SWEDISH AND DANISH TIME TRIAL CHAMPIONSHIPS

Fahlin and Villumsen Clinch Titles

Columbia-Highroad's number-one ranked women's team clinched two National Time Trial titles: Wednesday in Gotene, Sweden and Thursday in Sonderborg, Denmark.

Linda Villumsen of Herning, Denmark retained her 2008 National Time Trial title by completing the 25.5-kilometre course with the fastest time despite strong winds.  "The wind was so strong, at my back on the way out, and from the front on the way back.  There was so much wind on the downhill that I really had to use my brakes," commented 22-year-old Villumsen after the win.  "As always, I am super nervous before this race.  I put very high expectations on myself.  If I didn't win, I would be very disappointed.  So I tried to listen to good music and not warm up too much.  It all came together nicely."

The 2008 Danish Road and Time Trial Champion will seek to defend her Road Champion title Saturday, then proceeds to Italy's Giro d'Italia Feminin starting Friday, July 3rd.   "We will have a super strong team at the Giro, so that is really my next focus."

Already the 2008 Swedish National Road Champion, 20-year-old Emilia Fahlin captured the prestigious Swedish Time Trial Champion title by beating Susanne Ljungskog and Emma Johansson by 9 seconds and 23 seconds, respectively, on the 30-kilometre course.

"This is unbelievable, I think," claimed Fahlin after the race.  "I had no expectations of winning today since I'm not really a time trialer.  With names like Johansson and Ljungskog here, I thought it was between them.  I just wanted to get a good workout, so it was shocking when I found out that I had the best time."

Now the Swedish Time Trial Champion is looking to retain her National Road Champion title on Saturday.  "It's going to be a really tough course, but this win today gave me the confidence to feel great at the starting line on Saturday.  I will really try to defend my [2008 National Champion] jersey."
 

ITALIAN TIME TRIAL CHAMPIONSHIPS

PINOTTI WINS FOR THE THIRD STRAIGHT YEAR

For the third year in a row and fourth  time in his career, Columbia-Highroad’s Marco Pinotti has once again earned the right to wear the Italian national time trial champion’s jersey.

Already the winner of the same event in 2005, 2007 and 2008, Pinotti’s third straight victory in the Italian national time trial championships came after he clocked a time of 39 minutes and 22 seconds for the 32.4 kilometre time trial, with the last part held on the famous Imola Formula One motor racing circuit.

Fastest at all the time checks, Pinotti finished 19 seconds ahead of Gabriele Bosisio and 1 minute 9 seconds ahead of Maurizio Biondo.

“I came out of the Giro d’Italia in very good shape,” Pinotti said later. “Then I deliberately didn’t do the Tour of Switzerland so I could focus on the Italian national championships. It was a course that suited me well, fast at the start and then afterwards a bit hillier when we got on the circuit.”

“The hardest part was handling the rain, it was the same for everybody but it made the course a bit dangerous - my back wheel slipped a couple of times.”

The last rider to start, Pinotti said he rode most of the race unaware of whether his times were good enough to get him the win.

“I knew that I was ahead after 12 kilometres, but that was it. Afterwards I just kept going, I’d done the course the day before so I knew roughly how to calculate my strength.”

Pinotti’s fourth Italian time trial title makes him the outright record-holder for wins in the event. He was previously tied on victories with Marco Velo, who won in 1998, 1999 and 2000.