I did, and then wait from there,"
Neben explained. "I didn't know what anyone's splits were while I was waiting, but I knew who was left to finish and the history told me that there were several girls that can beat me. I didn't know what to think until Thurig crossed the line, then I thought I had a real chance. I just kept waiting, praying and hoping."

After Thurig finished 30 seconds in arrears, Christine Thorburn (Sunnyvale, Calif.) crossed the line at +1:17 followed by Ellen Van Dijk (NED) at +2:11, assuring Neben her first world championship medal. That medal became gold when the final two finishers - Soeder and Armstrong - also finished slower than Neben.

The result for Neben was vindication for a disappointing Olympic Games last month in which a late-race mechanical mishap at a pivotal point in the road race cost her a shot at contesting the final kilometers in Beijing. Still, the result wasn't a surprise considering she recently won the five-day Tour of Ardeche in France and finished in the top five of two time trials in Italy and Switzerland as part of her final World's preparation.

"Beijing was such a disappointment with what happened in the road race,"
Neben said. "After the Olympics, I just went home and took a break, but the whole time my focus was on this race. I knew I had a lot of motivation, but everything had to be perfect in the end - my head, my body and my preparation."

At the close of competition, Armstrong finished fifth, 25 seconds back from Neben and two seconds off the pace of a surprisingly fourth-placed Tatiana Antoshina (RUS).

Thorburn, who like Neben entered the event with a pair of top-five efforts at the world championships (3rd in 2006 and 5th in 2007), finished 12th.

Neben's world title was the latest in a long line of performances that have illustrated the depth of American cycling in major international events. Since 2004, four different Americans have collected a total of two Olympic and five world championship medals in the women's race against the clock in addition to six other top-five finishes at the Olympics or world championships.

"We have a good group...the three us." Neben said referring to Armstrong and Thorburn. "We have a lot of respect for each other and genuinely like to see each other do well. Any time one of us has a good result it helps to bring attention to and grow the sport in America."

Neben's rainbow jersey and Armstrong's gold medal also marked the first time in history any country has won world and Olympic titles in the same event in the same year in women's road cycling.

Neben's world championship marked the fourth world title for American cyclists this year. She joins Jennie Reed (women's keirin), Melissa Buhl (women's 4-cross) and Taylor Phinney (junior men's individual pursuit) as a world champion in 2008.

The 2008 UCI Road World Championships will continue on Thursday with the elite men's time trial which will feature Americans Levi Leipheimer (Santa Rosa, Calif.) and David Zabriskie (Salt Lake City, Utah). Leipheimer is coming off a successful string of time trials which has seen him win an Olympic bronze medal and both time trial stages of the Vuelta a Espana throughout August and September.

2008 UCI Road World Championships
Sept. 23-28
Varese, Italy

Elite Women's Time Trial
1. Amber Neben (Irvine, Calif.) 33:51.35
2. Christiane Soeder (AUT) +7:56
3. Judith Arndt (GER) +21.77
5. Kristin Armstrong (Boise, Idaho) +25.27
12. Christine Thorburn (Sunnyvale, Calif.) +1:17.16