Yevgeniy Fedorov took gold for Kazakhstan on Friday, a decade after their last win in the under-23 race at the road world championships, beating breakaway companion Mathias Vacek of the Czech Republic.
Norway's Soren Waerenskjold followed up his title in the under-23 time-trial by rounding out the podium after 10 rain-swept laps encompassing 169.8 kilometres (105 miles) at Wollongong, south of Sydney.
The last, and only previous, time Kazakhstan won since the race's inception in 1996 was 10 years ago when Alexey Lutsenko claimed the rainbow jersey.
World Tour riders Fedorov and Vacek made a break late in the race and opened an 18-second gap, which was enough to fend off a charging pack in the sprint for the finish line.
Earlier, Germany's Emil Herzog outsprinted Antonio Morgado of Portugal to win the men's junior road race.
The women's elite road race is on Saturday with the elite men rounding out the championships on Sunday.