- Marlen Reusser wins the European Championship time trial in Munich and successfully defends her title.
- The woman from Bern prevailed almost 6 seconds ahead of the Dutch world champion Ellen van Dijk.
- The actual triathlete Elena Hartmann is also convincing and finishes in a strong 9th place.
Marlen Reusser can wear the European Champion jersey for another year. The 30-year-old from Bern won the European Championship time trial in a head-to-head race against Ellen van Dijk, who lost 5.77 seconds to the Swiss over the 24-kilometer route.
Just before the 15-kilometre mark, it became apparent that Reusser was on the right track. The Swiss caught up with the German Lisa Brennauer, who had started in front of her, and left the Tokyo Olympic champion in the team time trial. The meantime also underlined Reusser’s strong performance. In the last 8.7 kilometers she took a lead of almost 10 seconds over Van Dijk.
Preparation is (not) everything
A year ago, Reusser left the two-time world champion and four-time European champion behind in the time trial. Unlike the Bernese, the preparations for the Dutchman went without any complications this year. Van Dijk has competed in 5 time trials this season – and won each one.
Reusser, on the other hand, has been back in training for just over a week after suffering a concussion in the women’s Tour de France. She had previously been slowed down by a broken hand and a corona infection. Obviously, preparation isn’t everything.
Hartmann delivers a strong premiere
Elena Hartmann showed a strong performance. The second Swiss in the field of 29 took 9th place. The 32-year-old from Graubünden had dedicated herself to triathlon in recent years. It was only after winning the Swiss championship title in the time trial at the end of June that Hartmann decided to play the wheel at the European Championships in Munich. Their performance is correspondingly high. Hartmann lost 1:38 minutes on Reusser’s winning time.