Remco Evenepoel defends the title he won in Glasgow in 2023 and is the rider to beat in the men's race after his Paris Olympic success. His big rivals include Vuelta a España winner Primož Roglič, Italy's Filippo Ganna and local hero Stefan Küng.
The 46.1km men's course begins in the historic Zurich Oerlikon outdoor velodrome to the north of the city and then heads along Lake Greifensee before climbing over a hill and through a forest to descend to the shores of Lake Zurich.
The final 15km are flat and fast, following the lake shore and riding through a residential area. The finish is in the large Sechselautenplatz, near the Opera house.
The 46.1km course includes 413m of climbing and three time checks after 12.5km, 26.6km at the top of the climb, and 36.7km on the lake shore. Riders will be able to do a final reconnaissance of the course on Saturday afternoon to dial in their schedules and study the climb and the key corners.
These are the Cyclingnews contenders for the elite men's time trial.
Evenepoel is still only 24 but continues his fast-track career development. In 2024 he made his Tour de France debut and finished third overall before winning double gold in the time trial and road race at the Paris Olympics.
He arguably now stands equal with Tadej Pogačar as the stars of the men's peloton and the two will clash in the road race at the Zurich World Championships the week after the time trial.
Evenepoel is perhaps not at his very best after his successful summer but remains the favourite for the time trial world title. He suffered at the Tour of Britain on his return to racing but missed the European Championships so that he could his one last peak at the World Championships.
Küng was only eighth in the rain-soaked Olympic time trial but won the final time stage at the Vuelta a España and was second in the European Championships behind Eduardo Affini of Italy.
He was spotted studying the Zurich course on Monday to gain an advantage on his rivals and will surely be a medal contender.
The Slovenian is arguably no longer a time trial specialist and may be tired after his Vuelta a España battle with Ben O'Connor. But Roglič should never be written off in a race against the clock.
He was third in the Tour de France time trial behind Evenepoel and Pogačar before crashing out and second in the final Vuelta time trial.
Slovenia hopes to win double world titles in the elite men's races. Pogačar is the hot favourite for the road race and if Evenepoel is not at his very best, Roglič could win the rainbow jersey.
Despite suffering from fatigue in the later summer after targeting the time trial and the team pursuit at the Olympics, Ganna is expected to ride the time trial in Zurich to try to end his season on a high.
He has recently spent time at altitude and is due to train on the track in Italy this week to polish his form for the World Championships.
Evenepoel beat Ganna by 12 seconds in Glasgow last year, largely due to the Belgian's better aero position and lower CdA but Ganna has been back in the wind tunnel and can generate significantly more raw power. The mid-race climb could see Ganna lose a few seconds but he could roar to victory along the shores of Lake Zurich.
The US national champion had to suffer to finish the Vuelta a España after a nasty crash in the third week and another in the final time trial. But he confirmed his time trial talents by winning the opening stage in the Vuelta and in June when he won the US national title and finished fifth in the Olympic time trial.
McNulty was the Junior world time trial champion in Doha in 2016 and is still improving as a rider year on year. He will have the support of the UAE Team Emirates performance unit in Zurich, even while racing for the USA and that could offer a significant advantage against his professional rivals.
It will be fascinating to see Campenaerts slog about his world championships alongside Evenepoel and fascinating to see what he can do in the Zurich time trial.
The 32-year-old is enjoying an inspired season after becoming a father and won a road stage in the Tour de France due to his performance skills, aggression and love of a challenge.
He always applies those qualities to time trials even if he was off the pace in the Vuelta time trials and the European Championships.
Foss was a surprise world champion in Wollongong in 2022, even surprising Evenepoel. He has still to return to that level but should never be written off.
The mid-course hill on the Zurich course perhaps suits him better than many of the bigger rouleur riders and so he is a contender for a top-five result.
Vine has survived a rollercoaster 2024 season but is now on a high and with Luke Plapp out of action, he will race in the Australian green and gold in Zurich.
Vine suffered serious vertebrae fractures in the Itzulia Basque Country crash, fought his way back to fitness and then won the mountains jersey at the Vuelta a España. Like Campenaerts, he appears inspired after becoming a father and perhaps has the form to land a surprise result in Zurich.
Vine is known as a climber and stage racer but won 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 latest revelation in men's time trialing. He was third in Glasgow last year and then won the European title while still a teenager.
Like his Ineos Grenadiers teammate Filippo Ganna, Tarling is a time trialist who combines power with naturally developed aerodynamics and the mental strength to tackle the pain of time trials.
Tarling was almost in tears after a puncture cost him a medal in the Paris Olympics. He was off the pace in the opening Vuelta a España time trial and crashed out on his Grand Debut but has been quietly working towards the Zurich World Championships.
Stephen is one of the most experienced members of the Cyclingnews team, having reported on professional cycling since 1994. Before becoming Editor-at-large, he was Head of News at Cyclingnews. He has previously worked for Shift Active Media, Reuters and Cycling Weekly. He is a member of the Board of the Association Internationale des Journalistes du Cyclisme (AIJC).
