Wednesday has been a busy day for the time triallists. Manuel Quinziato won the Italian national title, Fabian Cancellara was the fastest in Switzerland, Tom Dumoulin returned to the top step in the Netherlands, Maciej Bodnar reclaimed his title in Poland, Gatis Smukulis took his sixth win in Latvia and Dmitriy Gruzdev took the victory in Kazakhstan.

 

We have gathered a few reactions.

 

Italy

Manuel Quinziato looking forward to debuting Italian champion’s jersey at Tour de Pologne

Manuel Quinziato has smashed the Individual Time Trial field at the Italian National Championships, crossing the line to win by 38 seconds.

 

Quinziato completed the two-lap 41.3 kilometer course in 49 minutes flat, 38 seconds faster than Manuele Boaro (Tinkoff) and one minute faster than Moreno Moser (Cannondale Pro Cycling).

 

It is the first time in Quinziato's career that he has held the National Champion's jersey.

 

Quinziato said:

 

"I was on the podium three times before and I hadn't raced the championships the past six years. I'm really happy that I finally got the jersey because I had never won it.

 

"On the first lap I went through the check point down on Boaro but then on the last lap I kept it really steady and really came home hard. In the end I had a really good gap. The level was pretty high with riders like Boaro and Moser so to have won by a lot is really nice.

 

"I'll have my first chance to wear the national champion's jersey at the Tour of Poland in July as there is a time trial there so I can't wait!

 

”I feel confident ahead of the road race on Sunday. I haven't had a really good look at the parcours yet but I know that it is a good parcours for me because it should be pretty fast with a small climb every loop. It's not like a 4000m climb like there has been the last couple of years. My mood is good and my shape is good so I'm definitely going to try."

 

Sports director Fabio Baldato added:

 

"There were some really good riders here racing. Manuel was just amazing. He rode 50.5km an hour, just really, really strong. At the 20km check point he was seven seconds behind Boaro and then he stayed really consistent with his speed on the second lap and never lost a second, instead he gained them.

 

"It's really special for Manuel and for BMC Racing Team so it's a great day. I hope we can do something similar at the road race on Sunday."

 

Manuele Boaro lost Italian TT title in tough second half
In Italy, Manuele Boaro had to tackle 41.3km. After starting strongly, leading at the end of the first of two laps, Manuele faded in the second half to finish behind Manuel Quinziato (BMC). 
 
Pleased with his effort but disappointed to be in second, Boaro said afterwards:

 

"It was a very flat circuit, raced twice, and in the first half I had the fastest intermediate with 11" advantage. In the end though I finished with around 40" deficit. There's not much more to say - I was really fast in the first part but in the second half I couldn't match his speed. In the final part of the second lap there was a strong headwind and I lacked power here over Manuel, and this is where it counted."
 

Poland

Maciej Bodnar targets Olympics after new TT win at Nationals

Maciej Bodnar has raced to his fourth senior national time trial title today in Swidnica, Poland, completing a hard-fought return from injury. Over the long 52km course Bodnar rode a perfect pacing strategy to finish 28" quicker than his closest rival, and 1'29" ahead of bronze.
 
Having already won the senior national ITT championships in 2009, 2012 and 2013, Bodnar knew what it would take to finish on the top spot of the podium, and he delivered in style. Back in early April, he suffered a heavy crash in training, resulting in a long period of recovery and rehabilitation before starting to build for the rest of the season. He only returned to racing at the start of June, at the Tour of Luxembourg before heading to the Tour de Suisse where he was able to fine tune his time trial form ahead of the championships. 

After the race, Bodnar was really pleased with his performance and what the win means for himself.

 

"I'm so happy - it was a difficult period for me after the crash, so today's win is very special. I was calm with the team before the race and had my family and girlfriend here too which was really nice. Everything went really well, we never lost concentration, even when I was 30 seconds down at the first check. Also as its Olympic year the win gives me a big chance to race there for Poland.
 
"I came here from the Tour de Suisse which was a really hard race with tough conditions, but I recovered well. Today was 53km and over 30 degrees so it was tough but the numbers were good. Last year I came back after a crash to win at the Tour of Poland and I've come back again to win here."
 
Looking at Sunday's road race, Bodnar said:

 

"We have a really strong team - the parcours is difficult, but I feel good and we have Rafal [Majka]and Pawel [Poljanski]who are going well. I think we are in a good position to make the race but it is always difficult against the Polish teams with up to 15 riders so we will have to be clever."
 
"It's a really nice win for Bodi, especially after all his injuries, coming back to win the national championships is a great achievement," said Patxi Vila, a very pleased Sport Director after the race. "We knew Bialoblocki would be a real close contender, he won last year and was close behind Bodi in the worlds too.”
 
