Judith Arndt Wins German National Championships
29 June 2012
"Of course I'm satisfied with the championships," said Arndt, after Saturday's road race. "I can't go better than two national titles. I'm very happy with both events."
Arndt covered the 34.6 kilometer time trial course in Zwenkau in 44:28. The 35-year-old was 45 seconds faster than silver medalist Trixi Worrack (Specialized-lululemon) and 52 seconds faster than Ina Teutenberg (Specialized-lululemon) in third.
"It was a good performance from Judith all around," said Sports Director Dave McPartland, who traveled to Germany to provide support to Arndt and Claudia Häusler. "She was the favorite going into the race, and she performs well under pressure. We weren't surprised with the win, but we never get ahead of ourselves and assume it's a given. There are a lot of good bike riders in Germany."
The road race came the day after the time trial, and McPartland expected his two riders to keep the race aggressive from the start.
"The two riders we have are all-around type riders, and the course was quite difficult," explained McPartland. "It suited their strengths and styles."
ORICA-AIS started the race out-numbered by Specialized-lululemon.
"They had four riders to our two, so we didn't want to take them to the finish - well, not all four of them anyway," McPartland said. "We needed to be aggressive to separate the Specialized-lululemon riders in the bunch."
Häusler launched the first attack. Heading up the road with Trixi Worrack (Specialized-lululemon) and Hanka Kupfernagel (Rusvelo) in tow, Häusler worked with her breakmates to establish a gap.
"The three riders gained 1:40 or 1:50 over the bunch," noted McPartland. "A few laps later, Judith and Charlotte Becker attacked from the main field. They rode across to the break, and once they caught them, they wasted no time passing them."
Arndt's move put ORICA-AIS on an even playing field with Specialized-lululemon.
"The numbers game had tipped in our favor here," McPartland said. "We now had one from Specialized up the road with Judith, and one from Specialized in the group behind with Claudia."
Arndt and Becker stayed away together until the final lap. Five kilometers from the finish, Arndt attacked Becker on the final climb. She would hold her advantage to the finish, soloing to the win. Haüsler went on to finish fourth.
"I was confident that Judith would be able to beat Becker in the finish," said McPartland. "The race was hillier than expected. There were two hills each lap, and I could see that Judith was waiting and bidding her time."
"You never can be too confident," added Arndt. "But I had watched Charlotte closely during the race, and I thought I had a very good chance to take the win. If I hadn't felt that way, I would have waited for Claudia so we could work together."
Following the conclusion of the German National Road Championships, Germany named their selection for the 2012 London Olympics. Both Arndt and Häusler were among the four riders named for the road race. The time trial starters, selected from the four riders who will contest the road race, have yet to be announced.
