As it happened: Birthday joy for reigning champion in World Road Championships women's elite individual time trial 2026
39.2km race against the clock kicks off the 2026 UCI Road World Championships in Montreal
The first rider who will ride down the ramp to kick things off for the 2026 World Road Championships will be Skye Davidson from Zimbabwe. See all the riders starting and when they are starting with our start times in the link above.
Hello and welcome to our live report on Cyclingnews for the opening race of the 2026 UCI World Road Championships in Montreal, Canada. It is the women's individual time trial.
It is a tricky course to manage. Largely very flat with three time checks along the 39.2km route but the finale adds a climb to the finish in Montreal. This means the riders will have to make sure they have something left in the tank for the final kick to the finish.
And here is the view from above. Starting just a few hundred metres down the road from the finish, the riders dart around the Saint Lawrence River for the majority of the course.
Marlen Reusser (Switzerland) will hope she can defend her title from Rwanda last year but she faces a challenge from Tour of Giro winner Demi Vollering (Netherlands) and Zoe Backstedt (Great Britain), who is making her elite debut at the Worlds, among many more.
Roughly 25 minutes until coverage is due to begin on TV with the first rider off the ramp around 20 minutes after that.
48 riders are set to take to the start today.
The teams have had time to take a look at the course over the last few days.
Just under quarter of an hour until the first rider makes their way down the ramp to kick of the racing in Canada.
Last year's runner up Anna van der Breggen will not be competing this year after pulling out of the worlds entirely for the Netherlands last week.
Sajedeh Siyahian (Iran) has set off but now Xin Tang (China) sets off on her ride.
This is the longest ever time trial on the women's side of the sport in World Championship history at 39.2km long.
Up next is Alyssa Burgess for the tiny nation of the Cayman Islands. After her it is Monica Kiplagat (Kenya) and Karim Abe (Japan) as the first six off the ramp.
It is around 11 degrees C in Montreal, bit overcast but the sun is coming out with a high of 16 expected later.
Saudi Arabia's Mishael Alhazmi almost falling before even starting. The holder let her go while she was off balance and she needed to hold onto the hording.
Tang flies by Siyahian who looked like she was almost standing still due to the speed difference.
The rider who started racing in Kigali last year, Diane Ingabire (Rwanda), is about to start her ride in Montreal.
Davidson is the first through the first of three time checks with a time of 16'09" but Tang flies through 48" faster than Zimbabwe's rider with a 15'20".
Mexico's Romina Hinojosa starts her ride. The 23-year-old Lotto–Intermarché rider has had a solid season in Europe and will hope to set a solid early marker.
One of the bigger names going off the ramp right now is the multiple USA ITT champion Taylor Knibb. Expecting a very solid time from the triathlete.
The first home rider of the race sets off. Olivia Baril (Canada) starts her ride. The Movistar rider will be hoping to do a strong ride but I don't expect any higher than 8th.
Taniel Campbell (Trinidad & Tobago) has started her ride. She hasn't had the easiest season with Smurfit Westrock but she did take her national title. Mostly racing on the track rather than the road.
Tang takes the wrong turn. She took the deviation for the second lap and not the course she was meant to be taking for this first lap. She is back on course now but that will really damage her time and if she returns to the course further up the route from where she exits she'll likely be disqualified.
Davidson went through the second intermediate in 33'49" but, even with the wrong course taken, Tang leads by 1'51".
Lotte Claes (Belgium), Dominika Włodarczyk (Poland), Anniina Ahtosalo (Finland) and Lauretta Hanson (Australia) have all started their rides. They are all outsiders for a top performance today with Anna Morris (Great Britain) off next.
Vittoria Guazzini (Italy) now takes the the course. The Olympic Madison champion and also a very talented rider in the team pursuit, a dangerous rider for today.
Knibb goes fastest at the first check with a time of 14'18" leading Baril by 16" and Valeriia Kononeko (Ukraine) by 25".
Campbell pips Kononenko at the first split to slot into third with her trailing Knibb by 17".
Franziska Koch (Germany) has set off on her ride.
Claes took the lead at the first time check but has been bettered by Włodarczyk who sets the time of 13'52", that is 11" faster than Claes and a whopping 27" faster than Knibb.
Hinojosa goes fastest at the second split with a time of 30'33" which is 15" faster than Ann-Christine Allik (Estonia) and 1'25" over Tang.
Tang is fastest at the third and final split before the finish with a time of 43'50" which is 2'30" over Davidson.
Cedrine Kerbaol (France) and Paula Blasi (Spain) have both taken to the road now as well.
Canada's Nadia Gontova starts her ride. She put in a very strong ride in the recent Chrono de Gatineau where she finished 5th on the day at 1'42" behind Reusser.
Guazzini just 2" behind Włodarczyk at the first split.
Knibb goes fastest at the second split with a 29'01" which is 1'32" ahead of Hinojosa.