The race was based on a circuit which was covered four times, with 456m of climbing overall, rolling but nothing too testing.

 

"We made a good pacing strategy and stuck to that all race," continued Vila. "After the first lap he was 30" down but didn't panic and brought it back to just 8" by the end of the second. Then after the third lap he was 11" in front and it was just a case of finishing strongly. I'm really happy for him - it was a long, hard effort and he was committed to what he needed to do. It's always nice to win a national championships for the team too so everyone's happy."

 

Great day for CCC Sprandi Polkowice at Polish Nationals

CCC Sprandi Polkowice completed the first day of Polish Championships with three medals. Mateusz Taciak earned bronze in the elite category while Patryk Stosz took the title in U23 category and Michał Paluta claimed silver. 

 

The U23 riders were competing on a 39-kilometer course (3 laps, 13 kilometers each). The winner, Patryk Stosz, covered that distance in 53:27, 7 seconds faster than Michał Paluta, who set the 2nd fastest time. Przemysław Kasperkiewicz (Klein Constantin) was third and Piotr Brożyna nearly missed out on the podium. All of the CCC Sprandi Polkowice riders finished in the top 15 since Kamil Małecki was 8th and Alan Banaszek 13th.

 

“It was a technical course, but at the same time one needed a lot of power in the legs to perform well. There was also one climb on the lap, where you could gain a lot of seconds on the rivals,” said Patryk Stosz, white-red jersey wearer, afterwards.” I was going fast on the first lap, but not full gas and when I learnt that I recorded best time at first time check, I knew that I am capable of winning here. My sporting director, Sławomir Błaszczyk, deserves a lot of credit for that victory, since his instructions and information that he provided me with helped me find the right pace. I came in totally exhausted, with cramps in my leg, so I gave everything out there. I am very satisfied with the result, especially because I stood on the podium next to my teammate, Michał. 

 

“What's the most important is the fact, that our team got the title. We wanted to color the podium orange again and we succeeded in that,” said runner-up, Michał Paluta. “Sporting director, Piotr Wadecki was following me in the car and thanks to his words of encouragement I was extremely well motivated and because of him I switched to a harder gear on a few occasions. With the way he can motivate his riders, I'm not surprised that Michał Kwiatkowski won the world championship title with him as a national coach. 

 

“I didn't feel very well at the beginning of the TT. Later I found the rhythm and I can say that I left everything I had on the road. Now the road race is ahead of us. It will be held on a very demanding, hilly route, but I should be prepared and ready to defend the title. “

 

In the elite race, Mateusz Taciak claimed his sixth bronze TT medal. This time he lost only to last year's winner, Marcin Białobłocki, who got 2nd, and new Polish champion, Maciej Bodnar. The other CCC Sprandi Polkowice riders - Jarosław Marycz, Adrian Kurek and Tomasz Kiedyś - took 6th, 8th and 10th respectively.

 

“Of course every medal gives me a lot of satisfaction and that's the case also this time,” Mateusz Taciak said. “I fulfilled the plan, but at the same time I was hoping to finish a little bit higher on the podium than in previous years. My rivals were very strong though and it would be very hard to defeat them. I was preparing for those Nationals very precisely. I did a recon of the course to know every corner and every pothole. I got the information on the first lap that I was in the top 3, which gave me a lot of confidence, calmed me down and helped me maintain a solid tempo all the way to the end. “

 

Switzerland

Cancellara: This was the toughest course I have ever done

Fabian Cancellara claimed his 10th Swiss national time trial title today on a technical course in Martigny, taking home his final crown in a discipline he has reigned over a span of 15 years.

 

Cancellara completed the two 20.5-kilometer laps in 53 minutes and 12 seconds for an average speed of 46.24km/h to win convincingly over IAM Cycling's Reto Hollenstein in second (+1:20) and Thery Schir (EKZ Racing) in third (+1:23).

 

"It's the last, and even though I will only wear this one for half a year, a title is a title," said Cancellara. "I have to say it was one of the hardest ones. The parcours was technical, a lot of changing of rhythm, wind, and the heat – it was around 30 degrees (Celsius) – all made it pretty hard, especially after coming from the Tour de Suisse where it was cold and rainy. Today it was so warm, and your body reacts differently.

 

"When a time trial is almost an hour it's never an easy effort. I feel sad for Stefan Küng because he crashed pretty hard. But I knew that on a hard course like this, you have to be really careful. It was the toughest course that I have ever done, I think. A corner, left then right, just a lot of things to take care of. But you go full gas regardless; you focus on yourself, and that is how you time trial always."

