VN news ticker: Tom Dumoulin crowned Dutch national time trial champion, U.S. national road championships to start Thursday

Tom Dumoulin crowned Dutch national time trial champion

Tom Dumoulin (Jumbo-Visma) won the 2021 national time trial championships of The Netherlands Thursday.

The 30-year-old roared over the course in 36:06, some 27 seconds ahead of Sebastian Langeveld (EF Education-Nippo), and 1:24 faster than Jumbo-Visma teammate Koen Bouwman.

The 2017 world time trial champion and the overall winner of the Giro d’Italia had taken time off the bike early this year to “consider his cycling future.”

Dumoulin returned to action at the Tour de Suisse earlier in June, with his eyes on the top step of the podium in the race against the clock at the Tokyo Olympics. Dumoulin finished in second place at the previous Summer Games behind Fabian Cancellara.

https://twitter.com/JumboVismaRoad/status/1405202696299233284

U.S. national road championships to start Thursday

The 2021 U.S. national road championships are set to start Thursday, in Knoxville, Tennessee, and will continue through Sunday.

On Thursday, the elite women’s time trial will set off with the first rider starting at 10:00 EDT. Chloé Dygert (Canyon-SRAM), who will represent the United States in the event at the Tokyo Olympics, is set to start her first race since crashing out at the 2020 world time trial championships. Her Olympic teammate Leah Thomas (Movistar Team) is also set to roll out of the start house.

The men’s event will following the women, with Olympian Lawson Craddock (EF Education-Nippo) and Ian Garrison (Deceuninck-Quick-Step) currently on the start list.

On Friday, racers will contest the national criterium championships. The women’s event will go off at 6:15 p.m. EDT, and Olympian Coryn Rivera (Team DSM) is one to watch, as are Kendal Ryan and Skylar Schneider (both L39ION of Los Angeles). The men’s race kicks off at 7:45 p.m. EDT, with a stacked field including 2017 and 2019 winner Travis McCabe (Best Buddies), and 2019 amateur national champion Justin Williams (L39ION of Los Angeles).

After a rest day, the elite women’s road race kicks off at 9 a.m. Sunday, with Olympians Ruth Winder (Trek-Segafredo), Coryn Rivera and Megan Jastrab (both Team DSM), and Leah Thomas (Team Movistar) all on the start sheet. The men’s race is scheduled for 1:15 p.m. EDT, and will feature Craddock, Ben King and Stephen Bassett (both Rally Cycling).

Flosports is providing live streaming coverage of the events.

Pascal Ackermann frustrated with Tour de France snub

Pascal Ackermann has accused Bora-Hansgrohe team boss Ralph Denk of failing to keep a promise after he was not selected for the Tour de France.

Ackermann had been lined up to make his debut at the French race, but the team opted to go all-in for Peter Sagan in the sprints and leave the German at home. He said Denk had promised him a Tour place when he signed his current three-year deal with the team, which is due to end this season.

“I was just about to go to motorpacing and get the final touches for the tour when Ralph called me. Until then, I assumed that I would be doing the tour,” Ackermann told Radsport-news.com. “I’m more than disappointed, I have to say. Ralph was always a man who kept his word. But this time he definitely didn’t do it. It was said that I will be doing the Tour in three years. And that was always the case that I shouldn’t worry about it.

“Without this promise, I would not have signed the contract back then. You have to see that too. That’s why I am extremely disappointed.”

Ackermann has not won yet this season, but he believes that he was in the shape to ride the Tour de France and that the snub was not about his form.

“Of course, there was no victory now, but that is no reason for me not to be allowed to participate if the form is right,” said Ackermann. “If I knew that I’m not in shape, I would understand. But everyone knows, and you can see that from the data, that it’s definitely not because of the shape. I can’t understand this reason. He knows that and the team knows that too. That’s why I’m so disappointed.”

BREAKING: @W1lcokelderman and @petosagan lead #BORAhansgrohe @LeTour 2021. Read more here: https://t.co/RfC0Sb0roM pic.twitter.com/XYNYHNuKQb

— BORA – hansgrohe (@BORAhansgrohe) June 15, 2021

Anna van der Breggen wins national TT title, will ride Giro d’Italia Donne as Olympic warm-up

Anna van der Breggen won the Dutch national time trial championship Wednesday. This is the second time the current world time trial champion has won her national championships.

Van der Breggen covered the 32-kilometer course in 39:58. This was her first time trial of the season.

Ellen van Dijk and Lucinda Brand (both Trek-Segafredo) finished in second and third places —  at 00:13 and 00:32 respectively — while Annemiek van Vleuten (Movistar Team) was pushed off the podium and finished in fourth (at 00:53) in the race against the clock.

Van der Breggen will defend her title at the Giro d’Italia Donne as preparation for the Olympic Games in Tokyo next month. Van der Breggen won last year’s race – formerly known as the Giro Rosa – by 1:14 over Kasia Niewiadoma.

The Dutchwoman, who is due to retire at the end of this season, will be part of a hugely strong squad for Tokyo that includes Annemiek van Vleuten, and SD Worx teammate Demi Vollering.

“The Olympics are more important, but the Giro is a really nice stage race, and mostly if you have a stage race that long it is making me stronger afterward. I think it’s a good combination to try to well in the Giro and have a good preparation for the Olympic Games,” said van der Breggen.

“You always think about it and it’s a lot in the news and it’s not that sure if it will go on. There’s a lot happening in Japan at the moment, but for me, Tokyo is not the only thing. It’s my last season and it’s great that the season is going well so far.”

Van der Breggen is currently training at altitude with her SD Worx team in Tignes, France – where the Jumbo-Visma squad is also preparing for the Tour de France.

“Training has been going well, so it’s really nice. If you do it more times then it’s also a good place to have good training, to relax and rest well. Of course, you can also do it at sea level, but they say it brings a little bit extra if you do it in altitude,” she said.

Video / Interview with Anna van der Breggen during her trainingscamp in Tignes in the French Alps.

"Even here I'm already thinking about the Olympic Games in Tokyo." #wesparksuccess@AnnavdBreggen

Watch on our Youtube channel: https://t.co/ZWdVMXOe46

— Team SD Worx (@teamsdworx) June 14, 2021

Elia Viviani wins opening stage of Adriatica Ionica Race

Elia Viviani won the opening stage of the Adriatica Ionica Race, beating compatriots Davide Perisco (Team Colpack Ballan) and Luca Pacioni (Eolo-Kometa) in a sprint finish. Riding for the Italian national squad, Viviani stormed to the line with a clear margin over his rivals.

A five-man move went clear early on in the lumpy 185km stage and stayed away for most of the day. It was reeled back in with less than five kilometers to go and the Italian team soon moved to the front to lead out Viviani.

Viviani is using the race as preparation for the Olympic Games in Tokyo, where he will ride for Italy on the track. He goes into the second stage with a lead of four seconds, thanks to bonuses on the line, but he is unlikely to keep it with stage 2 finishing on the Cima Grappa.

Win with the Italian jersey is always special 🙌 Thank you guys for the amazing support 👌 #AIR2021 #TeamItalia photo: @bettiniphoto pic.twitter.com/TzoKZEJxiX

— Elia Viviani (@eliaviviani) June 15, 2021