A non-functioning transponder left Lennard Kämna in the Sauerland in the dark about his victory. But a little later, the 25-year-old professional cyclist was certain that he had won the German championship title in the individual time trial for the first time in his career.
“I was a bit surprised when I crossed the finish line. At first I thought I had screwed up, so I’m all the happier now,” said Kämna. The 25-year-old Bora-hansgrohe professional prevailed on the demanding 27.5-kilometer course with start and finish in Marsberg in a time of 35:31 minutes, 15 seconds ahead of Jannik Steimle. Third place went to Kämna’s teammate Nils Politt, 24 seconds back.
“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 to me to win this title,” said Kämna, who already won a stage at the Giro d’Italia this year and the Tour de France in 2020. Kämna is the successor to Tony Martin, who has won the title ten times since 2010 – nine of them in a row.
There will also be a new title holder in the road race on Sunday because last year’s winner Maximilian Schachmann will not start due to a corona infection. The course leads over 189 demanding kilometers from Arnsberg-Neheim to the Kahler Asten at an altitude of 838 meters. Here too, in the absence of his teammate Schachmann, Kämna is one of the top favorites for the jersey with the black, red and gold chest ring. “Of course we want to defend the jersey, but of course it won’t be easy,” said Kämna.