Sina Frei leaves no doubt about her goal right from the start. She takes the lead on the first climb, Alessandra Keller climbs behind her and Anne Tauber also tries to keep up.

This trio, who also represent world class in the elite category, were seen as clear medal candidates in the absence of Great Britain's Evie Richards. And indeed, the gap between third and fourth place grew to enormous proportions. Alessandra Keller kept up with Sina Frei until the first complete lap, but then she had to concede that the Swiss U23 champion was unstoppable.

From this point on, Sina Frei rode solo and unchallenged to victory. "I wasn't so sure today because the heat played a big role. You have to deal with that. When I was alone, I tried to go at my own pace, which is not easy on this course. There are always these short, steep climbs and it's very slippery," says Sina Frei. But she obviously manages this very well, as her lead sometimes grows to a minute.

"Defending the title and becoming European champion for the third time in a row is mega cool. I'm proud to wear the jersey," says Sina Frei with a gleam in her eye. Alessandra Keller describes her performance as "a good race" and attests to her compatriot that she was "simply stronger". "I can be satisfied. It's also nice that we Swiss finished first and second. I tried at the beginning, you never know, everyone has a bad day, but then I had to concentrate on myself," said Keller. In the battle for silver, she can keep Anne Tauber, who has already finished eighth in this year's Elite World Cup, at a distance and make further gains in the final round.

Nicole Koller is already 4:10 minutes behind in fourth place. She didn't get off to the best start. "It was a bit hectic," says Koller. "I found my rhythm and didn't even know which place I was in. It's great that I finished fourth, I'm over the moon."