France takes gold in mixed TTT after a strong women performance: "We knew we had a very strong women's team"

Halfway through, the French were still behind the Italians, but in the end they still won the Mixed Relay at the European Championships in Drenthe. It was the women who made the difference.

"Indeed, we knew we had a very strong women's team," said Benjamin Thomas – part of the men's team – in the flash interview afterwards.

"The aim was to put them in the right situation," said Thomas, who formed the men's trio together with Rémi Cavagna and Bruno Armirail. The women's team consisted of Juliette Labous, Cédrine Kerbaol and Audrey Cordon-Ragot. "They did fantastic. They took back about 25 seconds. That is very impressive on a course like this."

"It was a special course. With my background in team pursuit on the track, I know this is a very specific effort. You have to be very focused on your position and riding in groups. We are very happy. It was about the same team as at the World Cup, now I was there too. It is unbelievable. We don't fully realize it yet."