Rohan Dennis wins gold in men's time trial after Geraint Thomas crash

Australia's Rohan Dennis took the Commonwealth Games title in the men's time trial after an early crash for favourite Geraint Thomas.

Wales' Thomas entered the Birmingham Games off the back of a third-placed finish in the 2022 Tour de France and was the final rider to set off in the second group on Thursday.

However, the 36-year-old clipped the barriers with his back wheel after rounding a corner too quickly in the early stages and fell off his bike before attempting to make a miraculous recovery.

Thomas's mistake allowed Dennis to take advantage, and the Australian finished with 46:21.24 on the clock to sit on the biggest wooden throne and win the gold medal.

England's Fred Wright led after the first group before lunch with a time of 46:47.52 but was then pushed down to silver, ultimately finishing over two seconds clear of Thomas, despite the latter's desperate sprint finish.

The Welshman also appeared to have been unhappy with a bike issue after his crash but still managed to win the bronze medal in a time of 46:49.73, nearly two minutes quicker than fourth-placed Aaron Gate of New Zealand.

Wright's fellow Englishman Dan Bigham also suffered a dramatic crash after a corner, and his handlebars became entangled in the metal barriers before he frantically attempted to prise them out to no avail.

Bigham quickly collected a spare bike and finished 12th with a time of 50:04.66, and Thomas's compatriot Owain Doull - who was third after group one - finished seventh.