Ellen van Dijk returns to the podiums at the European Championships - "After a difficult period, I'm happy with my current form"

Despite being 37 years old, Ellen van Dijk is still one of the best time trialists on the planet. A three-time world champion and winner of the first four editions of the European Championships, the Dutchwoman wanted to add a fifth continental title to her list of honors. However, Lotte Kopecky proved too strong and had to settle for silver, 44 seconds behind the Belgian.

"It's a flat course, so you can apply power at all times. Sure, you lose some speed in the corners and with the headwind you have to push harder, but that's where you can make up time," said van Dijk after the finish.

Her compatriot Riejanne Markus was also a candidate for the podium at the beginning of the race. And she was only 2 seconds away from achieving it, but the Austrian Christina Schweinberger prevented her from doing so. However, the Visma - Lease a Bike rider finished far behind Kopecky and the chances of gold, at 1:04 to be more precise.

"The course was beautiful. I really liked it, but the wind was very strong. Sometimes it was difficult to stay in a straight line. I tried to keep as steady a pace as possible, and it went pretty well. Of course I expected to finish on the podium, especially when you're only two seconds behind. After a difficult period, I'm happy with my current form, so I'm satisfied."