The 2024 UCI Highway World Championships start on Sunday September 22, with the elite men and women time trials.
Remco Evenepoel defends the title he received in Glasgow in 2023 and is the rider to beat within the males’s race after his Paris Olympic success. His massive rivals embrace Vuelta a España winner Primož Roglič, Italy’s Filippo Ganna and native hero Stefan Küng.
The 46.1km males’s course begins within the historic Zurich Oerlikon out of doors velodrome to the north of the town after which heads alongside Lake Greifensee earlier than climbing over a hill and thru a forest to descend to the shores of Lake Zurich.
The ultimate 15km are flat and quick, following the lake shore and using by way of a residential space. The end is within the giant Sechselautenplatz, close to the Opera home.
The 46.1km course consists of 413m of climbing and three time checks after 12.5km, 26.6km on the high of the climb, and 36.7km on the lake shore. Riders will be capable of do a ultimate reconnaissance of the course on Saturday afternoon to dial of their schedules and examine the climb and the important thing corners.
These are the Cyclingnews contenders for the elite males’s time trial.
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Evenepoel continues to be solely 24 however continues his fast-track profession growth. In 2024 he made his Tour de France debut and completed third total earlier than profitable double gold within the time trial and highway race on the Paris Olympics.
He arguably now stands equal with Tadej Pogačar as the celebrities of the lads’s peloton and the 2 will conflict within the highway race on the Zurich World Championships the week after the time trial.
Evenepoel is probably not at his absolute best after his profitable summer season however stays the favorite for the time trial world title. He suffered on the Tour of Britain on his return to racing however missed the European Championships in order that he might his one final peak on the World Championships.
Küng flies the flag for Switzerland and affords the house nation one of the best likelihood for a medal.
His horrific crash on the 2023 European Championships and his accidents at the moment are up to now and he returned to his time trialing greatest in 2024 in addition to impressing within the cobbled Classics.
Küng was solely eighth within the rain-soaked Olympic time trial however received the ultimate time stage on the Vuelta a España and was second within the European Championships behind Eduardo Affini of Italy.
He was noticed learning the Zurich course on Monday to realize a bonus on his rivals and can certainly be a medal contender.
The Slovenian is arguably now not a time trial specialist and could also be drained after his Vuelta a España battle with Ben O’Connor. However Roglič ought to by no means be written off in a race towards the clock.
He was third within the Tour de France time trial behind Evenepoel and Pogačar earlier than crashing out and second within the ultimate Vuelta time trial.
Slovenia hopes to win double world titles within the elite males’s races. Pogačar is the new favorite for the highway race and if Evenepoel will not be at his absolute best, Roglič might win the rainbow jersey.
Regardless of affected by fatigue within the later summer season after focusing on the time trial and the group pursuit on the Olympics, Ganna is anticipated to experience the time trial in Zurich to attempt to finish his season on a excessive.
He has not too long ago hung out at altitude and is because of prepare on the observe in Italy this week to shine his type for the World Championships.
Evenepoel beat Ganna by 12 seconds in Glasgow final yr, largely as a result of Belgian’s higher aero place and decrease CdA however Ganna has been again within the wind tunnel and might generate considerably extra uncooked energy. The mid-race climb might see Ganna lose a number of seconds however he might roar to victory alongside the shores of Lake Zurich.
The US nationwide champion needed to undergo to complete the Vuelta a España after a nasty crash within the third week and one other within the ultimate time trial. However he confirmed his time trial abilities by profitable the opening stage within the Vuelta and in June when he received the US nationwide title and completed fifth within the Olympic time trial.
McNulty was the Junior world time trial champion in Doha in 2016 and continues to be bettering as a rider yr on yr. He can have the help of the UAE Workforce Emirates efficiency unit in Zurich, even whereas racing for the USA and that might supply a big benefit towards his skilled rivals.
Will probably be fascinating to see Campenaerts slog about his world championships alongside Evenepoel and engaging to see what he can do within the Zurich time trial.
The 32-year-old is having fun with an impressed season after changing into a father and received a highway stage within the Tour de France as a consequence of his efficiency expertise, aggression and love of a problem.
He all the time applies these qualities to time trials even when he was off the tempo within the Vuelta time trials and the European Championships.
Foss was a shock world champion in Wollongong in 2022, even stunning Evenepoel. He has nonetheless to return to that degree however ought to by no means be written off.
The mid-course hill on the Zurich course maybe fits him higher than most of the greater rouleur riders and so he’s a contender for a top-five outcome.
Vine has survived a rollercoaster 2024 season however is now on a excessive and with Luke Plapp out of motion, he’ll race within the Australian inexperienced and gold in Zurich.
Vine suffered severe vertebrae fractures within the Itzulia Basque Nation crash, fought his approach again to health after which received the mountains jersey on the Vuelta a España. Like Campenaerts, he seems impressed after changing into a father and maybe has the shape to land a shock lead to Zurich.
Vine is called a climber and stage racer however received the Vuelta a Burgos time trial on his return to racing in August and was the Australian time trial title in 2023.
The 20-year-old Welsh rider is the newest revelation in males’s time trialing. He was third in Glasgow final yr after which received the European title whereas nonetheless a teen.
Like his Ineos Grenadiers teammate Filippo Ganna, Tarling is a time trialist who combines energy with naturally developed aerodynamics and the psychological power to deal with the ache of time trials.
Tarling was virtually in tears after a puncture price him a medal within the Paris Olympics. He was off the tempo within the opening Vuelta a España time trial and crashed out on his Grand Debut however has been quietly working in direction of the Zurich World Championships.
