The Vuelta a España is just behind us, but the European Championships in Belgian Limburg are about to begin. The time trial usually opens the festivities, so we start Wednesday with the time trial for both men and women. IDLProCycling.com looks ahead!
Practical information European Time Trial Championships 2024
- Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2024
- Participants
- Classification: EK
In this article
- Latest winners
- Course, weather and times
- Favorites
- TV information
Latest winners European time trial championships
2023 Joshua Tarling / Marlen Reusser
European Time Trial Championships 2024: Course, weather and times
This year's course is 31.2 kilometers long, 2.5 kilometers longer than a year earlier. This time trial is long in comparison, as it is the longest course at a European Time Trial Championship since 2018. Then, the riders had to ride a staggering 45 kilometers against the clock in Glasgow.
The beginning of the time trial is still somewhat technical, as the course winds in the first kilometers. Nevertheless, the road soon becomes a playground for the big contenders: long and flat straights. In Hasselt lies the finish line, where we will crown the eventual winner European champion(s).
Weather
It won't be hot for the riders since the temperature will not exceed 15 degrees Celsius on Wednesday in Hasselt. There could also be some raindrops during the afternoon; the chance of precipitation throughout the day is 95%. Winds will be fair to fairly solid, blowing from the west.
Times
Favorites women's time trial, European Championship 2024
Usually, we would have referred to Marlen Reusser as the top favorite for the European title, but the Swiss are not present this year. Olympic champion Grace Brown is from Australia, so we do not need to mention her. Anna Henderson won the silver medal at the Olympics, but Great Britain will not travel to the championships organized in Belgium due to circumstances. The bronze (Chloé Dygert), the number four (Juliette Labous), and the number five (Demi Vollering) are also not there because of various things ...
So, who are present to put forward as top favorites? The number six, yes! Lotte Kopecky is competing in the time trial on behalf of the Belgian team. In Paris, a medal would have been possible were it not for the fact that she crashed. The versatile Belgian is also in good shape, having recently won the Tour de Romandie. Considering the field of competitors, a gold medal in her own country is undoubtedly apparent.
The main competitors come from her northern neighbors anyway. Riejanne Markus took sporting revenge for her Tour de France Femmes disappointment in the same Tour de Romandie with a handsome stage victory. After her triumph, she declared she would also travel to the European Championships time trial with great ambition. Write it down! Fellow countrywoman and seasoned European champion Ellen van Dijk should also be considered. Both ladies want to compete for a place next to Vollering at the World Time Trial Championships two weeks later.
Then, there is an extensive list of optional outsiders. One of them is Christina Schweinberger, a 27-year-old Austrian. She finished third last year at the European Time Trial Championships; in Paris, she had to settle for place ten. It has to be said that she left the Tour with stomach and intestinal problems, so it remains to be seen to what extent she has recovered.
We are also keeping an eye on ladies like Vittoria Guazzini (Italy), Anna Kiesenhofer (Austria), Elena Hartmann (Switzerland), and Agnieszka Skalniak-Sójka (Poland). On a good day, they should all be able to compete for a place of honor. Will they have that good day?
Favorites women's time trial, European Championship 2024, according to IDLProCycling.com
Top favorite: Riejanne Markus (Netherlands)
Outsiders: Lotte Kopecky (Belgium) and Ellen van Dijk (Netherlands)
Long shots: Christina Schweinberger, Anna Kiesenhofer (both Austria), Vittoria Guazzini (Italy) and Agnieszka Skalniak-Sójka (Poland)
Favorites men's time trial, European Championship 2024
The men's race faces the same "problem" as the women's. Many top favorites - including Remco Evenepoel, Joshua Tarling, and Filippo Ganna - dropped out of the European Championship time trial in Belgian Limburg. And so there, too, we look forward to "men from the second line."
The two favorites in the men's race are from the same country. After all, with Stefan Küng and Stefan Bissegger, the country has two dedicated racers in its ranks. And it is also a course that is close to their hearts! Küng showed with his win in the final time trial of the Vuelta a España that he is in good shape.
Regarding the Vuelta time trial, Mattia Cattaneo finished a solid third, so we'd better write the Italian down for this! The same goes for Vocsnor Victor Campenaerts, who also must have come out of the Spanish stage race with ambition.
We also expect a lot from Søren Wærenskjold. The strong 24-year-old Norwegian has already won three times this year: the national championship, the time trial in the Baloise Belgium Tour, and those in the Tour Poitou-Charentes and Nouvelle Aquitaine.
Finally, we would also like to write down the names of the two Dutch participants, Thymen Arensman—who already left the Vuelta early—and Daan Hoole. They should be considered capable of competing for a podium place. The same goes for guys like Max Walscheid, Mikkel Bjerg, and Edoardo Affini.
Favorites women's time trial, European Championship 2024, according to IDLProCycling.com
Top favorite: Stefan Küng (Switzerland)
Outsiders: Stefan Bissegger (Switzerland) and Søren Wærenskjold (Norway)
Long shots: Mattia Cattaneo (Italy), Victor Campenaerts (Belgium), Max Walscheid (Germany), Edoardo Affini (Italy) and Mikkel Bjerg (Denmark)
TV European Championships Time Trial 2024
You can follow the European Time Trial Championship all afternoon Wednesday on Sporza and Eurosport. The latter channel is also available on Discovery+ and HBO Max online platforms. IDLProCycling.com provides a live blog throughout the day and will be on the scene for all information.
Place comments
0 Comments
You are currently seeing only the comments you are notified about, if you want to see all comments from this post, click the button below.
Show all comments