Bruno Armirail gets his revenge at the European Championships: 'It's easy to criticize when you're not on a bike'

"A lot of people said that a podium finish would be good enough. But in the back of my mind, I was still aiming for the win," Armirail admitted to L'Equipe after the race. "Of course, I'm happy with a podium finish; it'll probably sink in later."

"But falling just six seconds short of that beautiful European champion's jersey is a shame—that's just how it goes. Things aren't easy right now, not even on a personal level. We have to deal with it. We’re focusing on the end of the season again,” said Armirail, who had won the title with his teammates in the Mixed Relay the day before.

Armirail got a bit of payback. “At the World Championships, I received a lot of criticism for my result,” said the rider who finished 26th at the World Championships. “It’s easy for people who aren’t on the bike to criticize. When you’re on it yourself, it’s different. Now I’ve proven that I’m not that bad at time trials, even if it’s a different kind of time trial. So you can still count on me.”

"The world's top three might not have been there. But riders ranked between 4th and 15th in the world were there. That's satisfying, but I'm not ecstatic," he sums up. "Because the jersey is the jersey. But I’m happy for Primož, who’s racing at home; it must be a wonderful moment for him and all his fans."