Trek Factory Racing’s Bob Jungels reclaimed the Luxembourg National Championships Time Trial he’d won in 2013 while teammate and last year’s champion Laurent Didier finished in third. Jempy Drucker (BMC Racing) was second.
Jungels won the 24.6-kilometer race against the clock despite suffering a puncture on the second of two 12.3-kilometer laps.
Jungels explained, “I was confident, not about the victory, but about my performance. At the start of the second lap I could see Drucker already so I knew I was on course for a good time.
“I had a flat tire in the second lap and I had to change the bike. I was just about to catch Drucker who started in front of me by a minute, and then I punctured, so I was not nervous, I knew I was in a good position. I changed the bike and I was about 100 meters behind him at the line so I knew it was probably enough to win it.”
The past two years at the Luxembourg Championships Jungels and Didier swapped places, going a successive one-two, but BMC’s Jempy Drucker slotted in between the two teammates Thursday.
Laurent Didier’s third place still gave Trek Factory Racing two of the three podium steps.
“It was a pretty hard course, a lot of false flat climbing and one climb at the end. It was not easy. I felt really good, pretty recovered from the Tour de Suisse and I am super happy to take the victory again,” added Jungels.
Jungels, Junior World Time Trial Champion in 2010, finished in 6th place in the Tour de Suisse last week after racing one of his best ever time trials in the final stage.
Thursday’s Luxembourg National Time Trial title was confirmation of his top form and showed that Jungles, 22, is more than ready to compete in his first Tour de France starting on July 4th.
Jungels: “The course was similar to [the Tour de Suisse time trial], hilly and technical, but not as long. It’s always different in a one-day time trial compared to competing after a week of racing, but I can see that my shape is really good right now and I feel very good on the bike. This gives me a lot of confidence for the Tour de France and the time trial on the first day.”
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