🚴🇧🇪 | Ennnnn door! De mannen mogen ook stuk voor stuk beginnen aan de tijdrit. De eerste Nederlander in actie: Thymen Arensman! 💪💪 #EuroRoad24 📺 Stream koers op HBO Max
Affini surprises Küng (with open front wheel) for European time trial title, strong Hoole and Arensman narrowly miss out
CyclingThursday, 12 September 2024 at 09:05
Edoardo Affini surprisingly grabbed the European time trial title. The Italian of Visma | Lease a Bike opted for an open front wheel after a failed experiment with two closed wheels in the Vuelta a España, which paid off. He pushed Stefan Küng back to place two, with Mattia Cattaneo finishing third on behalf of Italy. Daan Hoole and Thymen Arensman rode a strong time trial but did not get a medal.
This year's course was 31.2 kilometers long, 2.5 kilometers longer than a year earlier. The beginning of the trial was still somewhat technical, as the course was winding in the first kilometers. Nevertheless, the road soon became a playing field for the serious contenders: long and flat straights. In Hasselt was the finish line, where we would crown the eventual winner as European champion. That honor went to Lotte Kopecky in the women, but who would win in the men?
The real-time trial specialists were absent at both the men's and women's events. Due to various circumstances, we did not see Remco Evenepoel, Filippo Ganna, Joshua Tarling, or Wout van Aert this year in the men's event. In contrast, Marlen Reusser, Anna Henderson, and Demi Vollering were absent at the women's event. And so it was watching the remaining favorites. In the men, those came mainly from Switzerland, in the names of Stefan Küng and Stefan Bissegger.
Read more below the video
Küng and Hoole faster than Arensman, will they keep it up?
At 4:39 pm, the first man rolled off the podium, and Thymen Arensman got an early start on behalf of the Netherlands. The INEOS Grenadiers rider - who dropped out early in the Vuelta a España due to illness - was clearly in the mood. At the first and second intermediate points, he was the fastest and thus also had the best provisional finishing time. He was allowed to sit on the hot seat as the strongest men on paper departed. For example, Victor Campenaerts could not beat Arensman's time, but top favorite Küng and Dutchman Daan Hoole were faster at intermediate point one.
After Bissegger was the last to pass - with a sixth intermediate time - the focus was on the second intermediate point after nineteen kilometers. There, Küng and Hoole were still faster than Arensman, but Affini of Visma | Lease a Bike was the fastest. His compatriot Mattia Cattaneo from Italy also came in for the medals with a third intermediate time. In doing so, Affini and Küng competed at almost the same time, while the gap to Cattaneo, Hoole, and Arensman was already between 15 and even 22.
Read more below the photo.
Au deuxième intermédiaire, Stefan Küng est dans la même seconde qu'Edoardo Affini.
Who has the most power in the final section?
The technical part was over after the second intermediate point; from here on, it was pounding on the big bike for another 12 kilometers. Affini had not stopped. The Italian raced to a time of 35 minutes and 15 seconds, at an average of 53.2 kilometers per hour! Arensman was thus pushed to a provisional second finishing time of 54 seconds. That's where Hoole cheekily intervened, with a finishing time 27 seconds slower than Affini. Could Hoole hope for a medal? With Küng on the road, Arensman no longer seemed to have that hope.
The Swiss rider, who had won another time trial by supremacy on the final day of the Vuelta a España, surprisingly bit the fastest time. Affini was no less than nine seconds faster than Küng, who was thus provisionally second. Cattaneo completed the Italian party by finishing in third place. That left Hoole and Arensman in places four and five, the most ungrateful positions...
🚴🇧🇪 | Edoardo Affini is de snelste! De Italiaan is de Europees kampioen tijdrijden. Daarmee verrast hij zichzelf misschien nog het meest! 😮😮 #EuroRoad24 📺 Stream koers op HBO Max
Results European time trial championship 2024 - men elite
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Latest Comments
- Well explained, thanks for the clarity! Daniel DantasDanieldantas20-12-2024
- This is the kind of 'news' that belongs in a cheap tabloid. No matter how boring the offseason gets, nobody wants to read this.
santiagobenites19-12-2024 - I wish we could have seen him try. He'd absolutely get dropped before Pogi overtakes his domestiquesVeganpotter10-12-2024
- Talk is cheap! Next year barring crashes with a healthy team... all well be on track! Some need to talk to make a headline!mootman27-11-2024
- I do not see this event listed on HBO Max Sports Online? Can anyone confirm? Thanks!
MrYuck23-11-2024 - It seemed that he was focusing forward at the time of the crash, after seeing a quick video snippet. But one thing I think he should focus on more intently is breaking a bad habit he has, right now. And that is his constant looking over his shoulders. He does that so much, that I am very sure it is not good for him. Simply watch videos of the greats of CX and you will see very little of that constant looking over their shoulders. That is a behavior that betrays a bit of insecurity on his part. He shouldn't be so concerned, incessantly, about what is over his shoulder. He needn't worry they didn't all disappear. He neds to keep his focus more ahead of himself, and he needs to pay a bit more attention to himself, in a confident manner. It is very frustrating to watch, because it is apparent that he has a lot of potential, and is in much better shape thwan many of his competitors, but the mental game needs to be sharpened more, because that part of strategy plays a huge part in the final results
reemmo022-11-2024 - hahahaha love this shit! I didnt even watched the race, but reading all the gossip articles of how stupid this is!Zatoichi19-11-2024
- Van Aert is really handsome. He can influence me all day! Ditto for Philipsen. Why do you think many of us love cycling?: to see heroic attempts at climbing mountains at high altitudes or to watch speedsters sprint for the finish line or to watch a human being ride at break neck speed down a tricky descent? No, it's all about their lean physiques and muscular legs. (apologies for objectifying these dedicated and amazing athletes).BarwonHeadsUp25-10-2024
- It is unfortunate that the author can't feel the joy that Pogacar brings to the sport and his fans who are legion and I for one feel lucky to have watched such a memorable performance and historic season From the Strada until yesterday with multiple wins in stages in both tours and beyond dominance in the World's. He is proud to wear the Rainbow stripes, shows his leadership to protect his fellows and is as courteous and sportsman-like as the sport allows. He goes early to not have to respond to each attack as all the rest would make him do it. Any racer who could would do the same. Don't "grow tired" of greatness as it is always fleeting.ccrider13-10-2024
- What load of rubbish. Pog is likely a once in a generation cyclist, the like of which hasn't been seen since 'the Cannibal '. How many people were complaining that Merckx was making racing predictable? I remember this year's World RR as one of the most exciting I've watched. Mainly BECAUSE Pog was the favourite and launched what everyone thought (Pog included) was a suicidal attack with 80km to go. For the next 2 hours, I was on the edge of my seat thinking "this is too much, even for Pog". Maybe Zonnefeld prefers the snooze-fest that is a bunch sprint? Like most people I know, I can't watch two hours of the bunch riding very fast... I wait for the final 5km and watch just the sprint. In any event, most races are won from a sprint or lone break. What difference does it make who makes the lone break? Ultimately, the other contenders will have to figure out a way to beat Pog. Even if that means collaboration between teams. It's going to be an exciting few seasons, until the next Pog arrives on the scene. If this is boring, heaven knows what exciting looks like!Michael513-10-2024