Stefan Küng won his fourth consecutive time trial national title at the Swiss Championships on Sunday. The Groupama-FDJ rider covered the 33km course in a time of 37:36 to take the victory ahead of Silvan Dillier (AG2R La Mondiale) by 54 seconds and Stefan Bissegger by 1:07.
"It was the first time I had started a race in four months," said Küng. "It was something special, but it's nice to put on a bib and regain the racing sensations.
"In addition, it went well. My mission was to defend the jersey and that's what I did. It's nice to be able to wear it for another year on international races. I had recognized the course several times and I knew what I had to do. I had a plan in mind and was able to execute it 100%. It's also a pleasure to open the counter with my new bike."
Küng started the season at Volta ao Algarve em Bicicleta and Omloop Het Nieuwsblad in February, and then he raced Kuurne-Brussel-Kuurne in March. He went on to race at Paris-Nice before the cycling calendar was halted due to the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic.
"Normally, the championships are just before the Tour [de France] so we don't prepare for it in the same way. I am coming out of an altitude training course and I did not necessarily prepare myself specifically for this test. I did a lot of time trials but they were included in my planning anyway. I have not yet made any intense efforts and I felt it today," Küng said.
"It was a course with a lot of raises, it stung, but it felt good to find these racing sensations. In training, we always have a margin, we adapt the pace, we can choose a course with fewer turns. In any case, it feels good to run."
The UCI announced the revised late-season calendar in May and the WorldTour will resume on April 1 at Strade Bianche with the Tour de France set to take place from August 29-September 20.
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Retour sur un bien beau dimanche 👉 https://t.co/86ejXezVMG pic.twitter.com/10CSt2OZppJuly 12, 2020
Kirsten Frattini has been the Editor of Cyclingnews since December 2025, overseeing editorial operations and output across the brand and delivering quality, engaging content.
She manages global budgets, racing & events, production scheduling, and contributor commissions, collaborating across content sections and teams in the UK, Europe, North America, and Australia to ensure audience and subscription growth across the brand.
Kirsten has a background in Kinesiology and Health Science. She has been involved in cycling from the community and grassroots level to professional cycling's biggest races, reporting on the WorldTour, Spring Classics, Tours de France, World Championships and Olympic Games.
