Good legs fuelled by a double paella ready meal and the presence of his dad on Father's Day was all it took for Yorkshire rider Adam Duggleby to smash the British 100-mile time trial record last weekend.

The Addform VLV-Garden Shed UK rider's stunning 3:10:48 lowered John Archibald's previous mark by more than two minutes and saw the record continue on its slow march towards a sub-three-hour time.

Set on the E2/100C course on the A14 on the Cambridgeshire-Suffolk border, the 41-year-old had travelled down the night before and, staying in an Airbnb, made do with a brace of microwave meals in preparation.

"I had like a paella thing, literally like a ready meal, but I had two of them – you know what the portions are like – and I thought, well, that's enough carbs, I'll be alright with that," he tells Cycling Weekly. It being Father's Day and with his dad there too – a ubiquitous presence at Duggleby's races – and a fine day out on the course, all the stars were aligned.

"I'd have been annoyed if I hadn't got a record, I would have felt like I'd just wasted his day, really," says Duggleby. "But he doesn't mind coming and watching me anyway, to be honest. He pretty much always comes to the long distance stuff."

Talking of long-distance stuff, the idea of riding a century against the clock would boggle the mind of many: so much focus for such a long time. But when you're going as fast as Duggleby, it almost becomes a different event.

"Most cyclists at a certain level are doing three-hour rides, four hours, five hours all the time. So a three-hour ride, it's not that long," he says. "You're concentrating and calculating in your head all the time, whether you're going too hard, going too easy, when should you drink…? You're obviously looking where you're going and making sure you don't hit a pothole, and knowing where the next junction is that you've got to come off… you're just constantly thinking, so the three hours flies past, to be honest."

Duggleby is a former Paralympic tandem pilot and won medals on the road and track with stoker Steve Bate across the Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2021 Games – including gold in the TT and pursuit in Brazil.

He and Bate also hold numerous British tandem time trial records, including at 10, 25 and 50 miles.

At 41 years old, Duggleby had wondered whether he was too old to go for a new 100 record last weekend, but it didn't take long to realise that he was on a good day after averaging 31.6mph for the first 30 miles.

He suffered a bad patch mid ride, but managed to tackle it with a drink and a nootropics gel to come back stronger than ever. "After I'd had that, I felt really good, to be honest," he says. "I felt like the best I've ever felt at the end of the 100 – the motivation of actually knowing I was on for the record, and knowing I wasn't too far from the end. I know an hour sounds like a long way from the end, but in the 100 it feels like you're almost there."

His ride ultimately saw him record a 19:05 10-mile time trial, 10 times over: most riders would consider just one an incredible feat.

Duggleby hopes to put his form to use at numerous national championship time trials across the summer: perhaps he will add another record to his already crowded quiver.

Both the road races and time trials at the 2028 Olympics are expected to end in uphill finishes.

The organisers revealed this week that both events will finish outside Los Angeles's Griffith Observatory, one of the city’s most recognisable landmarks, located on the south side of Mount Hollywood, 346m above sea level.

Although the exact route is yet to be unveiled, it is thought the events will end with a 7% incline that lasts around 2km.

The men’s and women’s road races, scheduled for 22 and 23 July, will start at Venice Beach Boardwalk, and are expected to venture into the Santa Monica Mountains, before heading to Griffith Park.

The time trials, to be held on 19 July, will begin and end in the ‘Griffith Park Zone’, with a start at LA Zoo and a finish at Griffith Observatory.

August’s Paralympic events, too, will be held in the same area of the city; the road races, time trials and mixed team relay will all start and finish at LA Zoo.

“In the Griffith Park Zone, Olympic and Paralympic champions will cross iconic finish lines set against recognizable landmarks and stunning views overlooking Los Angeles,” The LA28 organisers said in a statement.

The UCI confirmed the news on Wednesday morning, writing that the "elevated position" of Griffith Observatory "indicates that the athletes will have an uphill finish in their bid for the individual time trial and road race Olympic titles".

The full details of the courses will be published later this year.

At the 2024 Olympics in Paris, the road races were held on a hilly circuit around the city’s Montmartre area, with a flat run-in to the line beneath the Eiffel Tower. Belgium’s Remco Evenepoel won the men’s race solo, while the USA’s Kristen Faulkner attacked late from a breakaway to claim the women’s gold medal.

The time trials in Paris took place on flat 32.4km courses around the city centre, and were won by Evenepoel and Australia’s Grace Brown, also beneath the Eiffel Tower.

As previously announced, the track cycling events at the LA Olympics will take place at the Carson Velodrome, BMX racing and freestyle at the Sepulveda Basin Recreation Area, and mountain biking at the City of Industry.

Matteo Jorgenson sprinted solo through the uphill finish at Perreux to secure victory for Visma-Lease a Bike at the Tour Auvergne Rhône-Alpes stage three team time trial.

It saw the Dutch team place 10 seconds ahead of Netcompany-Ineos, who suffered a dropped chain with Oscar Onley that may well have proved crucial in the final reckoning.

EF Education-EasyPost were third, with their French rider Alex Beaudin clinging onto the leader's yellow jersey by 12 seconds after a gutsy solo assault on the finishing climb.

It offered a thrilling glimpse four weeks into the future, when the Tour de France kicks off in Barcelona with a stage of exactly the same format – including individual timing for each rider rather than whole teams.

Afterwards Jorgenson declared it "seven times better than winning on your own". "Because you get the moment afterwards together, which in cycling you don't often get. It's a really cool discipline," he said, "and a really nice day."

"It didn't really go as planned at all," Jorgenson said. "We lost Wout [van Aert] really early, he wasn't feeling super. And then Ben flatted and almost crashed on the main descent of the day so that was a hairy moment. I think we adapted well to the situation and we rearranged things and readjusted.

"Honestly I think the last 10K downhill we couldn't have gone any faster – Bruno [Armirail], Edo [Affini], Per [Strand Hagenes], were all incredibly strong and I was given a free ride to the last climb."

