The red trains are not just the Bernina ones. Switzerland has two more, or rather three. The Swiss dominated the two individual time trials Monaco 2022. Marlene Reusseur between women and Stephen Bissegger among men. But the men's podium also saw the second place of Stefan Kung.
At the European Championships in Munich, the "Bern" riders confirmed their dominance. And this competition remains "off-limits" (for now) to Filippo Ganna. The world champion finished third.
First the Reusser…
But let's rewind. At 3:58 PM, Marlene sprints from the ramp in Furstenfeldbruck, a typical Bavarian town with geraniums on the balconies and wrought-iron shop signs, 25 kilometers northwest of Munich.
Its power is immediately highlighted by the fast path (the same as the men) that awaits the girls. In fact, almost immediately... The first few meters are uphill. And Marlen defends herself.
For Marlene, that 600-meter ramp seems like a sort of completion of the warm-up. As soon as it reaches the plain, it flattens out on its Specialized and torments the pedals. In short, she and the Van Dijk They open up a gap with the others. But she's the real driving force. She crosses the finish line in 31 minutes and repeats her success from Trento 2021.
«A year later – says Reusser – I won this event again and I am happy to be able to extend this title. The move to Team SD Worx was crucial, from a materials point of view. I got a Specialized Shiv TT Disc bike that I, the team and the staff of the Swiss Federation, have set up to the best of their ability.
"We have studied every part of the path, so this title is really a performancenor as a team."
Queen Switzerland
And team is truly the magic word for Switzerland today. A few hours later, their male counterparts were making a charge for the white, blue, and light blue jersey.
The boys from Edi Telser, a South Tyrolean town in Switzerland, have pointed the finger at this evidence. There was a great exchange of information between them after the reconnaissance. And one of their staff had already reconnoitered the German route.
No surprise then. It seems they discovered the route before the others. In fact they drove in a masterly way.
Swiss Derby
The odds are still in favor of Stefan Kung. The beast of the Groupama-Fdj he had prepared this appointment well. Starting like lightning, Stefan is in the lead at the intermediate point. But his advantage is very slim. and behind him there is not Filippo Ganna, but his compatriot Bisseger.
The difference between the two was their grudge match. Kung, like Reusser, was the defending champion, while Reusser was hungry for redemption. Especially since he had fallen three times in the Copenhagen time trial at the Tour, where he was in top form. He wanted to prove his worth to the world.
The two Swiss fly. What is striking is the cadence and the nastiness with which they tackle the few bends of the Furstenfeldbruck ring. Bisseger especially travels well above 110 pedal strokes.
When he crossed the finish line at 6:31 PM, he was clearly in first place. When Kung crossed it at 6:45 PM, he was still first, but by only three-tenths of a second. The heart stops for a moment, then it is total joy.
«Finally – said Bissegger after the finish – I can say that I'm at the top, that I've arrived. In the last eight kilometers I realized that I was really going strong and riding in that world I also understood that I could win. Of course, I “apologize” to Stefan who came really close to me».
Bronze of Hope
The only one who could interrupt the Swiss party was Philippo Ganna. Pippo was on pace at the intermediate point, but then he "lost" ground. His eight-second delay seemed like an eternity compared to Switzerland's two.
Ganna decided at the last minute to take the start in the race against time. A change that was carefully considered along the way with all his staff, both the team and the Italian team, with one goal in mind: the third rainbow jersey... always in time trials.
And in fact after the arrival Ganna is smiling: «It went well – he says – I developed 10 watts more than expected. I didn't win because someone else was faster than me. Period. The bike wasn't moving as I wanted it to, it was just me who couldn't maintain the high speed.
"But I'm happy. I haven't touched a time trial bike since the Tour, and this event was an excellent test ahead of the World Championships."
From here to Wollongong The only time trial, if we can call it that, will be the prologue to the Tour of Germany. But it's a 2,7-kilometer effort, so it's not very indicative of the World Championships, which will be over thirty kilometers long.