 

Cancellara's performance in his national time trial championships is remarkable: He placed second in his first elite championship in 2001 and never looked back, amassing nine victories in nine attempts before ending with a 10th and final title Wednesday.

 

Cancellara has etched his name firmly into Switzerland's cycling history books, completing a feat that may never be equaled in the National Championship's race against the clock.

 

Cancellara said: "The Swiss championships have always been a part of my story, and I wanted to end it nicely this way. I wanted to participate in my last year as respect toward the championships I did always. Last year I wasn't at the championships and this year to stand on the podium again, and hear your national anthem is really nice. Unlike other sports, we don't have so many possibilities to hear the national hymns in cycling, so it is special; the only other time it's possible is the Worlds or Classics."

 

Reto Hollenstein runner-up in Switzerland: My legs weren’t on fire

 “My legs weren’t on fire,” Reto Hollenstein said before heading off to doping control.  “But a second place is a second place on this pretty technical course, especially with that dangerous descent. I felt comfortable on the first lap of the circuit, after which I suffered a serious slump.”

 

IAM Cycling directeur sportif Marcello Albasini said:

 

“With his second place, Reto has slotted into a good spot, but I immediately felt already this morning that he was not on a great day.  On a circuit as demanding as this, there is no forgiveness.”

 

Simon Pellaud found that the encouragement he received from local supporters lifted him to a strong fourth place among the elite specialists.  

“I went deep over the course of these two loops.  I came away with a great time for myself, and am really looking forward to Sunday’s road race.”

 

Jonathan Fumeaux was disappointed with his performance. 

 

“I did not manage to post a great time on this dangerous parcours with that perilous descent.  In addition to that, I was impeded by a motor bike, and then narrowly escaped disaster with an on-coming car.  But in any case, I never managed to find a good rhythm.”

 

The VC Excelsior really rolled up their sleeves and even managed to block off the center of Martigny in order to ensure the safe departure and arrival of all the riders.  That was an accomplishment that all participants appreciated, even if everything was not perfect all around.

 

After having already taken part in the individual time trial, Jonathan Fumeaux and Simon Pellaud will also be competing in the road race championships on Sunday with seven other Swiss riders from IAM Cycling. Since this race is happening practically in their own back gardens, the two Valaisans will be keen to shine and show their stuff.

  

The Netherlands

Tom Dumoulin: This is the best time trial I have ever done at Nationals

Being one of the favourites, Tom Dumoulin came to the Dutch Nationals with a lot of confidence after a coming back from the team’s altitude training camp in Sierra Nevada and he was looking to have a good performance.

 

The Dutch National Time Trial Championships was an individual time trial of 50km around the city of Middelharnis. Dumoulin was the fastest, with a time of 59’04” and an average pace of 51.7km/h on the rolling parcours.

 

Tom Dumoulin said: “I am really happy with this performance as everything went perfectly during the time trial. It is great to be the Dutch national champion as it was my best ride ever during the Nationals. After a long period without racing, you are never sure how it is going to go and how you will perform.

 

“However, I prepared well and generally if I feel good in training then I know it’s going to be okay during the race. It is a really nice feeling to have won the red, white and blue jersey. It is a great honour to have won it in such a great event.

 

"I just wanted the jersey. This was my best ever time trial at the Nationals. It was just really good, my values show that.

 

"I had a bit of cramp. I could not push hard. I have not raced for so long and have not gone full gas. Then you have to get used to it. 

 

"It was only for the championships, it is better for me not to ride in Switzerland.

 

"I did not need this confirmation. It felt good during training well and I know that it is okay in the race then. It is often asked whether this fits into the the preparation or not, but this is just an event in itself. And I just want that jersey. I do not go here to be good in the Tour or Rio. I just want the jersey and I succeeded. "

 

Adriaan Helmantel added: “It feels good to take the victory. When you come here with one goal and even though it is not easy, it is very satisfying. From the beginning, I could see that Tom could push the watts. He had a good stable pace and at the intermediate time we already knew that he had a good advantage over his competition and he was able to maintain this until the finish.

 

“He looked very good, he was focused and it is great to see that he is capable of winning after being at the high altitude training camp. Now he has a good level and this will be a further incentive for the Tour de France and later on in Rio.

 

“To become Dutch national champion you need to be 100% and especially with those strong opponents. Today he showed a steady performance proving he is at the top of his game.”

 

Jos van Emden: I am not disappointed

Jos van Emden and Wilco Kelderman finished respectively second and third in the Dutch time trial Championship. Kelderman lost his title to Tom Dumoulin (Giant - Alpecin). Steven Lammertink finished fourth, Koen Bouwman seventh.