A victim of a collarbone-breaking crash at Amstel Gold in April, Jorgenson said it was great to be "back on top" and that the performance boded well for the rest of the race, which finishes on Sunday 14 June.

"It feels good to win a race. It's really nice after the spring I've had to come back and be on top again... I'm super happy to be part of this team and take this win together," he said.

How it happened

The race saw the teams compete over a hilly 28.4km (17.6 mile) course based on the town of Perreux in the Loire region. The first third of the parcours was made up of two long climbs, after which 12km of mostly downhill riding delivered the teams to the foot of a final, 800m haul up to the finish.

Jayco-AlUla set an early benchmark, breaking the 50kph barrier with their 33:46 with sprinter-rouleur Michael Matthews leading them in.

But as the later teams began to come through that time was bested, and then routed. Notable among the faster finishers as were Lidl-Trek (4th at 32s) with Juan Ayuso leading the team in alongside Matthias Skjelmose and Decathlon CMA CGM, with the closely watched Paul Seixas leading the team in solo to sixth place at 45sec.

Once Netcompany-Ineos and Visma-Lease a Bike were underway (the fourth and third-last teams respectively) it quickly became apparent that the stage win would likely come down to a battle between the pair. Netcompany-Ineos led comfortably through both time checks, only for Visma-Lease a Bike to run them close shortly afterwards.

Both teams had issues though – Visma earlier on, losing an off-colour Wout van Aert and then Ben Tulett to a puncture. Netcompany suffered a late problem when Oscar Onley derailed his chain, and the decision was made to wait – much to the chagrin of Onley's fellow GC hopeful Kévin Vauquelin, who displayed his displeasure via a series of arm-flails. It was a heaving, uphill sprint to the finish for both Netcompany and Visma, with the efforts of Onley and Vauquelin being pipped by Jorgenson for nine seconds only minutes later.

With Guillaume Martin leading Groupama-FDJ United in well down, the final effort was left to EF Education-EasyPost and their GC leader Alex Beaudin. They put in a thumping performance that was perhaps greater than the sum of their parts, but the final climb provided a nail-biting will-he, won't-he denouement as Beaudin romped away up the climb. His efforts were rewarded – he kept yellow and led the team in to a third-place finish.

Tour Auvergne Rhône-Alpes 2026, stage 3 TTT: Perreux-Perreux, 28.4km

(Teams with first rider/s to finish)

1. Visma-Lease a Bike (Matteo Jorgenson), 28.4km in 32.52
2. Netcompany-Ineos (Oscar Onley, Kévin Vauquelin), +9s
3. EF Education-EasyPost (Alex Beaudin), +29s
4. Lidl-Trek (Juan Ayuso, Matthias Skjelmose), +32s
5. Red Bull-Bora-hansgrohe (Daniel Martínez, Maxim van Gils), +40s
6. Decathlon CMA CGM (Paul Seixas) +45s
7. Movistar (Cian Uijtdebroeks, Diego Pescador), +52s
8. Jayco-AlUla (Michael Matthews), +54s
9. UAE Team Emirates-XRG (Isaac Del Toro), +1:01
10. Bahrain Victorious (Santiago Buitrago), +1:05

General Classification after stage 3

1. Alex Beaudin (Fra) EF Education-EasyPost, in 10:01:01
2. Kévin Vauquelin (Fra) Netcompany-Ineos, +12s
3. Oscar Onley (Gbr) Netcompany-Ineos, at s.t.
4. Matteo Jorgenson (USA) Visma-Lease a Bike, +15s
5. Juan Ayuso (Spa) Lidl-Trek, +47s
6. Matthias Skjelmose (Den) Lidl-Trek, +47s
7. Jørgen Nordhagen (Nor) Visma-Lease a Bike, +50s
8. Maxim van Gils (Bel) Red Bull-Bora-hansgrohe, +56s
9. Bruno Armirail (Fra) Visma-Lease a Bike, +57s
10. Carlos Rodríguez (Spa) Netcompany-Ineos, at s.t.

For the first time since 2019, a team time trial is back on the menu at the Tour de France, but now there’s a twist: times will be recorded individually, not as a team.

Anyone who has watched – or indeed competed in – any of the last four editions of Paris-Nice will already be familiar with this every-man-for-himself timing rule. ASO has been trialling it at the race since 2023, and did so again on stage three of the Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes last month, a key dress rehearsal before the Tour’s opening stage in Barcelona on Saturday.

So how does an individually timed team time trial work? Do the riders still race together? And is it the winning team or individual who is declared the stage winner?

Team time trials exist to test speed, unity and cohesiveness against the clock. Riders typically race in a close line, sheltering from the wind and saving the strongest riders for crucial moments.

Historically, and according to standard UCI rules, a team’s time is taken on the fourth rider across the line, with all riders granted that same time in the stage and general classifications. In recent years, however, event organisers ASO have tried to make the format more exciting at their races by introducing individual timing.

The rules in place on the Tour's opening stage in Barcelona dictate that each rider will receive their own individual time in the team time trial. As previous tests at Paris-Nice and the Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes have shown, teams tend to treat this as a lead-out effort; many protect their leader for as long as possible, before releasing him to attack the final part of the stage.

The winner of the stage is the entire team, rather than the fastest individual. At the Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes last month, for example, Matteo Jorgenson clocked the fastest time, and so his Visma-Lease a Bike team were declared the stage winners.

In the general classification, it is the riders’ individual times that count. As such, riders aiming for high overall placings will try to finish as quickly as possible, while those unconcerned by the GC may drop off the back of their team’s paceline, and roll across the finish line minutes later.

There is still a time limit, however, and any riders finishing outside a generous extra 30% of the winner’s time will be eliminated from the race. At the Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, Jorgenson's time was 32:52, meaning the time limit was 42:44, or an extra 10 minutes. No rider missed the time cut.

