Marlen Reusser triumphed in the time trial at the Cycling World Championships, securing her second consecutive world title on a particularly significant day: her thirty-fifth birthday. The Swiss rider, already favored for the rainbow jersey, once again demonstrated her extraordinary talent, beating British rider Zoe Bäckstedt by 40 seconds and German Franziska Koch by 45 seconds. Elisa Longo Borghini finished in fourth place, narrowly missing yet another world medal.

Reusser expressed her joy for this victory, stating: "Yes, it's really a nice gift; I thought that regardless of the victory, I would have something to celebrate anyway. It's fantastic".

Regarding the pressure of defending her title, she said with a smile that she didn't feel it in any particular way. "I always tell myself that pressure doesn't exist. It's an incredibly difficult feat every time, regardless of past successes: it's always a new challenge and the pressure is always the same - she explained - I believe that many of us are here to win and work hard, just like the people around us. So we all always feel a certain amount of pressure, but at the same time we shouldn't feel it: it's sport, it's about trying to win and fighting every time".

The course, which was 39.2 km long, presented several technical challenges and Reusser admitted she was nervous before the race. "We don't often face time trials of this type, it's been a long time since the last one. I usually race over 20 km, so we discussed at length with the team and with the athletic trainers about what the ideal pace should be. Until an hour ago I wasn't 100% sure, and I wasn't sure during the race either: in fact, I wasn't sure at all. It was really a challenge".

Although the Swiss rider only had Bäckstedt's time as a reference, she chose not to focus too much on the time gaps. "I didn't have much information about the gaps, because I explicitly asked not to be told them. I expected Zoe to be faster than me, given that the first part of the course is quite technical". Despite the initial uncertainties, Reusser demonstrated great pace management, even overtaking Demi Vollering along the course.

"The only thing I noticed was that I was able to overtake Demi Vollering, who on this course perhaps wasn't the main reference point. In fact, until the finish line I really didn't know how the race was going. I won and I'm happy, and now I can't wait to celebrate".

With this triumph, Marlen Reusser confirms herself not only as a champion, but also as a figure to watch closely in all time trial races throughout the year. Her victory represents a moment of celebration not only for her birthday, but also for her career, now enriched by a second world title.