Cycling: Omega win team time-trial world title

First-placed Team Omega Pharma-Quick Step (C), second-placed BMC Racing Team (L) and third-placed Team Orica-GreenEdge (R) celebrate on the podium after the men's team time trial at the UCI Road World Championships in Valkenburg September 16, 2012.

VALKENBURG, Netherlands (Reuters) - Omega Pharma-Quick Step won the men's team time-trial, a new event at the cycling world championships, on Sunday.

The Belgian six-man team, led by the individual time-trial defending champion Tony Martin of Germany, completed the 53.2-km race in one hour three minutes 17 seconds.

BMC finished 3.16 seconds behind to grab the silver medal while another Australian team, Orica-Greenedge, ended third, 47 seconds adrift of the winners.

Team Sky of Britain, who were without Tour de France winner and individual time-trial Olympic champion Bradley Wiggins, finished a disappointing ninth.

Omega Pharma-Quick Step were one of the favorites for the event with a line-up including Martin and three other national time-trial champions - Frenchman Sylvain Chavanel, Belgian Kristof Vandewalle and Slovakian Peter Velits - as well as former road world champion Tom Boonen.

"We fought together as a team," Martin was quoted as saying in a team statement.

"The team work was once again the key to the success. This victory gives me lot of confidence for Wednesday's race," the 27-year-old added, referring to the individual time-trial.

"I put this victory near my biggest, along with the Classics and the road world championship," Boonen added.

Earlier on Sunday, German team Specialized-Lululemon took the women's title ahead of Australia Orica-AIS and Dutch team AA Drink.

(Reporting by Gilles Le Roc'h; Writing by Gregory Blachier; Editing by Clare Fallon and Pritha Sarkar)