Two golds, one silver, and three bronzes – this is the result for the GRENKE - Auto Eder riders at this year's national cycling championships. Patrick Casey won the road race in Ireland, and Lorenzo Finn was crowned the Italian time trial champion.
Late June is traditionally the time for national cycling championships. In most European nations, the titleholders in both the road race and the time trial are determined in the weeks before the Tour de France. This applies to both professional and junior cyclists. For GRENKE - Auto Eder, this year’s national championships held special significance: the eight athletes of the BORA - hansgrohe U19 team come from seven different countries, so the team aimed to collect as many medals as possible in their respective national championships.
With an impressive haul of two gold, one silver, and two bronze medals, the team delivered an exceptional performance. Lorenzo Finn won the individual time trial in Italy, and Patrick Casey claimed victory in the road race in Ireland. Additionally, Theodor Clemmensen secured third place in the road race in Denmark, Patrick Casey finished third in the time trial in Ireland, and Paul Fietzke earned bronze in the individual time trial and silver in the road race in Germany. Consequently, the team’s overall assessment is very positive. This is even more so considering that the riders secured additional top results: Anatol Friedl finished sixth in the road race in Austria, and Noah Lindholm Møller Andersen placed seventh in the time trial in Denmark.
The next races for the GRENKE - Auto Eder riders are the GP Général Patton (June 29th) and the Grand Prix de Luxembourg (June 30th), two one-day races in Luxembourg. From July 10th to 14th, the team will participate in the French Ain Bugey Valromey Tour, one of the most important stage races on the junior cycling calendar.
Results
Patrick Casey: Irish Road Race Champion + Third Irish Time Trial Championships
Lorenzo Finn: Italian Time Trial Champion
Paul Fietzke: German Road Race Runner-up + Third German Time Trial Championships
Theodor Clemmensen: Third Danish Road Race Championships
Quote
“Following the bad luck with several crashes during our spring campaign, all our athletes returned to racing just in time for the national championships. With two championship titles and three medals, we are taking a lot of motivation into the upcoming races. Our next highlights are two one-day races in Luxembourg at the end of June, followed by the Ain Bugey Valromey Tour, one of our season highlights, in mid-July.” – Dr. Christian Schrot, Sports Director
Photos: Sean Rowe (cover image) / Walter Pettinatti (Lorenzo Finn)