Announcing the new format ahead of the 2023 edition Paris-Nice, ASO said: “This should force each team to adopt the best strategy to lead out their leader in the final stretch, which is not unlike team spring events on the track. The innovation should also stop a whole team sweeping the top GC standings.”

Six-time British time trial champion Alex Dowsett described the individual timing as “brilliant” at the time.

“The most efficient way of doing the race will be to have your GC guy dropped off with 500m to go," Dowsett explained. "Maybe he has taken some turns, maybe he hasn't, that depends how strong he would be, and how much energy they want to save for days to come.”

Saturday's team time trial at the Tour de France is 19.6km long and finishes with an uphill drag to Montjuïc. The stage begins at 17:05 CET (16:05 BST).

The race’s first yellow jersey will go to the individual rider with the fastest time on the stage.

Pre-stage favourite Filippo Ganna (Netcompany-Ineos) pulled out a storming time trial to win at a canter on stage 10 of the Giro d'Italia 2026.

Despite the 42km distance – the longest Giro d'Italia time trial in more than 10 years – the Italian rider put in an ultra-fast 54.9kph ride, to record 45.53 – a full 1.54 ahead of runner-up Thymen Arensman (Netcompany-Ineos).

The stage was also billed as a big one for the GC, and it did not disappoint. Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike) put in a rather average shift by his own high standards, and maglia rosa Alfonso Eulálio (Bahrain Victorious) managed to hold on to the GC lead by 27 seconds over the Dane with a tenacious ride.

Further down the top-10 saw multiple GC shuffles with various riders gaining – or losing – unexpected chunks of time.

Afterwards a jovial Ganna – who was no doubt pleased to have finished a two-hour-plus stint in the hot seat – praised his team, and said he was not done yet.

"I think we did an amazing job this winter, especially with the GC riders like Thymen [Arensman], who rode really well for the second place – like at Tirreno-Adriatico [where the pair also finished one-two in the ITT]," he said.

"It's a good victory for us here. We'll enjoy tonight and then we'll stay focused for the last 14 days."

Of the course, which suited him to a tee, he said: "It's really nice, with a long TT like this, I really like it. I'm really happy to finally find a good TT for me, without a climb," he joked.

With Friday's stage finishing in his home town of Verbania, his stage-hunting intentions did not stop today, he said: "From today starts another Giro for Filippo. Now we want another victory in a [road stage]. Why not try Friday for me – as well as another stage, obviously if it's less than 4,000 metres," he quipped.

The coastal course between Viareggio and Massa was characterised by long, straight and wide roads that dialled up the mental challenge and seemed to suit some more than others. GC hopefuls going away pleased tonight will include Arensman with his impressive second on the stage that boosted him to third overall at 1.57.

Derek Gee-West (Lidl-Trek) declared himself "super-happy" with a fifth place on the stage that saw him jump six places to eighth on GC, although he described the long, straight parcours as "brutal – nothing to focus on but how much it hurts."

Those who will be hoping for better luck in the coming stages include Felix Gall (Decathlon CMA CGM), who has looked like Vingegaard's biggest rival so far but who lost 1.22 to the Dane today and drops to fourth on GC.

Battling rides from Red Bull-Bora-hansgrohe pair Giulio Pellizzari and Jai Hindley saw them lose 18 and 31 seconds respectively to Vingegaard, with Pellizzari static at ninth on GC and Hindley dropping two places to sixth.

The race continues tomorrow with a long, hilly stage to Chiavari which the GC contenders may be tempted to call 'truce' on, at least just for a day, and let the breakaways roam free.

Results

Giro d'Italia 2026 stage 10 ITT: Viareggio > Massa, 42km

1. Filippo Ganna (Ita) Netcompany-Ineos, in 45:53
2. Thymen Arensman (Ned) Netcompany-Ineos, +1:54
3. Rémi Cavagna (Fra) Groupama-FDJ United, +1:59
4. Sjoerd Bax (Ned) Pinarello Q36.5, +2:04
5. Derek Gee-West (Can) Lidl-Trek, +2:16
6. Max Walscheid (Ger) Lidl-Trek, +2:17
7. Johan Price-Pejtersen (Den) Alpecin-Premier Tech, +2:29
8. Mikkel Bjerg, (Den) UAE Team Emirates-XRG, +2:33
9. Lorenzo Milesi (Ita) Movistar, +2:42
10. Niklas Larsen (Den) Unibet Rose Rockets, +2:42

General Classification after stage 10

1. Afonso Eulálio (Por) Bahrain Victorious, in 39:40:34
2. Jonas Vingegaard (Den) Visma-Lease a Bike, +27s
3. Thymen Arensman (Ned) Netcompany-Ineos, +1:57
4. Felix Gall (Aut) Decathlon CMA CGM, +2:24
5. Ben O'Connor (Aus) Jayco AlUla, +2:48
6. Jai Hindley (Aus) Red Bull-Bora-hansgrohe, +3:06
7. Michael Storer (Aus) Tudor Pro Cycling, +3:28
8. Derek Gee-West (Can) Lidl-Trek, +3:34
9. Giulio Pellizzari (Ita) Red Bull-Bora-hansgrohe, +3:36
10. Markel Beloki (Esp) EF Education-EasyPost, + 4:16

If the name Tim Smith sounds familiar to you, there might be a reason for that – last year he stepped in and pulled one of time trialling's most iconic races – the National 24-Hour Championships – from the brink of extinction, after its former longtime organisers stepped down.

He'll be organising the race again this year, but other things will be competing for his time – his role as new chair of Cycling Time Trials (CTT), for example. He was elected January's AGM – a meeting that has been characterised as a tumultuous affair that saw the resignation of numerous former directors as well as former chair Andrea Parish, whose legacy includes the successful road bike category and a new website, built from the ground up.

Smith is determined to build on those achievements he says, and has ideas of his own that he hopes will make time trialling more attractive and underpin its stability, including direct club contact and exploring racing away from the road.

