National Championships weekend is an odd one. Slotting into the twilight zone between the Tour de France and its warm-up races, and only sporadically broadcast, the races themselves often seem much less important than their outcomes. That is, the new class of national champions who will be showing off new jerseys in the coming days and weeks.
What's more, some of the national events yield some of the most amusing images of the whole season as certain trade teams – those with a clear home-nation identity like Groupama-FDJ United or Uno-X Mobility – line up a dozen or so riders on the front of a smaller-than-usual peloton. And yet, dominant teams are not always a guarantee of domination. And this week, there was a bit of everything, from underdog time trial winners, to surprisingly attritional finales that shut out the favourites, all contested in the stifling conditions of a heatwave that has had a tight hold over much of Europe.
This is by no means a comprehensive rundown – there's a near-complete list here – and unfortunately, the scattered nature of the events means that there are not photos available for many of them. However, this gallery brings together some of the major events, and gives a flavour of the whole week, starting with the time trials.
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