National Champs: Who’s racing?

For many years now, between the Giro d’Italia and the Tour de France, there has been a short period when there is an incredible concentration of races at different latitudes. It’s hard to make a map, but we’re mostly talking about European, North American, African and Asian countries. It lasts about ten days and each of these competitions awards a special victory: the national titles in road race and time trial. From the moment of victory until a full year later, the winner has the honor and the burden of wearing a special jersey with the colors of their country to show the world that they are the national champion.

One of the most eagerly anticipated aspects related to national championships, besides the pride of competing to be your country’s best cyclist, is seeing how traditional team jerseys are transformed to incorporate the national colors. These jerseys become one-of-a-kind, custom-made pieces. Of course, not everything is granted by the national federations, who have the final say on the proposal that the teams make. And we haven’t always seen great results in history… But the question on everybody’s lips is inevitably: what will the jersey look like?

For a global team like Trek-Segafredo, the opportunity to see special jerseys are different. For 2020 and 2021, Santini has created three beautiful jerseys for three national road champions: two tricolor jerseys for Elisa Longo Borghini (green, white and red for Italy) and Audrey Cordon-Ragot (blue, white and red for France) and a stars and stripes jersey fit for American champion Ruth Winder. In the recent past then we can’t forget the beautiful burgundy colored jersey of Toms Skujins (Latvian RR champion in 2019), the dannebrog of Mads Pedersen (Danish RR champion in 2017) and the white jersey with orange and green stripes* of multiple-time former Irish champion Ryan Mullen.

*not to be confused with the Ivory Coast!

From words to deeds, starting today our focus will be on twelve countries in which 36 team riders, men and women, will be competing. The first to debut, this afternoon, will be Toms Skujins and Emils Liepins in the Latvian TT championship; shortly after, in the same discipline but in the Netherlands, Ellen van Dijk, Lucinda Brand and Shirin van Anrooij will be racing.

If you don’t want to miss any events in the next days, here is our representation, country by country:

BELGIUM

Jasper Stuyven and Edward Theuns (RR 20th)

DENMARK

Mattias Skjelmose (TT 17th)

Amalie Dideriksen (TT 17th & RR 20th)

Mads Pedersen, Mattias Skjelmose, Jakob Egholm, Niklas Eg, Alexander Kamp (RR 20th)

ERITREA

Amanuel Ghebreigzabhier (TT 25th & RR 27th)

FRANCE

Audrey Cordon-Ragot (TT 17th & RR 19th)

Julien Bernard and Elissonde (RR 20th)

GERMANY

Trixi Worrack (RR 19th)

ITALY

Jacopo Mosca and Antonio Tiberi (TT 18th)

Elisa Longo Borghini and Letizia Paternoster (TT 18th and RR 20th)

Vincenzo Nibali, Giulio Ciccone, Antonio Nibali, Gianluca Brambilla, Nicola Conci, Jacopo Mosca, Antonio Tiberi, Matteo Moschetti (RR 20th)

LATVIA

Emils Liepins and Toms Skujins (TT 16th & RR 20th)

LUXEMBOURG

Alex Kirsch and Michel Ries (TT 18th & RR 20th)

NETHERLANDS

Lucinda Brand, Ellen van Dijk and Shirin van Anrooj (TT 16th & RR 19th) *Ellen to be confirmed for RR

Koen de Kort (RR 20th)

SPAIN

Juan Pedro Lopez (RR 20th)

UNITED STATES

Tayler Wiles (TT 17th & RR 20th)

Ruth Winder (RR 20th)
Kiel Reijnen (RR 20th)

Quinn Simmons – TBC for the RR

The remaining titles will be disputed in fall, when we will see Lizzie Deignan, Elynor Backstedt and Charlie Quarterman racing at the British championship as well as Ryan Mullen in Ireland.
Do you want to see also our Aussies Lauretta Hanson and Chloe Hosking? Then watch out in January 2022!