Marlen Reusser’s latest triumph at the European Championships time trial was built on patience, control, and then sheer force once the course tilted and the headwind kicked in. The 24-kilometre test from Loriol to Étoile-sur-Rhône was always going to suit the big engines, with long flat roads bookended by a testing rise into the finish, but it also exposed those unable to manage the gusting wind.
Anna Henderson was one of the earliest riders to lay down a marker. Starting third, she produced a clean, measured effort, stopping the clock at 34:11. It was a strong ride at 42.1kph, enough to hold the hot seat for several minutes. But with the field stacked against her, Henderson’s time would inevitably be challenged. Mie Bjørndal Ottestad, starting later, delivered exactly that. The young Norwegian pushed through the flat run-in and then made her biggest gains on the climb to the line. Her finishing surge carried her 16 seconds faster than Henderson, and she settled into the leader’s chair with confidence.
From there, the standings became a revolving door of near-misses. Juliette Labous came within a fraction of dislodging Henderson, missing by less than a second. Lieke Nooijen also looked close but fell nine seconds short. Katrine Aalerud then threatened to make it a Norwegian one-two, her ride ultimately leaving her just two seconds shy of Ottestad. The margins were tiny – seconds, even tenths – a reminder of how finely balanced the fight for the podium was.
When Reusser rolled down the start ramp, however, the tone of the race shifted. The world champion started conservatively, not topping the opening time check, but once she settled into rhythm, the damage was immediate. By the second checkpoint, she had overturned any deficit and was already 14 seconds faster than Aalerud. Her power in the headwind section was evident, cutting through the gusts that unsettled others and turning them to her advantage. She caught Christina Schweinberger, who had started a minute earlier, an unmistakable sign that her ride was on another level.
The final sector up into Étoile-sur-Rhône left no doubt. Where Ottestad had impressed on the climb, Reusser was devastating, opening her gap to nearly 50 seconds. Behind her, Mischa Bredewold was gritting her teeth to cling onto the podium, just edging Aalerud by two-tenths of a second to take bronze.
Reusser, though, had already sat up to savour her moment, arms aloft in salute as she crossed the line. The European crown was hers for the fourth time, her dominance underlined by a winning margin that echoed her display at the World Championships just days earlier. What had been a tense battle for minor medals became a showcase of superiority once Reusser was at full throttle, proving once again that when she is at her best, the race against the clock belongs to her.
2025 European Championships TT result
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Main photo credit: Getty