Manchester-based Smith is 51 and has a background in IT consultancy. As you'd expect, he's a bike rider himself. He came back to riding and racing several years ago after taking a break while he had a young family. The secretary of CTT's Manchester District, he joined CTT as a board director in late 2023.

This year he has signed up with a coach for the first time. "I'm never going to be a superstar," he concedes, "but as I get older I do want to be the best I can be. So I thought, I'll sign up with a coach and at least know that what I'm doing is the right stuff."

He hopes to race up and down the country this season – something he hopes will feed into his new role: "It doesn't hurt to get around and talk to people about it," he says.

Smith is excited about his new-look board, which includes top-end racers that he hopes will add frontline insight.

"We've got a lot of new directors this time around, and some of them are racing at a very high level," he says. "So we've got people who are really engaged and involved at the sharp end, as it were." These include 2016 BBAR winner Richard Bideau and Alex Royle, silver medallist at last year's National 24-hour champs.

Much has been written on social media about those elections, including from those that were there at the AGM in January where they took place. Phrases like 'soap opera', 'sour grapes', and plenty more have been tossed around to describe what sounds like a highly-charged meeting.

"It was certainly interesting," Smith says, "[but] I don't really recognise some of the statements I've seen made. As you'd expect, there was a democratic election, and the delegates cast their votes and outcome from it.

He added: "I think that's it really. It's how these volunteer organisations work. People come and people go as things change, and we work with what we've got and we move forward."

Part of that moving forward, explains Smith, will be to reach out to the cycling clubs, which play such a key part in introducing new riders to racing. "We want to get feedback as to what we can do to help them," says Smith. "How can we help them get more riders, more members, to encourage more people to ride and so on."

CTT will also look at the potential lack of appeal of dual carriageway courses to new and young racers. "It's something we have to bear in mind," says Smith. "We want look at if we can do time trials off the road, whether that be off-road time trials or just off the road in some way," which he says could also include closed circuits.

However, ensuring events and support is in place for every kind of time triallist was important, Smith said – from newbies to dyed in the wool lo-pro aeronauts – but added: "I think the key is, let's get people interested in time trialling first, and then we can worry about finding events they want to ride."

Despite a big influx of riders to the sport via the road bike strategy, the top priority remains the slow decline in event numbers and overall rides, Smith says. The CTT Annual Report for 2025 shows the number of open events has fallen by 28% since 2022, and total rides by 22%.

However, he is, he says, optimistic for the coming months "We've got a great new team, and I think we can really make some differences – really reinvigorate the sport, and build on the good work done by Andrea and the previous board until now," he says.

In a British bike racing landscape that is often challenging for the clubs, organisers and associations that are trying to ensure competitive events thrive rather than dwindle, tales of woe are as common as success stories.

In the UK whole regions have fallen out of favour when it comes to promoting top-level road races, while the country's fastest time trial courses are being picked off one by one by new road developments that mean they're no longer raceable. A lack of marshals, volunteers, youngsters… they're all issues that many bike racing organisers and administrators lose sleep over.

However, there is one body that should give cause for optimism across cycling and which, thanks to innovation and determination, has seen participation and engagement headed in the right direction.

Northampton & District Cycling Association presides over a number of clubs in the UK's Midland area and was on the brink of extinction just a few years ago when its stalwart and figurehead Richard Daniells died after being in collision with a car while riding home from an event.

The association was pulled from the ashes by a determined band of volunteers who formed a new committee in a period not long after Covid and its associated lockdowns when UK time trialling was struggling as a sport.

Three years on, N&DCA is thriving having attracted new time triallists who are riding greater numbers of events.

"Richard basically did everything," says new N&DCA chair Noel Toone. "He was the treasurer. He managed the coordinating, all the events that the clubs organised…"

Determined to build on everything Daniells had done, Toone and his new committee introduced innovative ways of inspiring people to race more and to bring together those most disparate of factions – the new time triallist wanting to use their road bike to race on quiet roads, and the old hands with their fully-loaded TT machine whose bread and butter is the dual carriageway.

Introducing a new handicapped results system, Toone and his colleagues have been able to boost rides and engagement, and offer something for all.

"We've turned it around," he said of time trialling's dwindling fortunes. "It's gone up steadily, not a huge amount, but very clearly, the road bike entries have gone up, and also ladies' rides."

The new system awards prizes based on a rider's performance against their predicted time on time trialling platform Spindata, which is linked with Cycling Time Trials and analyses all performances in open events, proving remarkably insightful and accurate.

"It doesn't matter you can be 12, you can be 80, you've got just as much chance of winning the top prize, because it's, have you beaten your Spindata prediction," says Toone.

Like the rest of UK time trialling, N&DCA has also seen the benefit of the introduction of the new road bike time trial class, launched by CTT back in 2022, around the same time as N&DCA was being saved after Daniells's untimely death. There was some consternation around the new class at the outset and how easy the rules would be to manage, but Toone's view was: "The start timekeeper's assistant can see if it's a road bike or not. No need to worry about measuring depth of rims or this and that. 'Is it a road bike?'. [That's sufficient] for our level of competition."

That said Toone himself has first-hand experience of some of road bike time trialling's teething issues – he was the organiser of the National Championships in 2024 that saw complaints made against the set-up of Midlands rider George Fox, who was only crowned the winner after seven weeks of investigations and an appearance in front of a CTT panel.

But Toone's own experiences riding the bike leg of relay triathlons with his daughter have taught him that competition appeals to so many riders – they just need it to be accessible.

"You see people doing the triathlons, and some are on aero TT bikes with disc wheels and everything, but a lot are on road bikes and quite a lot are just on mountain bikes, and they're really enjoying it," Toone says. "So there's a lot of people out there that like a bit of competition, but don't want to go the whole hog… and just ride on what they've got. And what they've got is usually a road bike."

Other initiatives put in place in recent years include online racing on Training Peaks, which is being extended from just winter to winter and spring, with groups according to ability levels and separate results for all. Part of this particular plan is to encourage and enable younger riders from N&DCA's own 'Cyclones' group and beyond to discover bike racing.

