SCOTT Sports

Source from www.highroadsports.com

San Luis Obispo, CA June 26, 2009 - For the second year running, Columbia-Highroad's Frantisek Rabon (Czech Republic), Kim Kirchen (Luxembourg), Edvald Boasson Hagen (Norway), Bert Grabsch (Germany) and Marco Pinotti (Italy) have captured their respective countries' individual time trial titles. 

The same five Columbia-Highroad riders also won gold in the same event back in 2008. 

In Germany, World Time Trial Champion Bert Grabsch on the new Scott Plasma TT beat his Columbia-Highroad team-mate Tony Martin (as well on the new Plasma TT) by a narrow margin of just 10 seconds over a flat 40 kilometre course which started and finished in the city of Cottbus. "It was a big fight all the way, but Tony beat me into second in the time trial in the Bayern Rundfahrt stage race [in late May], so now it's my turn to beat him," Grabsch joked after taking his third German national time trial title in three years. event."



For the third year in a row and fourth time in his career, Columbia-Highroad’s Marco Pinotti has once again earned the right to wear the Italian national time trial champion’s jersey. Already the winner of the same event in 2005, 2007 and 2008, Pinotti’s third straight victory in the Italian national time trial championships came after he clocked a time of 39 minutes and 22 seconds for the 32.4 kilometre time trial. Fastest at all the time checks, Pinotti finished 19 seconds ahead of Gabriele Bosisio and 1 minute 9 seconds ahead of Maurizio Biondo. 


Photo: © by Tim De Waele/tdwsport.com

Frantisek Rabon had to combat heavy rain in his successful bid for a second straight time trial title in the Czech Republic. "I was under pressure because of last year's win, some journalists said beforehand the race that as the big favourite, I should just get the gold medal and everybody could go home early. "But a lot of unexpected things can happen in bike racing, and the wet weather could have changed everything. Fortunately, though, I came through for the win." 

Edvald Boasson Hagen took his third successive title in the Norwegian national time trial championships by a convincing margin of three minutes and nine seconds ahead of Kurt Asle Arvesen. The only rider to take less than an hour for the 49.2 kilometre course in Narbo, Boasson Hagen said afterwards that "I knew I was on a good day from the moment I started. Everything felt good, the weather was great, and it wasn't a tricky course, and that all meant I concentrated on going as fast as possible."