Elisa Longo-Borghini (Italy) starts her ride as Koch goes fastest at the first split with a 13'39" which is 12" faster than Włodarczyk.
It is now the turn of Lotte Kopecky (Belgium) to set off for her ride. The Belgian has had a mixed season but will hope to put in a strong effort today.
Olympic road champion Kristen Faulkner (USA) starts her ride.
Claes goes 16" faster than Knibb at the second split with a 28'45".
Xin Tang of China comes to the line to set the first time of the day just ahead of Skye Davidson who was first off the ramp. Tang sets the first time at 58'44" with Davidson finished 3'18" down.
Włodarczyk leads at the second split but Claes has closed in on her a bit with just 8" splitting the two.
Meanwhile, at the first split, Kerbaol beats Koch by just under 2". She leads after the first part of the race.
The riders have the usual hazards but the added stress of the very unpredictable and often aggressive Canada Geese t contend with.
At split three Knibb continues her consistent ride and goes 2'16" faster than Hinojosa.
Juliette Berthet (France), Mireia Benito (Spain) and Antonia Niedermaier (Germany) have all started.
Zoe Backstedt (Great Britain) starts her ride in her quest to add an elite world title to her junior and U23 titles. Demi Vollering (Netherlands) follows her as she seeks a bigger medal than the bronze she got last year.
Marlen Reusser (Switzerland) is the next and final rider off the ramp today.
Reusser sets off in her quest to defend her title.
Back on course, Claes goes fastest at the third check point with a time of 39'23" which is just 11" faster than Knibb who has closed up to the Belgian.
Koch takes the lead at split two by 34" over Włodarczyk. Meanwhile, the Polish rider goes just under 7" faster than Claes with that top 3 now very close together with Knibb just 18" down.
At the finish the race is led by Romina Hinojosa of Mexico with a 56'06" which is 5" faster than Allik of Estonia.
Longo-Borghini just 8" down at the first split seeing her in third for the moment.
Guazzini was 5th at the first split but moves up to 4th at the second split for the time being. She trails by 43" from Koch who is absolutely flying out there.
Koch lead at split two by 0.63" over Kerbaol! It is very tight out on course.
Zoe Backstedt goes fastest at the first time check by a whopping 1'45" over Kerbaol! She sets a time of 13'36".
First Canadian to finish is Baril and finishes 2'28" down on Knibb in Montreal.
Koch goes 56" faster than Włodarczyk at the third split. She is flying out there with a time of 38'20" so far.
After the first split there are two massive surprises. Vollering is 13th at 35" while defending champion Reusser is 5th at 10". Both have a long way to go but Backstedt has the advantage for the moment!
Kerbaol continues to fade slightly as she is 8" down on Koch at the third split.
Lauretta Hanson (Australia) finishes provisional 4th at 21" down on Włodarczyk.
Anna Morris (Great Britain) crosses the finish line in fifth for the time being at 58" down.
Vittoria Guazzini (Italy) finishes strongly but misses the mark by 6" behind Włodarczyk.
Backstedt goes 6" faster than Koch at the second split. She has doubled her advantage over Koch.
Vollering is 59" down on the second split.
Reusser has improved significantly and is now just 3" down on Backstedt at the second split.
Kerbaol finishes in second place for the time being at 25" down on Koch who still leads the way for now.
Kopecky goes 4th at the third split but is 45" down on Koch.
Niedermaier goes 5th at the third split but is 55" down on Koch who continues to look very good for a medal today.
Backstedt extends her advantage to 9" over Koch at the 3rd check over Koch. Reusser was inside 3" at the last split and closing. We will wait and see what the defending champion is able to do.
Reusser is on to potentially catch Vollering.
Elisa Longo-Borghini (Italy) sets a very strong time as she has finished very quickly with her trailing Koch by just 5".
Marlen Reusser goes fastest at the third split by a huge 14" gap over Zoe Backstedt with Demi Vollering 1'25" down in 10th.
Lotte Kopecky (Belgium) comes to the line in provisional 4th at 1'02" from Koch who looks almost certain for at least a bronze medal.
Reusser has passed Vollering on course.
The rain has started on the course making the final few corners very sketchy.
Antonia Niedermaier (Germany) finishes 1'04" down on her fellow German Koch.
Reusser will next to finish and likely take the title on her 35th birthday. Vollering will be the last rider to finish after a very surprising performance.
Vollering in 8th at 1'50" down on Reusser.
Here is how the top 10 shaped up after the day of racing...
It is a second world title in a row for the world's very best time trialist...
Reusser is very much at the top of her game but Backstedt has shown that she is definitely the next dominant force against the clock with another superb ride by Koch...
And that brings our first live report of the day to a close with the women's ITT opening the racing for the World Championships in Canada. Much more racing to come with the men's race this afternoon. We will be live again for that so make sure to check back later to follow along. But, for now, have a great rest of your day!
