Florian Vogel (Focus XC) rode to a time of 9:25.34 minutes on the 3.9-kilometer course in Lefkara. "It was tough, of course, but the feeling was pretty good. It's a great start to the season. I'm very happy and am now looking forward to the upcoming stages with confidence. Having my team-mate Marcel on the podium makes the success even better," commented Vogel. The Afxentia defending champion had already won the Lefkara time trial last year. Grant Ferguson (CST Superior Brentjens) was a little disappointed. Not about his performance, but about the fact that he missed out on the stage win by a paltry 0.21 seconds. "My feeling was pretty good and the course was fun, especially in the narrow streets of Lefkara. I liked that. I'm now looking forward to the great trails over the next few days," said Ferguson. He had won the second stage in 2015. Marcel Guerrini found himself in third place, 6.12 seconds behind his team-mate and compatriot Florian Vogel. "I can hardly believe it. I felt fast, but not as fast as the result says," said Guerrini with a laugh. "I haven't done any intensive training yet, so I'm really surprised. I already knew that my form was better than last year, but I didn't know it was this good." Swiss rider Fabian Giger (Kross Racing, +6.92), Afxentia winner in 2014, missed out on the podium by just 0.79 seconds, followed by the fourth Swiss rider Matthias Stirnemann (Möbel Märki), who was 8.7 seconds behind. Former cyclo-cross world champion Mathieu van der Poel (Ned, BKCP-Corendon), who finished in a strong 10th place (+17.12) despite having to repair a puncture before the start and therefore having to start without warming up.

Ladies: Second Afxentia victory for Elisabeth Brandau
Just like the Swiss in the men's race, the Germans did the same in the women's race. Elisabeth Brandau (Radon-EBE Racing) took her first Afxentia stage win, 4.97 seconds ahead of three-time Olympic medal winner Sabine Spitz and 9.32 seconds ahead of Adelheid Morath (BH-Sr Suntour-KMC). "I don't even know what to say. I'm completely surprised that I was able to beat all the strong women. My goal was the top ten and I wanted to use the time trial as preparation for the three days. My legs were still sore from the massage, so I never expected to win," said Elisabeth Brandau after it was clear that she had delivered the best time. She had already won the Afxentia time trial in 2010. Sabine Spitz knew immediately after crossing the finish line that she had made a good start to the season. "Very good," was the 44-year-old's clear and quick response when asked how she felt. "Everything went well and I was able to manage the lap well," she added, continuing to laugh. Adelheid Morath, on the other hand, was surprised at herself. "I never expected a result like this. Considering what I've done in training so far, I'm totally surprised. I'm really pleased that I managed such a good start," explained the Freiburg native. Eliminator world champion Linda Indergand took fourth place.

Results
http://www.cyclingcy.com/cyprus-sunshine-cup