 

In the 50-kilometre championship around Middelharnis, Jos van Emden lost 34 seconds on winner Dumoulin.

 

“I’m satisfied with that,” Van Emden said. “I’ve delivered a good time trial. I only struggled during the final five kilometres, but I’m not disappointed about it.”

 

Trainer Mathieu Heijber was satisfied as well with Van Emden’s performance.

 

“Jos did a good job,” he added. “He prefers shorter time trials, but he was able to hold a steady pace until the final five kilometres. Wilco Kelderman performed well, too. He came out of the Tour de Suisse, but still reached the top three another time.”

 

Wilco Kelderman loses Dutch TT title

Last year’s Dutch champion Wilco Kelderman was focussing on his wattage during the first part of his time trial and had to turn up his speed in the second part.

 

“Then it started to hurt,” he said. “It went well, but not superb. Yesterday, I felt that I wasn’t completely recovered from the Tour de Suisse. I still delivered a good time trial and I’m happy to finish third.”

 

"On one hand, I expected it, on the other hand it is a pity,” he told Wielerflits. “Now I have to ride in yellow, white and black. I prefer to ride in red-white-blue. Switzerland is obviously close to the Championships. It's wait and see how you recover.

 

I think I was pretty good. I was well recovered and started pretty fast. You need to speed up in the second part. That was not super. I see it as a good training towards the Tour. I am quite satisfied with it.

 

"Tom is just a super time trialist and belongs to the best in the world. He is hard to beat, you have to have a great day.”

 

LottoNL youngsters excel at Dutch TT championships 

Behind the top three, the young Team LottoNL-Jumbo riders showed off as well.

 

“Steven Lammertink rode surprisingly well,” Heijboer continued. “It’s great that he finished fourth as a neo-professional on such a long time trial. Koen Bouwman did a great job as well considering the same thing. He came out the Tour de Suisse, as well.”

 

“I’ve been ill and wasn’t able to finish the Criterium du Dauphiné,” Lammertink said. “That’s why I started this time trial relatively easy. I was able to hold on to a steady pace and it felt good. I wasn’t able to deliver more than this. It was the first time that I did such a long time trial and I have to be satisfied with this fourth place.”

 

Even for Bouwman it was the first time that he rode such a long time trial.

 

“During the race, I didn’t feel comfortable,” the youngster added. “I lost my focus for a while halfway into my performance. In the final part, I was able to set a steady pace. I’m barely able to stand on my feet because of the pain right now. This was a beautiful experience to learn from.”

 

Wout Poels uses Dutch TT Championships to prepare for Rio

Wout Poels started a time trial that didn’t suit him. Nevertheless, he achieved a solid sixth place.

 

"It was a very nice workout and a good opportunity to find out how to do a TT at the Olympic Games,” he told Wielerflits.

 

"Of course Rio de Janeiro a very different course but this is a good experience. I will now ride home and I can think calmly about it. I can also analyze the number together with my trainer. But I think there are still a few points where I can improve. That is only right. But I'm satisfied. Of course you want always to end up higher and I also had the ambition to be champion, but I am also realistic when I know that Tom (Dumoulin, ed.) and Wilco (Kelderman, ed.) who are true specialists, are here. I’m not but that should not spoil the fun.

 

"Next Wednesday I leave for France. A lot of time has gone. Everything is going well and we should not do crazy things now. Then it starts and in the first flat stages, especially Luke Rowe, Ian Stannard and Vasil Kiryienka have to work work. The other riders have a supporting role in the mountains. How the roles will be will be decided on the road. Last year I was not excellent in the mountains the first two weeks but in the last week I was very strong and I was the last man. Now there are also strong guys like Mikel Landa and Sergio Henao so we'll see how it goes. A stage win? If you go to the Tour with Chris, this is very difficult. After Liège-Bastogne-Liège, I have been focused on the Tour. And then in the Olympic road race I can go for myself.”

 

Latvia

Gatis Smukulis proud of winning margin at National TT

“I felt that I could fight for the victory, even after the Tour de Suisse my feelings were very good! I’m happy that I won this championship with around one minute of advantage! In the last two years I won only with a couple of seconds,” said a happy Gatis Smukulis after the finish of the Latvian National Championships

 

“It was very important for me to regain my triumph in ITT. The route was very hard and not so long.”

 

Kazakhstan

Dmitriy Gruzdev bounces back from illness with successful TT in Kazakhstan

“A few weeks ago I felt very bad, I was sick at the Dauphine and forced to abandon the race. I came to Almaty and started to train. Is was not easy, but I’m happy that I was able to prepare,” said Dmitriy Gruzdev after the finish of the Kazakhstan National Championships in Almaty.