But there is one issue with which organisers from time trialling and road racing alike continue to struggle with – volunteers.

"It's the only thing that causes any sort of stress for an organiser," Toone says. "As far as I'm concerned, when I'm organising, the village hall, not a problem; road conditions, checks, risk assessments, they can be done. But if I don't have enough marshals or my timekeeper's pulled out… that's the thing that causes the stress."

Toone wholeheartedly recommends the Spindata handicap prize system to other clubs and DAs out there who might be struggling, as well as season-long road competitions to keep things accessible and people engaged. It has worked for N&DCA, and anyone in need of a bit of help and advice could certainly do worse than giving them a call.

The Cannondale SuperSlice has always lived in the shadow of more established time trial bike icons such as the Specialized Shiv, Pinarello Bolide, and even the Giant Trinity. This even appears to be the case on the local UK time trial scene, where spotting a SuperSlice has become a feat in its own right - they're as scarce as hen's teeth.

The Cannondale SuperSlice Disc was originally launched in 2017, replacing the rim-brake-only Slice model. Initially available in both disc- and rim-brake versions (the latter was pro team-only), it was updated again in 2021 as a second-generation model. Adopting an aesthetic more akin to the SystemSix, it wasn't readily available in the UK, with limited quantities assigned to Europe and the United States.

Increased pressure to perform at WorldTour level and radical advances in aerodynamics quickly rendered the outgoing model obsolete, forcing Cannondale to deliver a super-fast, lightweight time-trial chassis for both EF Pro Cycling squads. After all, 2026 is a massive year for time trials, what with a TTT pegged for the opening stage of the Tour de France and an individual time trial for the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift.

We spotted what looked to be the new SuperSlice being raced by EF Education-EasyPost at Trofeo Ses Salines last month, and while details were thin on the ground, we've finally got the skinny on the new bike.

Here's everything we know about Cannondale's fastest time trial bike to date.

A seamless integrated chassis

For Cannondale, the new SuperSlice was as much about maintaining the steering geometry as it was about futureproofing the chassis. As a result, the bike is said to offer more control in the TT position thanks to an improved, highly adjustable cockpit layout. It also has clearances for up to 32mm tyres, and gets a UDH rear dropout and BSA threaded bottom bracket.

"Our racing bikes are focused on speed, so it was a case of how do we make the new SuperSlice and rider as fast as possible," said Cannondale Senior Design Engineer, Dr. Nathan Barry.

And that means a lot of CFD modelling and wind tunnel testing, looking at which tubes and shapes work best for the entire system - rider and bike included. As such, the new SuperSlice looks radically different from the model it replaces, with sculptural, deep-section tube shapes, a reprofiled, narrower head tube (thanks to the Delta Steerer), a chunkier fork, and a more optimised rear end and seat tube cutout.

The integrated deep-section airfoil seatpost retains the same dimensions as the seat tube, improving compliance and aerodynamics. The seat clamp allows 45mm of fore-aft movement, offering a wide range of fit options that correspond to nominal effective seat tube angles of 74 to 77 degrees.

Longtime fans of the platform will be happy to know that the iconic SuperSlice pizza graphic is present on the underside of the downtube. Yes, it's wearing a cape!

The result of all these changes has been a 10w yaw-weighted drag reduction at 50km/h over its predecessor, which is fairly significant given that the total system weight of a size medium EF team-issue bike is around 9kg (with 68T chainring, 90mm front wheel, and solid rear disc).

According to Cannondale, "weight savings achieved in the basebar successfully offset any gains in the fork, netting a bike that is significantly faster with the same mass."

As a result, depending on how you spec the build, a sub-9kg time-trial bike will be easily achievable.

The bike will not accommodate any aftermarket basebar systems, and extension compatibility is limited to parts designed for the Vision/FSA single-stack, mono-link TFA Evo configurations. Cannondale says, "The intention of the Vision MonoRiser JS bend carbon extensions is to allow riders to dial in positions with the adjustable sliding extensions, before settling in on the fixed dimension one-piece setup."

Regarding chainring sizing, the new SuperSlice can be run as either a 2x (60/46T max) or a 1x (64T max) setup. While Cannondale says it might be physically possible to run larger rings, it's not recommended, and that damage from oversized chainrings will not be covered by warranty.

Contrary to previous iterations, the SuperSlice is not just focused on out-and-out time-trial performance, but can also be set up for triathlons. As a result, it's compatible with Vision hydration systems.

The frame is only available in black, but the contrasting Cannondale wordmark logos and Lab71 nomenclature make for a rather stunning-looking package.

The new SuperSlice is compatible with electronic groupsets only.

Pricing and availibilty

While the second-generation SuperSlice was almost impossible to source, let alone purchase here in the UK, Cannondale has made a concerted effort to make it globally accessible for both time triallists and triathletes.

Owing to the Lab71 insignia and Series 0 carbon construction, it's not the most affordable time trial frameset on the market at $6,999 / £6,995 / €6,999 - and, considering riders will need to source a saddle, wheels, and the groupset separately, full builds are likely to cost more than $12,000 / £10,000 / €12,000 in some cases.

The organisers of the Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana decided last minute to neutralise stage two’s individual time trial due to strong winds.

A moderate wind warning was issued in the eastern Spanish region on Thursday, with gusts of up to 80kph.

Prior to the stage start, the race organisers announced finishing times would not count towards the general classification. Riders were also told they had to compete on road bikes, with TT bikes – principally the disc wheels – considered too dangerous for the conditions.

Despite the changes, the organisers confirmed the rider with the fastest time would still be declared the stager winner and receive a podium ceremony. That honour went to Remco Evenepoel (Red Bull-Bora-hansgrohe), who won with an average speed of more than 50kph over the 17km course.

A statement from the race organisers, published on social media, read: “As a result of the safety protocol meeting, comprising the various departments previously communicated, and following a thorough analysis of the situation and the conditions under which the stage will be conducted, the decision has been taken to proceed with the start in accordance with the planned route.

