If several contenders decided to skip the men’s time trial of the European Championships, the women’s time trial on the contrary brought together all the major speed specialists, this Wednesday afternoon in Drenthe (Netherlands) . Faced with great adversity, therefore, and on a very non-technical circuit but swept by strong gusts of wind, Marlen Reusser (32 years old) once again brought her power to bear to fly over the competition and win a third consecutive continental title.
One month after his burnout at the Worlds
The Swiss, who abandoned the Worlds time trial in tears last month, victim of burnout, has since managed to get back on the path to performance and this time had no rival. In just 28.6 kilometers, she relegated her first opponents, the British Anna Henderson and the Austrian Christina Schweinberger, to 43 and 44 seconds respectively. The Frenchwoman Audrey-Cordon Ragot, who has long had the best provisional time, falls short of the final podium (+47”), just ahead of world champion Lotte Kopecky (+48”).
“It’s my birthday today, that makes this third victory even more special,” smiled Reusser after his effort. The flat course suited me very well, even if I would have preferred a slightly more interesting route. I’m really happy to end the season with this performance. » The Swiss is in the race to match the Dutchwoman Ellen van Dijk, four times European champion in the specialty between 2016 and 2019.
