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European TT titles awarded
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Europe is the middle of national championship week, with most nations holding their respective time trial races Thursday and Friday ahead of road racing action this weekend.
Here’s a wrap-up of the some of the main events:
Spain: Contador
Alberto Contador (Astana) confirmed his favorite status for the upcoming Tour de France as he won the Spanish national time trial title Friday in Cantabria in northern Spain.
Former teammate and good friend Luis León Sánchez (Caisse d’Epargne) set an early fast time, but Contador overcame the margin to win the confidence-boosting title for the first time.
León Sánchez held on for silver at 37 seconds slower, with Rubén Plaza (Liberty Seguros) in bronze at 1:04 back. Francisco Mancebo (Rock Racing) stopped the clock in fourth at 1:46 back.
Contador will not contest Sunday’s road race.
France: Longo and Péraud
On Thursday, French cycling legend Jeannie Longo won her 56th national champion’s jersey, successfully defending her French national time trial title in Saint-Brieuc.
The Grenoble native easily defeated a strong field of challengers, covering a 23.5-kilometer course in 33:42, some 33 seconds faster than second-placed Edwige Pitel. Marina Jaunatre took third, with a time more 59 seconds off of Longo’s.
In the men’s field, mountain biker Jean-Christophe Péraud took advantage of changing weather conditions to upset the roadies to claim the gold medal ahead of favorite Sylvain Chavanel.
Péraud, winner of the silver medal at the Beijing Olympic Games last summer on the dirt, nipped three-time champion Chavanel by 24 seconds because heavy rains started to fall on the favored Quick Step rider midway through the 44.3km course.
Denmark: Villumsen, Bak
In the women’s field, Columbia-Highroad’s Linda Villumsen retained her 2008 National Time Trial title by completing the 25.5-kilometer course with the fastest time despite strong winds.
“The wind was so strong, at my back on the way out, and from the front on the way back. There was so much wind on the downhill that I really had to use my brakes," commented 22-year-old Villumsen after the win. "As always, I am super nervous before this race. I put very high expectations on myself. If I didn't win, I would be very disappointed. So I tried to listen to good music and not warm up too much. It all came together nicely.”
Lars Bak won the men’s title for the third consecutive year as Saxo Bank riders swept the podium and claimed six of the top-7 spots in the field. Runner-up Alex Rasmussen looked to have the fastest time, but suffered a puncture to deflate his chances. Jakob Fuglsang, the rookie fresh off winning the Tour of Slovenia, took bronze.
Sweden: Fahlin, Wetterhall
Already the 2008 Swedish National Road Champion, 20-year-old Emilia Fahlin captured the Swedish TT title by beating Susanne Ljungskog and Emma Johansson by 9 seconds and 23 seconds, respectively, on the 30-kilometer course.
"This is unbelievable, I think," claimed Fahlin after the race. "I had no expectations of winning today since I'm not really a time trialer. With names like Johansson and Ljungskog here, I thought it was between them. I just wanted to get a good workout, so it was shocking when I found out that I had the best time."
In the men’s field, Alexander Wetterhall took a 17-second victory to claim his first national title. He was 17 seconds faster than Frederick Ericsson with ex-mountain biker Fredrik Kessiakoff (Fuji) coming through for bronze.
Germany: Grabsch, Worrack
Reigning world time trial champion Bert Grasbsch didn’t disappoint and won the German national title ahead of Columbia-Highroad teammate Tony Martin, with Jens Voigt (Saxo Bank) rounding out the podium in third. Grabsch, a recent winner of a TT stage at the Dauphiné Libéré, stopped the clock in 48:25, some 11 seconds faster than Martin. Voigt earned bronze with 49:41.
In the women’s field, Trixi Worrack (Nürnberger) won on the 30km with a time of 39:08. Veteran Judith Arndt just missed her seventh national title by taking silver at three seconds slower. Ina-Yoko Teutenberg rounded out the podium at 34 seconds slower.
Kazakhstan: Mizourov upsets the Astanas
Andrey Mizourov of the Tabriz team upset the favorite Astana crew to win the Kazakhstan national time trial title. Roman Kireyev and Andrey Zeits, both Astana, were second and third, respectively.
Slovenia: Brajkovic
Team Astana’s Jani Brajkovic took gold in Solkan on Thursday, with Gregor Gazvoda second, Kristjan Koren third.
Surprisingly, it was the former U23 world TT champion’s first national title, “simply because I never participated before,” he said.
“It was a pretty flat course but with sections hard enough to disturb the rhythm. It was hard, but I felt strong. I still have my Tour of Italy condition. At the end of the first lap, I caught Gazvoda. A bit further the same happened with Koren. They took some advantage of my presence. Normally my advantage on the numbers two and three should have been bigger.”
Brajkovic was philosophical about Astana’s decision to leave him off the nine-man Tour de France squad.
“I will try to do my best in the road race as well, but that will be harder without any teammates,” he said. “My non-selection for the Tour? It is a pity that I cannot show there the good form I have, but I am not disappointed. The selection made by the directors makes sense.”
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