“Nevertheless, it has been agreed that the times will not count towards the general classification. The stage will have a stage winner, and the corresponding podium ceremony will be held in accordance with the established protocol.”

Following a recon of the course between Carlet and Alginet, Movistar’s Cian Uijtdebroeks said he felt it dangerous to start the stage.

“It’s crazy, the course is just unsafe,” Uijtdebroeks said in a video posted to X by Movistar. “Riding with the TT bike is just impossible with the wind gusts, but also just the barriers are flying over the road, so even with the road bike, for me, it’s unsafe. It would be a shame if we start.”

The Lidl-Trek team posted: “We hope everyone stays safe out there in the wind.”

Biniam Girmay (NSN Cycling), the winner of stage one, will continue to lead the race on stage three, regardless of the result of the time trial.

It's just one month into 2026, and the pace race is well and truly underway with Tudor Pro Cycling and EF Education-EasyPost spotted aboard new time trial bikes at Trofeo Ses Salines in Mallorca. Stefan Kung was seen riding what appears to be an all-new BMC Timemachine, while the entire EF Education-EasyPost team was racing on what is unmistakably a new Cannondale SuperSlice in Lab71 guise.

The Cannondale SuperSlice Disc was originally launched in 2017 and updated again in 2021 as a second-generation model, adopting a look more akin to the SystemSix, but with time-trial extensions. The bike wasn't readily available in the UK, with limited quantities assigned to Europe and the United States. While it was in line with best time trial bike design trends, the increased focus on time trials at WorldTour events for 2026 and beyond has forced Cannondale to radically rethink its outlook on time trial bike research and development – after all, time trials are where brands test future technology that will eventually filter down into regular road bikes.

From the pictures, the new SuperSlice's clean-slate design signals a clear new direction for the American company. Based on the Lab71 nomenclature, we can assume the new frame architecture is made of Series 0 carbon fibre, which means it should be lighter than the model it replaces. The tube shapes are very sculptural, with a notably deep, reprofiled head tube, a chunkier fork, and a more optimised rear end and seat tube cutout. The bikes are all painted black, with contrasting white Cannondale wordmark logos on the downtubes.

The most notable change is the move to a newer mono-stack basebar, complete with Vision Metron TFE Evo extensions. The front end looks a lot more aero than before, with integration very much the order of the day. Vision also handles the wheels, which take the form of a Metron TFW disc and front system. As reported in our fifth-generation SuperSix Evo story from the Tour Down Under, EF Education-EasyPost is using SRAM-supplied groupsets. As a result, the new SuperSlice Lab71s are equipped with SRAM Red AXS componentry.

While we can't confirm whether the new SuperSlice will use the Delta Steerer (a triangular-shaped steerer tube designed to route internal cables without the need for an oversized 1.5-inch upper headset bearing), given the complex front-end plumbing of time trial bikes, we do expect it to be implemented, along with wider tyre clearance and a UDH dropout assembly.

We'll update this new story with all the facts and numbers once the bike is officially launched.

Time trial riders will now be able to use their old TT frames in UK road bike events, following the reversal of a decision made a year ago to ban them at what was a tumultuous Cycling Time Trials (CTT) AGM.

The sport's UK governing body had ruled that road bike time triallists could not use frames that had been marketed for time trialling.

However, that motion was reversed at the weekend, in a proposal put forward by CTT's own Regulations Advisory Group (RAG). Riders might wish to use their old time trial frames to create a bike for road bike time trials, it was thought, and outlawing such a practice would only make time trialling less accessible – something CTT has fought hard against over the past few years.

RAG also proposed that the aerodynamics and "perceived aesthetics" between a time trial frame and a modern aero road bike was "negligible".

A proposal to reduce the maximum rim depth in road bike time trials to 65mm did not pass, with the current 90mm maximum remaining in place for both front and back wheels.

The AGM saw the resignation of former chair Andrea Parish following the election of Tim Smith as new chair, while two other CTT directors, Martyn Heritage-Owen and Robin Field also resigned.

Time trial course design is also set to undergo a radical shake-up, with the creation of a two-tier course 'Competition' and 'Racing' system design to open up new possibilities and combat course loss – a major bugbear for modern time trialling often caused by road development that renders courses unraceable.

Under the new system, organisers will have far more leeway when it comes to designing 'Racing' courses, with the finish line allowed to be up to 50% of the total race distance away from the start, instead of between 1.5-2.5 miles on any course up to 50 miles.

CTT's Mark Bradley, who helped design the new regulations as part of the RAG, told Cycling Weekly in a statement: "I’m pleased that we’ve been able to formalise a way to relax the rules around course creation, in addition to the existing ability to request a dispensation. Hopefully it will encourage more innovative course creation around the country, and enable an uptick in the number of possible events."

Time trialling courses in the UK could be getting a makeover as the sport's governing body, Cycling Time Trials, seeks to introduce new measures to push it forward.

If a new proposal is voted through at the CTT annual meeting at the end of the month, all UK time trialling would fall under one of two brand new course types – 'Competition' and 'Racing'. The latter would enjoy relaxed course-design rules that would enable organisers to find design new courses with far more ease.

The proposal, which comes straight from CTT's Board of Directors as opposed to one of its regional districts, is designed to combat a significant time trialling bugbear – course loss.

Road and residential development means that courses are constantly being lost because of infrastructure such as traffic lights, which instantly renders a road unraceable.

The current course regulations are tight, making it difficult to design new or replacement courses. They specify that the finish must be relatively close to the start – within 1.5 miles of the start on courses of 10-15 miles for example, and 2.5 miles of the start on courses of 25-50 miles.

Under the proposed set-up, 'Racing' courses could place their finishes up to 50% of the total distance away from the start (for example, a 25-mile race could see the finish placed 12.5 miles away from the start) giving course designers far more leeway. However, only 'Competition' courses, which would retain the current design restrictions, would be eligible for competition records and championships. 'Racing' courses would have their own course records but nothing more.

