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The time trials at the UCI Road World Championships 2024 in Zürich are just days away, with the elite women’s and men’s the first elite road events at this year’s Worlds. The races against the clock are scheduled for the opening Sunday – 22 September – with the women’s race occurring first, followed by the men’s.
Both are over hilly, but not mountainous, courses that finish in the centre of Zürich, the biggest city in Switzerland, with defending champions Remco Evenepoel of Belgium and Chloe Dygert among the favourites, although there are lots of people hoping for medals. These include GB’s Anna Henderson, silver medallist at the recent Paris Olympics, and Josh Tarling, third last year.
The 2024 Worlds is the first to combine the Road Worlds and the Para-cycling Worlds in the same event, with the para-cycling time trials happening throughout the week; there are lots of riders to watch in those races too.
Women to watch
Chloe Dygert (USA)
2024 TT wins: 0
A crash during the rainy time trial in Paris meant she had to settle for bronze at the Olympics in July. She went on to win gold in the team pursuit, but Chloe Dygert will want to put herself back on the TT top step as she turns her attention towards defending the World title she won in Glasgow last year. Unlike many of her rivals, the American is a specialist in the discipline, and will focus her preparation on this, before giving the road race a shot too.
Grace Brown (Australia)
2024 TT wins: 3
There’s a reasonable chance that we won’t see the rainbow jersey worn in time trials next year. That’s because Grace Brown retires at the end of the season, despite the face she seems to be enjoying the form of her life. Winning Olympic gold by a whopping margin of one minute and 31 seconds means she’ll line up as one of the major favourites in Zurich. Having won silver both the last two years, an upgrade to gold would be the perfect way to bow out. That’s if the 32-year-old can’t be persuaded to carry on for one more year.
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Demi Vollering (Netherlands)
2024 TT wins: 2
Last year was a seismic moment for the women’s individual time trial at the World Championships – it was the first time since 2014 that a Dutch rider hadn’t finished on the podium of the event. Demi Vollering will lead the charge to change that, with the former Tour de France Femmes winner one of the best in the world in the discipline, especially on a lumpy course.
Others to watch
Ellen van Dijk (Netherlands) will once again attempt to equal Jeannie Longo’s record of four career World time trial titles, but she still hasn’t quite looked at her best since returning from an ankle fracture in July. Fresh off the back of winning at the European Championships, defending road champion Lotte Kopecky (Belgium) should be a factor on this sporting TT course.
A silver medal in Paris has outlined Britain’s Anna Henderson as a top favourite, having narrowly missed out on bronze in Glasgow last year, as does fifth place that day for Juliette Labous (France).
Riejanne Markus is another option for the Netherlands, while bronze medallist at the European Championships Christina Schweinberger of Austria could podium again.
Men to watch
2024 TT wins: 4
The 24-year-old comes into the World Championships as not only the defending champion, but as the Olympic champion too. His performance in Paris last month was proof that he is the man to beat against the clock, but he will be looking to peak in his form for a third time this year, after the Tour de France and the Olympics. He won a similarly hilly time trial at the Critérium du Dauphiné earlier this year.
Filippo Ganna (Italy)
2024 TT wins: 2
The two-time world champion of 2020 and 2021 has since been supplanted by Remco Evenepoel as the best time trialist in the world, and had to settle for silver medal behind him both at the Olympics this year and the Worlds last year. He’ll be desperate to reclaim his title in Zurich, but the undulating route is not ideal for his large, powerful physique.
Josh Tarling (GB)
2024 TT wins: 2
Was it not for an unfortunate puncture, Josh Tarling would almost certainly have won an Olympic medal in the time trial last month. While the Welshman was left frustrated with a fourth-place finish that day, the performance proved he has stepped up as a rider after taking a surprise bronze at the Worlds last year. He followed that up with victory at the European championships and if he continues to improve will soon be challenging Evenepoel and Ganna at the biggest events.
Perhaps Stefan Küng of Switzerland can make the most of the home advantage and crown a strong season with the World title. The 30-year-old won a stage at the Vuelta and claimed TT silver at the European champs.
Brandon McNulty’s opening stage win at the Vuelta and fifth place at the Olympics makes him an interesting dark horse, while his American compatriot Magnus Sheffield and home Swiss favourite Stefan Bissegger could also cause an upset if they manage to overcome persistent habits of crashing.
Primož Roglič of Slovenia, while not a pure time trialist any more, could prove suited to the lumpy course, and won the Olympic race in 2021. Meanwhile, regular top-10 riders João Almeida (Portugal), Dani Martínez (Colombia) and Mikkel Bjerg (Denmark) can’t be discounted from the medal conversation, nor can European champion Edoardo Affini (Italy).
Para-cyclists to watch
The TT isn’t factored as in the Paralympics, so individual classifications can show their true strengths. What’s more, TT was Britain’s weakest area at the Paralympics so expect our 19-strong team to be under some pressure to medal up here.
Britain’s road tandem pairing Chris McDonald and Adam Duggleby missed their Paralympic slot. They will take to the fore without the presence of Paralympic tandem Steve Bate and Chris Latham at these championships. The latter duo are shaping up to be endurance track specialists – they medalled on track but not on the road in Paris. McDonald and Duggleby will have to hold off two Dutch and two French tandems who took the top four places in Paris.
Dutch gold medallists Tristan Bagma and Patrick Bos are the most dominant and are multi-gold Paralympic medallists on road and track. It would be quite a statement if McDonald could improve on his World Cup TT bronze in May and bring down Bangma.
Among the women TT specialists, China are particularly strong in the C1 category but are absent at this champs, so Katie Toft will have a chance at gold. Fran Brown, who podiumed in the mixed event in Paris, outperforming favourite C2 Schrager, will likely challenge her for it. Schrager will be charging for her own C2 gold in the TT, a favourite event but Paralympic gold went to C2 Maike Hausberger of Germany, and this is Flurina Rigling’s home turf, so she might come out on top.
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