Sylvain Chavanel (IAM) ended the 2014 season on a high when he won the final race on the European calendar, the Chrono des Nations time trial. The Frenchman beat compatriot Jeremy Roy (FDJ) while Reidar Borgersen (Joker) completed the podium after having lost 2.03 over the 51.5km distance.

In the absence of three-time champion Tony Martin, Sylvain Chavanel exploited the opportunity to add the most prestigious stand-alone time trial to his palmares. The Frenchman covered the 51.5km around Les Herbiers in a time of 1.04.18 to distance Jeremy Roy by 53 seconds.

Reidar Borgersen was the only other riders to finish within 3 minutes of the dominant French champion. The Norwegian champion lost 2.03 to the IAM rider while Carlos Oyarzun (Efapel) was a distant fourth at 3.02.

The race took place on a 51.5km course around Les Herbiers. The terrain was rolling but in general it suited the specialists well.

The first rider down the ramp was Romain Bacon (Amateur – Vaulx en Velin) but the first rider to reach the finish was Sander Cordeel (Vastgoestservice). The Belgian posted a time of 1.11.12 but he was quickly relegated to second by his compatriot Nicolas Baldo (Vorarlberg) who lowered the mark by 2.42. Along the way, he dragged Sander Cordeel (Vastgoestservice) into a provisional second place.

Pierre Gouault (BigMat) slotted into seconds but was quickly relegated by Samuel Pokälä who was just 34 seconds off Baldo’s mark. The next rider to reach the finish was Julien Fouchard (Cofidis) and he moved into the hot seat, beating Baldo by 38 seconds.

Pierre-Luc Pericon (Bretagne) threatened to take the lead but when he crossed the line, he had gone 20 seconds slower than Fouchard. Stephane Rossetto (Bretagne) got even closer as he slotted into second, just 5 seconds behind Fouchard.

However, at this point, all eyes were on Borgersen who was posting fast times at the intermediate checks. The Norwegian crossed the line in a time that was 1.31 better than Fouchard’s.

Aleksejs Saramotins (IAM) was expected to challenge Borgersen but the Latvian could only make it into second, 1.31 behind Borgersen. Moments later, the Norwegian was beaten though as Roy went 1.10 faster.

Only four riders were still to finish their rides and Oyrazun did well by slotting into third. Despite being the final starter, however, Chavanel was the next rider across the line, crossing the opposition by shaving 43 seconds off the mark. Gregor Gazvoda (Gebrüder Weiss) and Gustav Erik Larsson (IAM) both had disappointing rides to finish outside the top 10, meaning that Chavanel was crowned winner of the event.

The European season is now over. The next race on the continent will take place in late January when the Mallorca Challenge series of one-day races kicks off.