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Trek-Segafredo will be displaying four National jerseys in the next year with Toms Skujins winning the Latvian National road championships and Ruth Winder claiming the USA title Sunday, and earlier in the week, Ryan Mullen taking his fourth Irish time trial championships and Anna Plichta her first in Poland.
Skujins and Winder will get to show off their coveted jerseys in their next races, the Tour de France and Giro Rosa respectively, after winning their respective National road championships, the first title for each.
Skujins: “It’s a hard race to win because here everyone is a little bit looking at me and knows the capabilities I have. I have to play it smart every time, and luckily today, I was smart and strong enough. Taking the jersey to the Tour is massive, it’s been a really long time since we have had the Latvian champ in the Tour. I am honored to wear it in the most-watched race and show the stripes to the world. Hopefully they see the jersey not just hanging out at the back but also off the front a few times.”
Winder: “Tayler (Wiles) made the race super hard up the climb every time. Honestly, she had better legs than me today; she was hurting me up the climb! But we wanted the pace to be hard and make a selective group; we knew we couldn’t take the sprinters to the line. I had to be super sneaky about my attack, and I was and got away. On the last lap on the top of the climb, I saw the gap was getting pretty close, but I was giving it all I could and was just telling myself ‘it’s not over until it’s over.’ I could not believe it when I crossed the line; I thought everyone in the entire peloton was going to pass me in the last 50 meters! Tayler was a really awesome teammate, and I could not have done an attack like that without her pushing such a hard pace. I have had so many messages from the girls, and now I am heading over to Italy and really excited to join the team for the Giro.”
Ahead of the road championships, countries crowned the best in the race against the clock, and Anna Plichta raced to her first title and first medal in the discipline in Poland.
Plichta: “I am really, really happy especially since for a few years I have been quite good in the time trial, but I have never had this title; it was really an amazing day for me. I also had my parents here, so that made it even more special, and I could share my happiness with them. I am also happy to bring this jersey to the team – when I was riding today, I was all the time thinking of the team and my teammates and how they have believed in me and supported me all year. It kept me motivated.”
Time trial specialist Ryan Mullen claimed his fourth successive National title in Ireland, but his defense of the championship did not come without some difficulties. It took a lot of last-minute organization to secure a bike to ride after his own Speed Concept was misplaced by an airline one day before the race.
Mullen: “I am proud to have defended my national TT title, especially since it wasn't the smoothest 24 hours lead-in with a travel day of doom and not getting my road or time trial bike. Thanks to everyone who helped me get set up. It's finally nice to win a race in 2019.”
Honorable mentions go to Ellen van Dijk (Netherlands) and Audrey Cordon-Ragot (France) who took home silver medals in the time trial championships, and Fumy Beppu who finished third in Japan.
In the road race championships, Michael Gogl won silver in Austria and Ryan Mullen grabbed his second medal with a bronze in Ireland.
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