Lotte Kopecky: ‘Somehow I enjoyed this time trial, thanks to a realistic pace plan. At the start I immediately felt that the prescribed numbers were ‘easily’ achievable and that I always had some reserve. I was happy that I was always able to achieve the prescribed power levels. However, I had to learn how best to divide my effort in a 31.3-kilometre time trial. Between kilometre ten and five of the end you could make a huge difference. There the wind was completely against us. This European title is for me confirmation that I made the right choice by riding the time trial on the European Championships and skipping the road race.’