Mark Bradley is part of the CTT's Regulations Advisory Group (RAG), which designed the new course design regs. He spent time speaking to every CTT District to find out what issues they had with courses, which turned out, he said, to be "wide ranging".

"From personal experience, I also know that my own club event came under threat," he told Cycling Weekly. "By the time you avoid all the limiting factors like traffic lights and housing developments and pedestrian crossings, it's really hard to come up with something that works, so I thought anything that we can do to reduce the limitations on that can only help.

"I guess the proof will be the pudding," he added.

There would be no upper limit on the 50% rule, Bradley told CW, but it would be up to organisers to decide whether – for example – having the finish line 50 miles away from the start would benefit their event, or be to the detriment of it.

The issue of course loss, he said, varied greatly between different areas: "It's probably a disproportionate problem. The more rural areas probably have fewer limitations, but one district that's densely populated came back and said, anecdotally, they've lost about three-quarters of their courses over the last 20 years."

The new course design regulations are not the only thing set to be voted on at the CTT's AGM this month. Also up for debate is a proposal to reverse a ruling last year specifying that only bike frames marketed specifically for road (not time trial) use can be used in road bike time trials, and a proposal to reduce the maximum rim depth of front and rear wheels from 90mm to 65mm – also for road bike time trials.

The governing body for time trialling in the UK has spelled out in the most explicit terms yet just how important embracing road bikes has been for the sport.

Time trialling had been facing "catastrophic collapse" when the strategy was launched back in 2022, Cycling Time Trials (CTT) wrote in its newly released annual report.

The report detailed the continuing success of road bikes within UK time trialling, with 76% of newcomers to the sport opting to use their standard bike rather than buy a TT-specific lo-pro machine. That figure was even higher among women at 83.7%.

"I'm absolutely delighted with it," CTT chair Andrea Parish said of the success of the road bike strategy. "There's been a big team effort on it, and it's giving riders what they want."

The organisation rolled out its new road bike class in April 2023, which saw a default category for drop bar machines attached to every event. It made time trialling immediately more accessible and appealing to a wide range of riders. Now, by CTT's own reckoning, the idea saved the sport.

The report said: "Put simply, the Road Bike category has almost completely offset what would otherwise have been a catastrophic collapse in the sport."

Explained Parish: "Where we were in 2022 we were looking at a post-Covid world that was not good. If we hadn't done what we did with road bikes, we'd be looking at, you know, 20,000 rides, we'd have been so down. It was looking fairly grim."

The figures show, perhaps unsurprisingly, that younger riders are more likely to ride road bikes, and older age groups time trial bikes. For example, 59.3% of those aged 18-30 use road bikes, and only 28% of those in the 50-60 years bracket.

However, while road bikes continue to be an unqualified success story in UK time trialling, overall number of time trial rides continued to fall year on year, as did overall number of open events. There was also a lower number of clubs affiliating with CTT, with less money coming in as a result.

Open events are those that are open to all as opposed to club events which are broadly restricted to those within that club. The number of these had actually risen in 2025, Parish revealed, although those figures were not available at the time of writing.

There was work to be done, said Parish, who plans to take a 'ground-up' approach to addressing falling numbers.

"Where I would like to really push the growth is in club events," she told CW. "Because you can either enter club events and that's all you do. But that's also where people are 'found'. You think about Hayley [Simmonds]. She started off doing club events. People can graduate from that."

She added: "I would be very happy if the number of open events stabilised and we simply had more clubs who were interested in running club events, because for me, that's the entry point. That's where the real base is. I think if you can grow that, it strikes me that the rest might just follow."

The report also paid homage to off-road and gravel time trials, explaining that while they were already sanctioned by CTT, the organisation was currently finalising an off-road toolkit for clubs who wished to promote them.

The report said this would mean "every club can confidently stage them under the CTT banner. With gravel and off-road cycling booming nationally, this is a readymade, low-cost, high-appeal avenue for clubs to attract new members and riders who may never consider traditional road time trialling."

This year put time trialling in the UK on a firm footing, Parish said, laying the groundwork for community engagement and reconnecting with clubs – "the bells and whistles" – that she envisaged for 2026.

Dusk is setting in when I connect with Zoe Bäckstedt over video call. She is in Belgium, where it’s early evening and turning gloomy outside; she sits down to talk to me under bright artificial light. Fresh from the photoshoot for this piece, she has a Red Bull cap pulled tight over her blonde waves, and gives off a sparky energy as we begin chatting. Just out of shot, her wrist is in plaster – a training crash at the end of October left her with two small fractures, delaying the start of her cyclo-cross season.

Until this very recent spot of bad luck, 2025 had been a year of interdisciplinary dominance for the young Welshwoman. From a double victory at January’s UCI Cyclo-cross World Championships, rainbow jerseys collected in the mixed team relay and the under-23 race, she went on to rule supreme in time trials, winning five out of the six she competed in, and earning a national and under-23 world title. “If I look back [to last year], compared to where I ended the road season [this year], it’s a day-and-night difference,” she says. “I had a lot of wins this year, which I didn’t expect. I didn’t expect to win a road race – that was probably one of the big things, and also to win Nationals… Everything just fell into a good place.”

Her first big victory on the road came in July at the Baloise Ladies Tour, a six-stage race that weaves through Belgium and the Netherlands. Riding for Canyon-SRAM zondacrypto, Bäckstedt won the overall and three of the stages, including the 3.1km opening prologue. “It was very interesting. You do a half-hour warm-up for three and a half minutes of racing,” she recalls. Aged just 20 at the time, she became the youngest winner in the race’s 13-year history.

Bäckstedt’s crowning achievement came in September, in her final race of the season and one of her biggest goals: the under-23 time trial at the UCI World Championships in Rwanda. “Before the race, before I even got into my kit, I went into the start area and watched the first rider go off,” she remembers of the morning in Kigali. “I was like, ‘OK, I need to take in all of the drums and the music and the lights.’” Bäckstedt wasn’t due at the start ramp for another hour and a quarter, but wanted to be there, soaking it all in.

