Team news: Another title for Rowsell

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Wiggle Honda Pro Cycling’s World and Olympic champion Joanna Rowsell can now add the title of Great Britain national time trial champion to her extensive list of achievements

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The Londoner was fastest around the rolling 35.2km course in Stewarton, to the south west of Glasgow, Scotland. Rowsell finished in a time of 49 minutes and 25 seconds, which was 32 seconds quicker than second place Lizzie Armitstead (Boels-Dolmans), and a minute and 37 seconds quicker than Katie Colclough (Specialized-lululemon) in third.

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“I’m absolutely over the moon,” Rowsell said. “I can’t believe that I’ve won, but I was targeting this and I came here to get the jersey, so I’m absolutely over the moon that I’ve managed it.”

Despite having won Olympic Gold and three World titles in the velodrome, the 2013 Great Britain time trial championship is Rowsell’s first elite national title outdoors.

“I’ve won the under-23 road race title twice, but this is my first senior one,” Rowsell confirmed. “I think the thing with winning the title is that you can actually wear the jersey in races. I just can’t wait to get a skinsuit made up and wear it next time I do a time trial!”

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The course was made up of two laps of a 17.6km circuit. Rowsell was in first place at half way, but less than 40 seconds separated the first four riders. A strong second lap saw the 24-year-old pull ahead, however, as the rolling course took its toll on the legs of the other riders.

“I didn’t know at all,” she said. “I caught the rider one minute ahead of me, and then the rider two minutes ahead of me, so that was a good sign. But I crossed the finish line, and I was pretty much taken straight away to the podium, and I was saying ‘where have I come? where have I come?’

“I thought it was probably a good sign that I was being taken straight to the podium,” she laughed. “I think I beat Lizzie by 32 seconds in the end,” Rowsell confirmed. “I told her last night that she’d like it, because it’s quite a road rider’s course. There wasn’t a single bit of flat on the whole course; even the bit that looks flat is false flat. It’s pretty cool to be on the podium with her, as she’s my best friend.”

Wiggle Honda Pro Cycling had three riders inside the top seven, with double Olympic champion Laura Trott finishing in fifth place, in a time of 51’26”, just five seconds behind elder sister Emma (Boels-Dolmans), and missing the podium by just 24 seconds.  World junior time trial champion Elinor Barker took seventh place in her first ever senior championships, recording a time of 51’42” despite sitting her final A’ level exam yesterday.

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21-year-old Trott’s performance made her the outstanding under-23 rider in the race, but there is sadly no separate classification in the women’s time trial. “It was a really good ride,” said directeur sportif Simon Cope said of Rowsell’s title winning performance. “Technically good, physically good. It was a proper course, so it was a really good day today. The second lap was always going to get you, so it was very impressive and we’re really happy with her. Jo spent a bit of time up her recon-ing the course, so she knew it well.”

Result
1. Joanna Rowsell (Wiggle Honda Pro Cycling)
2. Lizzie Armitstead (Boels-Dolmans)
3. Katie Colclough (Specialized-lululemon)

5. Laura Trott
7. Elinor Barker
13. Dani King
22. Amy Roberts

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