France, starting with time trial specialists Bruno Armirail and Rémi Cavagna, looked sharp from the outset. They went through the early checks faster than Switzerland and Luxembourg, and by the second split the French had built a lead of more than 17 seconds over the Swiss. With Juliette Labous and Cedrine Kerbaol still to come, they were mounting a serious challenge for gold.
Italy, the defending champions, were the last team to roll off the ramp, with Filippo Ganna, Lorenzo Milesi and Marco Frigo driving the pace. The Italian men were fastest through both intermediate checks, clocking 8:13 at the first split and 14:06 at the second, and handed their women the advantage heading into the closing phase.
Germany, meanwhile, struggled to match the top three. With a younger line-up, including 19-year-old Paul Fietzke and 20-year-old Louis Leidert, they reached the changeover 45 seconds behind France and outside medal contention at this stage.
By the time the women’s legs began, Italy were firmly in control, France were chasing hard, and Switzerland were left needing a huge ride from Reusser to salvage their title hopes. The Italian trio of Elisa Cecchini, Vittoria Guazzini and Federica Venturelli set off with a 24-second cushion, though Lorenzo Milesi had only just clung on over the final climb of the men’s lap. That margin soon began to shrink. At the next time check, their advantage was down to 15 seconds, leaving the prospect of a nail-biting finale over the closing 12 kilometres.
France were the main reason for the tension. Juliette Labous and Cedrine Kerbaol launched a blistering effort, adding another 25 seconds to their buffer over Switzerland and cutting deeply into Italy’s lead. Even with Reusser in their ranks, the Swiss continued to leak time, though they looked to be cementing third place with Germany sliding further back.
Germany themselves were in no position to fight for gold or silver, but they were at least clawing back seconds on Switzerland in the battle for bronze. Luxembourg, who had set the early benchmark, slipped out of medal contention as the final kilometres loomed.
By the midway point of the women’s lap, Italy were already down to two riders, as Elena Cecchini was distanced. That left Vittoria Guazzini and newly crowned U23 European champion Federica Venturelli to try to defend the gold. Switzerland, meanwhile, posted the fastest time of the day so far when Noemi Ruëgg and Marlen Reusser brought them over the line one minute and 24 seconds quicker than Luxembourg. It kept them in firm contention for bronze, though Germany were doing just enough to prevent the Swiss from feeling entirely safe.
Up front, the duel for the title reached boiling point. At the second women’s split, Italy’s lead over France had been whittled down to just seven seconds with only six kilometres left to race. Labous and Kerbaol were driving the French effort hard on the climb to the finish, while Italy’s two remaining riders were straining to hang on.
France had already overhauled Switzerland’s benchmark, crossing the line a full 40 seconds quicker and doubling the advantage the men had handed them. Labous and Kerbaol did lose five seconds on the climb to the line, a hint that the finale might not be entirely straightforward, but their effort was enough to put France firmly in the hot seat. Behind them, Germany drifted further back and their hopes of a comeback faded completely. That ensured bronze for Switzerland, with Reusser once again delivering for her country on the big stage.
The gold medal battle, however, hung on a knife edge. Italy, reduced to Guazzini and Venturelli, clung to a microscopic advantage heading into the final 1.5km climb. At the last time check, their lead over France was a barely believable 0.26 seconds. In a dramatic finale Italy just missed out gold, allowing France to claim the European title.