Skarnitzl wins opening time trial by fraction of a second

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In the second round of the Cyprus Sunshine Cup, Annika Langvad and Jan Skarnitzl took the lead in the opening 5.5km time trial stage of the Afxentia race in the Macheras Mountains.

"Unbelievable," said the Czech Skarnitzl said after recognizing that he had ridden the fastest time in Friday's time trial.

"Impossible," said Dutchman Henk-Jaap Moorlag when he was told that he finished second and was beaten by just 0.42 seconds.

"It didn't feel fast," said Rabobank-Giant's Moorlag after finishing the lap on the new, shorter cross country course. But nearly every rider said the same, largely because the cross country pros at this point in the season are not used to the demands of such high intensity efforts.

Skarnitzl, who changed the teams from Giant to Rubena Birell Specialized over the winter, didn't expect the success. "I got my bike one day before (last weekend's) Voroklini race, and I'm still not used to it. And I changed my coach and my training program." Skarnitzl won the 2010 Cyprus Sunshine Cup 2010.

Moorlag, an under 23 racer, said that after having a bad day at the Sunshine Cup opener in Voroklini last weekend, he's been feeling better and better every day.

Sunshine Cup opener winner Karl Markt again showed himself to be in good form with a third place finish, just 1.41 seconds behind Skarnitzl. On Saturday's second stage, a point-to-point race, he will be in the mix to fight for the podium. The same should be true for Emil Lindgren, who finished 1.54 seconds back today.

"I wanted to win but my ride was not too bad, I think," said Lindgren.

In the women's contest, Annika Langvad (Easton Rockets) continued what she had started at Voroklini: winning. She took victory in the time trial by 46 seconds over Slovenian Blaza Klemencic (Felt Ötztal X-Bionic) and by 1:14 over Lene Byberg (Specialized).

"I really like the course," said Langvad. " With my new Fuji bike, racing felt like playing and having fun."

Klemencic was okay with her second place. "Time trialling is not my discipline, and I felt better than five days ago," she said.

For Byberg, the time trial was her first race in seven months, when she finished her season with physical problems. "I'd rather like to do five laps than one, but I felt the power in my legs, and I had the fire I missed last year," said the Norwegian optimistically.

Three-time four cross overall World Cup winner Anneke Beerten of the Netherlands ended up in a respectable 24th place (at +4:06). "[It was] unbelievably hard, my legs were exploding. The intensity is so crazy," said Beerten. "I was so nervous before the start, even after all the years of racing." It was her debut in cross country racing.

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