High Road’s Marco Pinotti won the Italian national time trial championships for a third time in his career on Sunday.
The 32-year-old stopped the clock for the 33 kilometer course in Montichiari, northern Italy, in 39 minutes 30 seconds,  1 minute and 22 seconds clear of runner-up Luca Celli.

“To be honest, I can’t say I was too surprised because I’ve never finished outside the top three of this particular event in the last five years.” Pinotti said. “After finishing the Giro D’Italia, I’d continued to stay focused, doing a couple of races in Germany and then going training in the Alps with [High Road team-mate Kanstantsin] Sivtzov.”

“The course was quite technical, with a small climb about a kilometre long half-way through, and there were some long straights at the end, which helps to explain my high average speed.” - an impressive 50.278 kmh.

“I found the heat was a real factor in this race - 35 degrees celsius. It wasn’t easy to concentrate.”

 Pinotti came to check out the course - an hour’s drive away form his home - on the morning of the time trial, and to ride its full length before the race itself. His thorough approach paid off, and with a comfortable margin in the finale over his closest rival, Pinotti said he could even afford to ease up slightly in the closing kilometres and “not go at 100 percent” to cut down on the risks of crashes.

“There were no punctures and no technical problems, so I was pleased with how it went as a ride, as well as the result.”

Of his three Italian national time trial wins - the previous two being in 2005 and 2007 - Pinotti says that “The first was definitely the most special.”

“But even so, I think I can say that after taking the Giro time trial win [on the final stage] and then this one, I know I really can’t get any better in my own race against the clock.”