Road cycling championships - Kämna succeeds Martin - Brennauer wins despite a crash

By Christoph Sicars, dpa

A malfunctioning transponder initially left Lennard Kämna in doubt about his victory in the Sauerland. But a short time later, the 25-year-old professional cyclist was certain that he had won the German individual time trial title for the first time in his career.

"I was a bit surprised when I crossed the finish line. At first I thought I'd messed up, so I'm all the happier now," said Kämna. The 25-year-old Bora-hansgrohe pro won the demanding 27.5 kilometre course with start and finish in Marsberg in a time of 35:31 minutes, 15 seconds ahead of Jannik Steimle. Kämna's team-mate Nils Politt came third, 24 seconds behind.

"The strongest won today"

"The strongest won today. I'm not disappointed with second place," said Steimle. "I'm super happy that it worked out. It's very important for me to win this title," explained Kämna, who has already won a stage at the Giro d'Italia this year and at the Tour de France in 2020. Kämna succeeds Tony Martin, who has won the title a total of ten times since 2010 - nine of them in a row.

There will also be a new title winner in the road race on Sunday, as last year's winner Maximilian Schachmann will not be starting due to a coronavirus infection. The course leads over 189 challenging kilometres from Arnsberg-Neheim to Kahlen Asten at an altitude of 838 metres. In the absence of his team-mate Schachmann, Kämna is also one of the top favourites for the jersey with the black, red and gold breast ring. "Of course we want to defend the jersey, but it won't be easy," said Kämna.

Brennauer wins despite a fall

As in the previous year, Lisa Brennauer secured the women's title. The 34-year-old beat Lisa Klein by 14 seconds on the same course in a time of 42:23 minutes. Hannah Ludwig came third, 25 seconds behind. Brennauer crashed shortly before the finish in the last bend, but crossed the finish line on foot with her bike in her hands. "I just went too fast into the last corner. I thought that was it," said Brennauer after her fifth national title against the clock.

Ricarda Bauernfeind won the title in the women's U23 race, which was held for the first time. With a time of 42:04 minutes, the 22-year-old was even 19 seconds faster than elite winner Brennauer.

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