The 2024 UCI Highway World Championships will kick off with the elite ladies’s 29.9km particular person time trial on September 22 in Zurich, Switzerland.
The individuals will roll down the beginning ramp in Gossau and climb over the foothills of the Pfannenstiel, with 327 metres of elevation achieve, after which descend and race alongside Lake Zurich because the roads flatten out within the closing 10km towards the end line in Zurich.
Many countries competing at these World Championships haven’t but confirmed their rosters, however Cyclingnews highlights eight of the most probably candidates to safe a medal within the particular person time trial.
Cyclingnews will proceed to replace this web page with the favourites for the mixed elite and under-23 time trials because the nations verify their individuals.
Grace Brown (Australia)
Grace Brown will lead a strong Australian workforce in her closing World Championships earlier than she retires on the finish of the season.
She is ready to hold up her wheels having had one among her most profitable seasons in her seven-year profession with wins at Liège-Bastogne-Liège, and gold medals within the particular person time trials on the Australian Championships and the Paris Olympic Video games.
Brown has mentioned that the ultimate purpose of her racing profession is to win the world title within the particular person time trial earlier than turning her consideration to a assist position for her nationwide teammates within the highway race the next week.
She has a severe shot at successful the rainbow jersey having completed fifth in 2020, and second in 2022 and 2023. She was additionally fourth within the time trial on the Tokyo Olympic Video games 2021, earlier than successful the gold on the Paris Olympic Video games this summer season.
Chloe Dygert (USA)
Chloe Dygert is a two-time particular person time trial world champion, successful titles in Yorkshire in 2019 and Glasgow in 2023, and will probably be trying so as to add a 3rd time trial world title to her assortment in Zurich.
Dygert would be the out-right favorite for the highly effective course supplied in Zurich and she’s going to undoubtedly have additional motivation to win after crashing within the particular person time trial on the Paris Olympic Video games and ending with the bronze medal behind Brown and Anna Henderson (Nice Britain).
Dygert crashed once more within the highway race on the Olympic Video games, the place her teammate Kristen Faulkner went on to safe the gold medal, however she rapidly went into restoration mode after which gained gold within the Workforce Pursuit on the monitor.
Because the Olympic Video games, Dygert has raced on the Tour de France Femmes the place she completed second behind Demi Vollering within the stage 3 time trial, and she or he completed second on the GP Plouay, exhibiting robust kind forward of her subsequent races on the Worlds.
Lotte Kopecky (Belgium)
Lotte Kopecky has gained six consecutive particular person time trial titles on the Belgian Championships, and whereas all the time a contender within the self-discipline, it has solely been lately that she has honed in on her strengths on the WorldTour and worldwide occasions just like the European Championships, World Championships and Olympic Video games.
She turned heads final yr along with her total efficiency on the Tour de France Femmes the place she climbed with the very best up the Col du Tourmalet after which completed third within the closing stage 8 time trial to take second total.
On the Worlds, she completed ninth within the time trial on the Wollongong in 2022 however opted out of the occasion in Glasgow the place she focussed on and gained three world titles within the highway race, elimination race and factors race.
Whereas she was dissatisfied after crashing and ending sixth place within the time trial on the Olympic Video games, has has continued to progress, notably taking the gold medal on the European Championships and setting herself up as one of many favourites for the world title in Zurich.
Demi Vollering (Netherlands)
Demi Vollering will lead the Dutch workforce on the World Championships in each the time trial and the highway race, the workforce confirmed by nationwide workforce coach Loes Gunnewijk final month.
Though Vollering has by no means gained the time trial on the Dutch Championships, she has completed on the rostrum within the earlier two editions. She has solely participated in a single elite time trial on the World Championships in Glasgow final yr the place she completed sixth.
However on the WorldTour, Vollering has change into one of many essential contenders within the self-discipline, final yr ending second within the time trials throughout phases on the Tour de France Femmes and Tour de Suisse Ladies.
This yr, she gained the time trial on the Tour de Suisse Ladies, was third on the Dutch Championships, and completed fifth on the Olympic Video games.
It was her exceptional efficiency that gained the stage 3 time trial on the Tour de France Femmes, the place she took over the yellow jersey in Rotterdam, that solidified her progress within the self-discipline. Though that point path was a a lot shorter 6.3km, it was the route’s parts of attrition that favoured Vollering, the place she may maintain her most effort excessive of the gradual climb from the beginning of the race, all the best way to the end.
Though the Worlds route is a for much longer 29.9km, there are comparable options that embody an extended hill on the best way out adopted by a descent and flat run-in to the end, which may once more favour Vollering.
Ellen van Dijk (Netherlands)
The Dutch workforce haven’t but introduced the second rider that can signify the Netherlands alongside Vollering within the time trial however it should possible be between three-time world champion Ellen van Dijk and reigning nationwide champion Riejanne Markus.
Van Dijk might need the sting on Markus having simply secured the silver medal on the European Championships. The consequence highlights her progress within the self-discipline since returning to the peloton in March after taking maternity go away from racing the earlier season.
Upon her return, she gained the time trials at Vuelta Extremadura Feminas and Tour de Normandie. She was additionally a part of the Lidl-Trek workforce that gained the workforce time trial at La Vuelta Femenina. She represented the Netherlands on the Olympic Video games the place she completed eleventh within the time trial and was then sixth within the occasion on the Tour de France Femmes.
She brings unrivalled expertise to the Dutch workforce within the time trial having already gained three world titles in 2013, 2021 and 2022, together with 4 gold medals on the European Championships from 2016-2019, and her Hour File set in 2022.
Anna Henderson (Nice Britain)
Regardless of breaking her collarbone twice this season, Anna Henderson made a exceptional comeback to win her second particular person time trial title on the British Championships and the silver medal on the Olympic Video games.
After successful the under-23 time trial on the nationals in 2019, Henderson has step by step constructed her profession into changing into one of many main time trial contenders on the WorldTour.
She has secured two elite British time trial titles in 2021 and 2024, whereas additionally incomes a silver medal within the European Championship and fourth on the Glasgow Worlds in 2023.
Henderson arrives on the World Championship buoyed by her current three-year cope with Lidl-Trek that begins in 2025, the place she’s going to carry added time trial energy to the American WorldTour workforce.
Christina Schweinberger (Austria)
Christina Schweinberger turned heads final yr when she secured the bronze medal within the time trial on the Worlds in Glasgow.
Whereas that was her first main consequence within the self-discipline, she had already discovered success on the nationwide degree successful the Austrian time trial title in 2022 and the stage 3 time trial at Gracia-Orlova that very same yr.
Extra telling and up to date performances embody her bronze medals within the time trial on the European Championships in 2023 in Emmen, Netherlands, and once more final week in Hasselt, Belgium.
Schweinberger is changing into identified for her late-season kind so look ahead to her to shock in Zurich.
Juliette Labous (France)
Juliette Labous has been engaged on her time trial energy since turning skilled with Sunweb, now DSM-Firmenich PostNL in 2017.
She has made regular enhancements over the past eight seasons, successful the French nationwide title in 2020 and ending on the rostrum in three different editions.
She has twice completed inside the highest 10 on the World Championships; sixth in 2021 and fifth in 2023. Nevertheless, her strongest efficiency was on the Olympic Video games the place she completed simply exterior of the medal in fourth in Paris. Look ahead to Labous to hold that kind into the World Championships.
