When the German ladies finished 50,49,10 ahead of the then second-placed Switzerland, they had a clear lead.
It would turn out to be a time no other nation could afford.
"A dream"
Together with his team, Tony Martin ended his career with a World Cup gold, a dream come true.
- It is the best ending possible.
To be able to leave the cycling scene with a gold medal is a dream for me.
It is the best situation I could have imagined, says Tony Martin.
In addition to Tony Martin, the German team consisted of Lisa Brennauer, Lisa Klein, Mieke Kroeger, Nikias Arndt and Maximilian Richard Walscheid.
Martin expressed great gratitude to his teammates after the race.
- I am grateful to the whole team, especially to the ladies, I think they played a big role today.
I have enjoyed the whole week with the team.
We hoped for a gold, but now the dream came true and it's time to celebrate, says Martin.
Hundredth battle
Germany won by 12.79 seconds ahead of the Netherlands.
When the Dutch men handed over, they were in seventh place.
The ladies then made a super pick-up and secured the silver denomination for the team.
The battle for the bronze medal became a hundredth battle between Italy and Switzerland.
There, Italy emerged victorious with a paltry two hundredths.