There’s not much to say about this race. In the U17 category, a time trial is really a hybrid event—it barely resembles a proper time trial. There’s a gear restriction of 50/14, which already takes it far from resembling any sort of time trial bike. Aero bars are banned, so it’s basically individual starts at regular intervals, but with a downgraded setup compared to real time trial equipment.
This two-day event was the last time I raced with my Bianchi. The time trial took place on June 10th, followed by a road race on the 11th. By then, my new bike, a Cannondale Supersix EVO2 DI2, had already arrived, but it was still in the shop. It came in a box, and because of the warranty, it had to be assembled by a professional service. Even if it had been ready, I’d still need to take it for a bike fit with Simon Balázs at Bringaland before hitting the road with it.
The race took place on open roads. After the accident at the Stop Cukrászda Time Trial, they had someone keeping an eye on the light traffic to ensure no one would end up in a dangerous situation at the yield sign where we joined the road.
The course was 9.5 km on good quality asphalt. In the last few hundred meters, there was a right turn towards the finish, which, for some reason, was right next to a Volánbusz stop. There was some confusion with the U19 riders because of it, but thankfully, we made it through without any issues—including myself.
I completed the 9.5 km in 13 minutes and 11 seconds (I stopped my Garmin a bit late, which is why it shows a longer time). That translates to an average speed of 43.3 km/h, with an average power output of 293 watts and a normalized power of 297 watts. This result earned me 4th place.
I knew that with the Cannondale, I could perform significantly better, but I stayed patient. The National Time Trial Championships were approaching, and I was preparing to overtake everyone who finished ahead of me here.
But first, I had another challenge ahead: the next day’s road race
