Italian Edoardo Affini and Belgian Lotte Kopecky were declared European champions of the elite time trial event this Wednesday on the first day of the Continental Road Cycling Championships taking place in Limburg (Belgium).
Edoardo Affini, 28, won in Limburg by crossing the 31.3 kilometer test in a time of 35.15.47 minutes at an average of 53.265 km/h.
The cyclist from Mantua was 9.59 seconds ahead of Swiss Stefan Küng, a two-time champion (2020 and 2021) who won the closing time trial of the Vuelta a España on Sunday; and in 19.66 to the Italian Mattia Cattaneo as well.
This Wednesday was the third professional victory for Affini, who has not won since he won the fourth stage of the Tour of Norway in 2019 and the sixth in the Tour of Britain.
Affini, the first Italian European time trial champion, beat British Josh Tarling in the history of the event
The only Spaniard in the test, Raúl García Pierna, finished thirteenth in 1:31.6 minutes.
In the women’s event, Kopecky, 28, secured her first European title and the first women’s title for her country by clocking 39:00.79 minutes in the 31.3-kilometer race at an average of 48.14 km/h.
Until now the only Belgian metal in the women’s European time trial was Ann-Sophie Duyck’s silver in 2017.
The Belgian, bronze medalist in last year’s road distance event, defeated Dutch Ellen van Dijk, four-time champion (2016-2019) and won silver in 43.60 seconds; and for 1:02.96 minutes to the Austrian Christina Schweinberger, repeating the bronze achieved in 2023 in Drenthe (Netherlands).
Lotte Kopecky, who has a total of 47 professional wins and won the Tour of Romandie (Switzerland) three days ago, replaces the Swiss Marlen Reusser, who has dominated the event for the last three years and is absent this year during the Limburg time trial. .
Spain’s Sandra Alonso and Mireia Benito finished 17th and 20th in 3:11.96 and 3:41.93 from Kopecky, respectively.
Source: La Verdad
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