Affini defends the honor of Visma | Lease a Bike at World Time Trial Championship: "They will be happy with this too"

Edoardo Affini had been known as a good time trialist for years, but at 28, the Italian is suddenly the European champion and World Championship bronze winner. How was the Visma | Lease a Bike rider able to take this step in recent weeks? He did not know exactly, so he told IDLProCycling.com about it after the race in Zurich.

What is clear is that Affini is continuing in this way the successful recent time trial history of Visma | Lease a Bike (and formerly Jumbo-Visma). With Primoz Roglic, Tom Dumoulin, and Rohan Dennis, the team still held the numbers one, two, and three of the Tokyo Olympics in 2022. Wout van Aert and Jonas Vingegaard also delivered the necessary masterpieces in recent years.

Like Jos van Emden, the man who started it all, Roglic, Dumoulin, and Dennis no longer ride for the team for various reasons. For known reasons, Van Aert and Vingegaard were not with the team in Zurich and Hasselt, leaving Affini as the only man on a Visma-Cervélo to participate in Switzerland and Belgium.

And the Italian, who lives in Drenthe, did so with flying colors. "Hello to everyone," he interrupted genuinely but excellently at his post-race press conference. "While in the hot seat, I was cheering for Filippo Ganna. I sympathize with him for losing the title by only six seconds," said the ever-selfless Affini. This is precisely how they know him at Visma | Lease a Bike.

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Affini actually did not believe in podium at World Time Trial Championship at all

Ganna, in turn, was very happy for Affini, as the two have been sharing the room at major events since the 2023 World Junior Championships. "I am also delighted myself. I didn't expect to be on the podium. I was dreaming of a spot in the top five. When I sat in the hot seat and watched them pass one by one, I suddenly started to believe in it."

"That I then end up sitting here with a bronze medal feels incredibly special," Affini said. "And I then get to share the podium with Pippo, which is very nice for us and our country, Italy. We would have loved to be first and third, but you don't get it on order either. In addition, Remco Evenepoel has shown once again that he is the best, so congratulations to him."

So, was this the best time trial in his life for Affini? "I can't say for sure because I haven't seen all the data yet. But based on the feeling. It already went very well at the European Championships, but I think it was even a bit better now. Especially since it was quite a long trial," he said after the 46-kilometer ordeal in and around Zurich.

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Affini thanks Visma | Lease a Bike and sponsors for support

"I have always worked hard on this discipline, and I continued to do so when I switched from Mitchelton-Scott to Jumbo-Visma in 2021, which is now Visma | Lease a Bike," the Italian said. "And I'm talking about all aspects: the wind tunnel, material choices, etc. But getting the whole picture right takes time. You have to develop things and improve, but the team has helped me perfectly with that. I also have to thank the sponsors for that, by the way, because they play a huge role in that. I think they are also pleased."

"In the last few weeks, pretty little special has happened anymore. I did the Vuelta, where I only used my time trial bike in the time trials," Affini stated. "After that, it was a matter of resting and recovering as much as possible from the Vuelta, which was my most demanding grand tour ever." At the Vuelta a España, Affini finished fifth and 12th during trials in Oeiras and Madrid.

And now Edoardo, some beer? "Zeker, een biertje is altijd goed, toch (Sure, a beer is always good, right),” Affini briefly switches to Dutch for IDLProCycling.com. It results in a questioning look from Ganna, after which he explains in Italian to his companion. "We're going to take a moment to enjoy this, though. Filippo may not be so happy because he came second, but I am delighted. Maybe Pippo should have a drink to forget about it, and I can have a drink to celebrate my achievement." Amen!