UEC Road European Championship 2018: Elite Women Time Trial

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January 1 - August 12, Glasgow, Glasgow, Scotland, Road - CN

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Welcome to live coverage of the elite women's time trial at the 2018 European Championships

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It's time trial day at the European Championships and we will have live coverage of both men's and women's events. The women's event has started and Ireland's Eileen Burns has just set off. 

It is extremely wet in Glasgow this morning and the summer weather is well and truly over. It's reminiscent of the conditions for the road race at the Commonwealth Games, which were in Glasgow. 

Trixi Worrack has just set off. She is a very strong time trialist and we can expect her to set a serious benchmark. 

We have 34 riders taking part today and defending champion Ellen van Dijk will be off the ramp in 20 minutes. Given the course, Van Dijk has to be a serious favourite to take the title for the third time.

Unlike the men, the women have already done their road race at the European Championships with Marta Bastianelli taking the win. While that course was the same as the one used in the Commonwealth Games, the time trial is a little bit different. It is a not too technical course but there are plenty of twists and turns in the final section that will be very difficult in these conditions. 

Worrack is taking some of these corners very gingerly. Patience will be keen today. It really is soaking wet out there and it will be very easy to over do things. 

We're halfway through the running order and we should be getting times for the riders soon enough. 

As well as Van Dijk and Worrack, we have some very strong time trialists set to ride today. Ann-Sophie Duyck is here, Lisa Brennauer, Anna van der Breggen and Hayley Simmonds, who is the home favourite today. 

Eileen Burns is the current fastest rider at the intermediate check. The timings are way off as they have her completing the 8km in 15 seconds. We'll wait until those are amended to give you the proper times. 

We're into the final 10 riders with Lourdes Oyarbide off the ramp. 

Worrack goes through the intermediate check and bumps Burns down. She stops the clock at 15:31 (this is in minutes) 26 seconds quicker than Burns. 

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Anna van der Breggen is on course. She's better over much hillier terrain but we can still expect a really good time from here. 

Lisa Brennauer has set off. She's been on fire at the European Championships with a bronze in the road race and a gold medal in the pursuit on the track. 

Ann-Sophie Duyck is off and we've just got Ellen van Dijk remaining. 

We now have all riders out on course and the rain have very much abated, making for much easier conditions for the later riders. The roads are even dry in places. 

Meanwhile, Worrack is fastest at the second check. She's a whopping 50 seconds quicker than Burns, who is second quickest at present. 

Lepisto is going well and she posts the second quickest time at the opening check. Meanwhile, Van der Breggen has already caught her minute woman, Katarzyna Powlowska. She's going extremely well at the moment. 

Eugenia Bujak goes five seconds quicker than Worrack at the opening check point. 

Hayley Simmonds has her minute rider in her sights. Simmonds has had a difficult year after she broke her elbow in the Ovo Energy Women's Tour in June. 

Van der Breggen smashes the best time at the opening check, she posts a time of 14:53. 

Eileen Burns crosses the line and sets the fastest time of 45:17 but she rolls across very slowly and she's now carrying her bike. It looks like she suffered a mechanical right at the end there and had to rely on her momentum to get her over the line. 

Van Dijk has caught and passed Duyck, no mean feat. She's now the quickest at the opening check with a time of 14:50, that's three seconds quicker than her Dutch teammate. 

The Dutch pair are well ahead of everyone else at the moment with Cordon-Ragot more than 30 seconds back with the third fastest time at the opening check. 

Trixi Worrack is the new fastest time at 42:14, well clear of all the other riders currently finished. That time is unlikely to stand, though. 

Van Der Breggen is the quickest at the second check, 42 seconds up on Worrack. Meanwhile, Cordon-Ragot has lost some ground in the second part of this course and slips to fourth fastest, with many more riders to come through. 

Brennauer comes through the second check and she's 1:11 down on Van der Breggen. Perhaps the dual programme is taking its toll. 

Ellen van Dijk is next through the second intermediate check, remember she's passed Ann-Sophie Duyck. She is extending her gap and now she's 17 seconds up on Van der Breggen.

With all the riders through that second check, Worrack is third fastest and she could be in with a shout of a medal when all is said and done. 

Van der Breggen can now see Simmonds up the road. That would be two riders passed on this course. 

At the finish line, Martina Ritter has slotted into second place but she's well over a minute down on the German. 

The rain is falling hard out on course again as Van der Breggen lines up Oyarbide for the catch. 

She catches Oyarbide. Can she make it four before the line? 

Lepisto crosses the line five seconds up on Ritter to move into the silver medal. 

Anything you can do, I can do better. Van Dijk is following suit with her Dutch teammate as she catches and passes another rider. Elisa Longo Borghini is the victim on this occasion. 

Worrack is staying strong at the top as riders move position behind her but Van der Breggen should be the next rider to cross the line as Pernille Mathiesen moves into the silver medal position. 

Van der Breggen is into the park where the finish line is situated and we have no times just yet but she should be the new fastest rider on the line. 

Carefully around the final corner for Van der Breggen and then she drives for the line. She stops the clock with a time of 41:41. That is more than a minute quicker than Worrack. 

Simmonds finishes in a provisional fifth place. It was always going to be a tough ask for her after a less than ideal build-up to the event. 

A quick line check from Van Dijk as she cuts a corner a bit short. She's giving it everything and she's got the carrot of a rider just up the road as she makes her way through central Glasgow. 

Another little error from Van DIjk as is looks like she briefly misses a gear. She's got a buffer but she can't afford to make too many. 

Having gone third at the opening check, Cordon-Ragot crosses the finish line in provisional fourth, just missing out on a medal. 

With one kilometre to go, Van Dijk has Lisa Brennauer in her sights. Remember, Brennauer is a former world time trial champion, so she's no slouch. 

Van Dijk and Brennauer sprint for the line. Van Dijk uses the German to sling-shot herself to the line. She stops the clock in a time of 41:39. She is the European Champion by two seconds. 

Van Dijk is informed that she's won. 'Yes' she says. That is her third consecutive title at the European Championships. 

Duyck crosses the line to take 10th place. Worrack has held on for third place, that was a great ride from her. 

Van Dijk was given the hurry up as she celebrated with her team. They want to get the medal ceremony underway. She puts on her jacket and makes her way to her rollers to warm down. 

Here is Van Dijk on her victory. She thought that it was Van der Breggen that had taken the win. 

This is the top 10 from today's time trial. While it was so close between the two Dutch riders, they were well ahead of their rivals. 

There will be a few disappointed riders after that time trial. Duyck and Brennauer suffered particularly bad days in these conditions. Van der Breggen does not look overly awed with her silver medal. She came so close to gold but was bested by her teammate. 

You can find a report and results from today's action here.

Van Dijk takes off her jacket, which she needs in these conditions, and dons her third European jersey. She'll be getting used to this kit now. 

That is all from our coverage of the elite women's time trial at the European Championships. We take a short break and we'll be back for he men's time trial as Victor Campenaerts looks to defend his title. 

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