"Maybe my team can design a half-and-half jersey" - Marlen Reusser left with 'luxury problem' as time trial titles begin to pile up

Marlen Reusser has claimed her first win in the Rainbow Jersey in emphatic fashion at the 2025 European Championships, powering to another time trial crown just a week after sealing her maiden World Championship victory in Kigali, Rwanda last time out.

The Swiss rider stopped the clock in 33:06 on the 23.9km course in Lyon, finishing a commanding 49 seconds clear of Norway’s Mie Bjorndal Ottestad, with Mischa Bredewold completing the podium.

The early pace was set by Great Britain’s Anna Henderson, who established herself as the rider to beat with a 34:12. Ottestad then raised the bar further with a 33:56, her consistency across all three sectors enough to dethrone Henderson and keep her in the hot seat as the strongest times began to roll in. But as expected, the reigning world champion saved the best for last. Reusser was only marginally down at the opening checkpoint, before tearing through the middle sector with a time of 15:52 – 14 seconds faster than Katrine Aalerud and nine quicker than Ottestad. From that point on, her superiority was clear, and by the finish line she had delivered yet another masterclass against the clock.

Speaking to Cycling Pro Net afterwards, Reusser admitted the victory carried special meaning coming so soon after her rainbow triumph. “It’s really cool. I’m proud to wear both these jerseys,” she said. “I was the favourite, but you can never be sure, especially after all the travel and the stress around coming straight from Kigali. So I’m really happy it worked out.”

Reusser paid tribute to Swiss Cycling for helping her manage the challenging transition from Worlds to the European Championships. “It was not an easy preparation, but I have to thank Swiss Cycling – they organised everything perfectly so I could just focus on myself. They really looked after me. I felt a bit sorry for myself with all the travel, but then I thought, Remco Evenepoel also raced in Kigali and came here, so maybe I shouldn’t complain too much.”

With two prestigious jerseys in the space of a week, Reusser joked about the challenge of deciding which colours to show off during the season.

“Maybe my team can design a half-and-half jersey, or even combine three – the rainbow, European and Swiss champion’s colours. It would be nice to show them all together. It’s a luxury problem to have.”