Emma Johansson (Orica-AIS), Ellen van Dijk (Specialized-lululemon) and Patricia Schwager (Faren-Let’s Go Finland) all retained their national time trial titles in the Swedish, Netherlands and Swiss championships respectively, while Katarzyna Pawlowska (GSD Gestion-Kallisto) took her first victory in the Polish event.
For Johansson it was a fourth victory in her national time trial championship, as she completed the 27.9km Astorp course in 37 minutes 58 seconds. The 29-year-old, who will also go into Sunday’s road race championships as defending champion, won the Emakumeen Euskal Bira in Spain ten days ago, before finishing sixth in the Giro del Trentino last week.
“It doesn’t matter if the whole world is here or just the Swedish world,” said Johansson. “Every race is important to me, and wearing the champion’s jersey is a big thing. I had to dig deep to pull off the win. I couldn’t show up and be totally relaxed about it.
“There’s always a bit of pressure,” she admitted. “I wasn’t stressed. I know I’ve been really good these last few weeks, but I’ve also started to feel the racing in my legs. I had to focus on recovering well these last few days so that I could go hard today.”
Van Dijk’s successful defence earned her a third title in all, having first won in 2007. The 25-year-old completed the 26km Winsum course in 33 minutes 56 seconds, to beat 2006 champion Loes Gunnewijk (Orica-AIS) by 39 seconds, with current road race champion Annemiek van Vleuten (Rabobank-Liv/Giant) in third, 1’01” behind.
In Switzerland Schwager matched Fabian Cancellara (RadioShack-Leopard) in the defence of her title, although for the 29-year-old it was a second championship rather than an eighth. The women’s race was also a rather closer affair than the men’s, as Schwager beat second place Doris Schweizer (Be Pink) by little more than a second and a half over the 19.4km Satigny course.
For reigning Polish road race champion Pawlowska it was a first victory in the race against the clock, having taken the bronze medal as a 19-year-old in 2009. The GSD Gestion-Kallisto rider completed the 20km Sobotka course in 28 minutes 20 seconds, in another close race, with second place Eugenia Bujak just eight seconds behind.
Swedish national time trial championships
1. Emma Johansson (Orica-AIS)
2. Lisa Norden
3. Malin Rydlund
4. Eva Nystrom
5. Emilia Fahlin (Hitec Products)
Netherlands national time trial championships
1. Ellen van Dijk (Specialized-lululemon)
2. Loes Gunnewijk (Orica-AIS)
3. Annemiek van Vleuten (Rabobank-Liv/Giant)
4. Vera Koedooder (Sengers Ladies)
5. Nathalie van Gogh (Dura Vermeer)
Swiss national time trial championships
1. Patricia Schwager (Faren-Let’s Go Finland)
2. Doris Schweizer (Be Pink)
3. Jutta Stienen
4. Riccarda Mazzotta
5 Caroline Baur (Bigla)
Polish national time trial championships
1. Katarzyna Pawlowska (GSD Gestion-Kallisto)
2. Eugenia Bujak
3. Paulina Brzezna-Bentkowska (TKK Pacific Torun)
4. Katarzyna Niewiadoma (TKK Pacific Torun)
5. Karolina Garczynska (LKS Atom Boxmet Dzierzoniow)