This weekend’s German Championships will go down as a memorable moment in Franziska Koch’s career. Over the course of two days, the team’s rider achieved a historic double: having won the time trial on Friday, she cemented her dominance on Sunday by retaining her title in the road race at Bad Liebenstein.
In the time trial, Franziska Koch put on a masterclass of power. She covered the 26.2-kilometre course in 33’58”, averaging 46.3 km/h, thereby securing her first victory in the discipline and finishing 25 seconds ahead of defending champion Antonia Niedermaier (Canyon//SRAM).
Two days later, she cemented her dominance of German cycling by winning the road race for the third year running.
A double victory that illustrates the sheer breadth of talent of a rider who had already made a lasting impression this season by winning Paris–Roubaix, beating Marianne Vos and Pauline Ferrand-Prévot in a sprint finish at the Roubaix Velodrome.