For the second year running, Columbia-Highroad’s Frantisek Rabon (Czech Republic), Kim Kirchen (Luxembourg), Edvald Boasson Hagen (Norway), Bert Grabsch (Germany) and Marco Pinotti (Italy) have captured their respective countries’ individual time trial titles. The same five Columbia-Highroad riders also won gold in the same event back in 2008.

In Germany, World Time Trial Champion Grabsch beat his Columbia-Highroad team-mate Tony Martin by a narrow margin of just 10 seconds over a flat 40 kilometre course which started and finished in the city of Cottbus.

“It was a big fight all the way, but Tony beat me into second in the time trial in the Bayern Rundfahrt stage race [in late May], so now it’s my turn to beat him,” Grabsch joked after taking his third German national time trial title in three years. It’s a bit like a game between the two of us, one day Tony wins, the next time it’s me.

“But I have to say the route suited me a lot -  almost flat and very straight, with just a couple of little climbs. It was also very windy, and that helped me too. I used a big gear as usual, 56x11, and I was able to get into a strong rhythm for the whole course.

“It’s good practice for the World Championships, one of my big targets for the season -  because just like the World’s, the National Time Trial is a stand-alone event. Now I’ll focus on Sunday’s road-race, and helping [Columbia-HIghroad team-mate] Andrei Greipel to win in a bunch sprint.”

Frantisek Rabon had to combat heavy rain in his successful bid for a second straight time trial title in the Czech Republic.

“It was a very difficult time trial because after a hot humid day, suddenly after half the riders had started it began pouring down with rain and the temperatures dropped by around 10 degrees. On top of that the course was very technical, with a bigger climb and then a lot of smaller ones, so you had to stay very focussed all the way through.

“I was under pressure because of last year’s win, some journalists said beforehand the race that as the big favourite, I should just get the gold medal and everybody could go home early.

"But a lot of unexpected things can happen in bike racing, and the wet weather could have changed everything. Fortunately, though, I came through for the win.”

Edvald Boasson Hagen took his third successive title in the Norwegian national time trial championships by a convincing margin of three minutes and nine seconds ahead of Kurt Asle Arvesen.

The only rider to take less than an hour for the 49.2 kilometre course in Narbo, Boasson Hagen said afterwards that “I knew I was on a good day from the moment I started. Everything felt good, the weather was great, and it wasn’t a tricky course, and that all meant I concentrated on going as fast as possible. My radio connection didn’t work well, and I just went all out and hoped for the best.

“The Norwegian National time trials are always held on courses about 50 kilometres long, and I’d recently done an even longer distance in the Tour of Italy’s big time trial, so I knew how to calcualate my strength.”

Already the winner of the Ghent-Wevelgem Classic and a stage of the Tour of Italy, the 22-year-old recognised, “It’s all working out really well for me this season. Now I’ll take part in the road-race [on Sunday] and see what I can do there, too!”