Agnieszka Skalniak-Sójka charged to her third Polish Elite Time Trial National title in four years, improving on last year’s third-place finish with a narrow victory over trusted teammate Kasia Niewiadoma-Phinney by just nine seconds.

Aga was visibly emotional and elated after crossing the line, learning that final starter and defending champion Marta Jaskulska (CTC) had finished 29 secs behind to round out the podium. These Polish National Championships were not only a major target but also a source of pressure for Aga, who has already put together a stellar season – now boasting 13 top-ten finishes across a wide range of races.

“I’m so happy. I was not sure about this time trial, but the team gave me so much confidence and trust. With my family here and all the CANYON//SRAM zondacrypto staff, I got an extra boost, so I gave more than 100% today. Now, I’m so happy to take this title back to the team.”

“I was feeling good in the warm-up, so I knew that it was going to be a good day, but also knew that it would still be hard. Maybe it was a flat course, but it was still not easy, and it was actually even harder than what I was thinking it would be beforehand. But, in the end, I’m just so happy, and I’m also so pleased that Kasia and I are together on the podium.”

The two-lap, out-and-back 27 kilometre course – with an almost imperceptible 109 metres of elevation gain – was both brutal and brisk, well suited to a powerhouse time trialist like Aga. She posted a remarkable time of 33:46 mins, averaging an awe-inspiring 49.5kph. But, just as impressive was the performance of the diminutive Kasia, who openly admits to having somewhat of a love-hate relationship with the discipline. Entering the race with modest expectations and simply aiming to accumulate more time trial experience, it was Kasia’s trademark tenacity and physical strength that carried her to silver on a course where gravity offered little help.

“Overall, it went pretty well. I mean, it wasn’t mind-blowing time trial in terms of power but again, it’s not like I’m doing time trials much or even training them a lot. Coming from what I’ve done so far, I feel pretty satisfied because it seems like there’s a lot still to improve,” Kasia reflected post-race.

Yet, her own post-race dissection was quickly overshadowed by her genuine joy for her victorious teammate.

“I’m definitely happy. I mean first of all, we should not forget that Agnieszka won Nationals! Losing to a teammate is not losing, so I’m definitely happy that we went one two, and it was also a great effort to get in – a proper, like over 30 minute effort. I didn’t have super high hopes coming into this time trial because I knew that it wasn’t perfectly suited for me, but it’s always great to do an effort like this, and have it be good enough for a podium.”

“Usually, I think I would lose way more time in a flat time trial, but I don’t want to be talking about myself and how I compared to the others because it’s Agnieszka that won! She’s my teammate and I’m so happy that she won. In my head I’m more focussing on how great it is for her that she got the win, and not even thinking about how I lost nine seconds.”

Adding further significance to the occasion was Kasia’s return to the Polish championships – her first appearance in nine years. The event marked a special coming-together for two close friends and fiercely loyal teammates, who spurred each other through this individual test and, more importantly, have laid down a strong foundation for Saturday’s road race.

Earlier in the week, Kasia explained the rationale for putting her name in the hat for this year’s championships, with most of her focus positioned on the upcoming road race.

“I decided to do Nationals because they finally changed the road race course from super flat to one that’s a little more challenging. It’s organised by my first coach, so it’s almost like I had no choice in some ways! It also takes place quite close to my house, so it felt like the time was right to finally come back to Poland and race for the jersey. I think that would be pretty sick to be able to show the jersey to the world again.”

On the road race parcours, she shared:

“The area where the road race takes place is very hilly – always up and down. You don’t really have big climbs but it’s more like Ardennes – constantly something is coming up. It’s going be interesting to race nationals with only Polish riders because it’s been so long since I did that and I’m just very curious to see how other teams will approach it. Of course with Agnieszka, I hope that we will play the cards in a way where we just cross the finish line first.”

And now, we’ll give the final word to your new Polish National Time Trial Champion, Agnieszka Skalniak-Sójka:

“It’s super nice that Kasia is back at Nationals after a few years and together, I know that we can also do a super nice race on Saturday. With two, it’s a lot easier, so I’m really, really looking forward to Saturday.”

The 135km route, featuring over 2800m of climbing and a relentless sequence of sharp ascents, promises a tough test and a chance to put another Polish Eagle jersey in the CANYON//SRAM zondacrypto wardrobe.