“I found the fire inside” – Niklas Larsen stuns with podium finish at European Championships

The European Championships time trial took place in France on October 1, with Remco Evenepoel taking the win as expected. What was not that expected was Niklas Larsen finishing in third place and get the bronze medal, beating some of the best time trialists in the world.

The Danish rider had already showed glimpses of his huge time trial power this year, finishing in second place in the Danish national championships just behind Mads Pedersen and fourth in the time trial of the Tour of Denmark, but today's result has become his biggest feat so far.

The 28-year-old was asked once the race finished whether he actually expected to be fighting for the medals. "No, not at all. Yesterday I was talking to the Danish media and I said that I would be very happy just with a top 10. So yeah, to be in number 3, with Evenepoel and Ganna, so close to the British guys also... I am just really happy. I got that last bit to be in front of them [Ethan Hayter and Joshua Tarling] and to be on the podium... yeah, I'm really happy."

Larsen also talked about how this season has unfolded. 2025 has been the first season since 2019 in which he did not ride for a professional team. He spent five seasons at UNO - X (2020-2024), but the lack of opportunities and development made him take the decision to take a step back, signing for the semi-professional team BHS - PL Beton Bornholm.

"I think today especially is just the end of a really good season for me on the road as well. A lot of hard work since last year. I was pro and then went a step down to be a continental rider again. I tried to just work really hard in the winter and find the fire inside to be a cyclist in general. And it has been working really well with the good training. It was shown today, it has been a really good season."

After this success, he does not plan to stop, but quite the opposite. The Danish rider, who recently announced he has signed a 1-year contract with the pro team Unibet Tietema Rockets for the 2026 season, is already looking forward to the next season.

"I am just relly happy to hopefully keep this going and get even better. Hopefully this is not the best I will do for the rest of my career. Hopefully I can keep on going better. I hope for one of the best winters this year so I can keep getting even better for next year and keep showing on the road that I also belong in the good company."

Larsen has mostly shined in time trials, a skill he seems to have mastered. But cycling is more than time trials, and when asked in what other terrains he can also excel, he has a clear answer. "I think I am also good in some of the terrain that is a bit harder. I mean, not too hard, I am not a climber of course. I have to be a little bit lighter than I am. But I do pretty well in hard races so hopefully I can keep developing that skill as well. In GC races also with a good time trial I can hopefully do some good stuff there."

Finally, he also thinks he has the power to compete in cobbled races, but that will require more hard work to become a contender. "Yeah, I like the cobbles. I have done them before but the level is really high, so I have to get a lot better to be able to compete."