When her moment finally came, amid the noise and the rumble of drums, she dropped onto the course, a 22.6km blast she had divided into chunks in her mind. She makes it sound like a piece of cake: after the climb, the Côte de Nyanza, came a “really, really, really long downhill, a cobbled climb, and then you were done”. The homework paid off. Before even the halfway mark, she caught and passed Czechia’s Julia Kopecký, who had started 1.30 earlier. Her next victim was Marie Schreiber of Luxembourg, who had had a three-minute head start and was tagged with a kilometre to go. So commanding was Bäckstedt’s ride that the next-best rider, Slovakia’s Viktória Chladoňová, was nearly two minutes astray.

Bäckstedt has competed with the elites on the WorldTour since graduating from the junior ranks in 2023, meaning fans won’t see her in her under-23 rainbow jersey next year Instead, she’ll wear the red, white and blue of the British bands, the spoils of a National Championships TT title claimed on home soil in Wales. “My whole family came up and we were all super excited,” she says. “The time trial course was absolutely savage. It was super hard, that climb.” Bäckstedt recalls her radio was buzzing with time gaps from her coach; she was up on the defending champion, Anna Henderson, but the climbing wasn’t done. “I think she’s a bit better at climbing than I am, so I knew that I was possibly going to lose time there. I just had to give it everything.” Twenty seconds separated the two at the finish, the rider from Pontyclun winning gold ahead of Henderson.

Before the Worlds junior TT in 2022, Bäckstedt recorded her entire recon with a GoPro, dictating notes on the course to study later. Is it this stringent preparation that makes her such a fine time triallist? Or is it physical, her huge power and ability to hold an aero position while at full pelt? “In a weird way, I think it has a connection to cyclo-cross,” Bäckstedt says, “which is also a very individual effort, you versus your body – how hard can you push, how deep you can go. I have that power that I can unlock when I’m on a time trial bike.”

Being a multi-discipline rider comes with its challenges, too. “When you’re just riding the road bike, it’s easy to forget how to ride in sand and how to do full-gas starts for 20 seconds. They’re such different disciplines.” It’s talking about cyclo-cross, the mud, pain and thrill of off-road riding, that brings the biggest smile to Bäckstedt’s face.

“Everyone thinks we must be a crazy bunch of people to enjoy racing in 2°C in the rain, when all the road riders are in the sun or on holiday. But that’s part of what I love about it, being in nature, among the trees.” She pauses, as if remembering her equal fondness for the road. “In the summer, I always say, ‘Oh, I love the road, but I miss cyclo-cross.’ And in the winter, I always say the opposite . As long as I’m on a bike, I’m happy.”

When cycling is your full-time job, it’s vital to enjoy it – something Bäckstedt’s parents instilled in their two daughters, Zoe and her older sister, Elynor, who rides for UAE Team ADQ. “I’ve had a bike since I could crawl,” Zoe tells me. “My parents gave me and my sister bikes, and if we wanted to ride them, that was up to us.” The two girls’ Paris-Roubaix-winning father, Magnus, and 1998 British road champion mother, Meg, would take them to the outskirts of Cardiff on weeknights to ride with Maindy Flyers, the legendary club that shaped the early careers of Geraint Thomas and Elinor Barker. Zoe’s memory of her first race is lost among a childhood full of social rides, hill sprints and circuit races. Lining up at the start of a race felt as natural as a long training ride with the family.

In 2021, aged 17, Bäckstedt won her first road world title in the junior women’s race in Belgium. She went on to claim a momentous double the following year, winning both the road race and time trial titles. In doing so, she earned her first Cycling Weekly Rider of the Year crown, the youngest rider to ever win this magazine’s biggest honour. It’s credit to her meticulous approach, and her love of cycling, that she remains at the top of British racing. “I’m happy with the season I’ve had,” she says at the tail end of another golden year, “not necessarily just the results, but the progress that I’ve made both as a person and a rider.”

From riding her lap “so full gas that you’re gasping for air” in the mixed relay at Cyclo-cross Worlds, to winning alongside her team-mates at Baloise, the thrill she gets from riding – in whatever form it takes, and getting to share it – continues to shine from Bäckstedt. At just 21 years old, she has nine rainbow jerseys, split across disciplines and age categories. And as soon as her wrist has healed there will, no doubt, be more to come.

HONOURABLE MENTIONS

Anna Henderson

The Olympic time trial silver medallist secured her first Grand Tour stage win and a stint in the pink jersey at the Giro d’Italia, and closed her year with victory at China’s Tour of Guangxi. “It’s really nice to finish the season like this,” she said after the race. “My first year with Lidl-Trek ending in a win – it’s been really good.”

Cat Ferguson

In her first full year as a pro, the Movistar rider earned a maiden WorldTour win at the Tour of Britain in June, finishing second overall. She also scored a podium at the Trofeo Alfredo Binda, a string of top-10s, and was part of the victorious GB mixed relay team at the UCI Cyclo-cross World Championships in January.

Anna Morris

Morris successfully defended her individual pursuit crown at October’s UCI Track World Championships in Chile, having earned national and European titles in the event earlier in the year. On the road, she shone in the UK’s crit scene, winning four rounds of the National Circuit Series.

Katie Archibald

Archibald’s year was a testament to her longevity and grit. The 31-year-old track rider opened her season with her first national title in six years – dominating the points race on the final day – and ended it with gold in the Madison alongside Maddie Leech at the UCI Track World Championships. She also took home silver in the elimination race.

Northern hemisphere time triallists are an elusive species in winter time. With little competition available, they can be most often found tucked away in cosy pubs or at home working on extensive Christmas lists designed to improve their CdA.

The time trial bike might get an outing, decked out with tinsel, on the Boxing Day '10', but other than that is liable to languish in the shed for several months as its owner grows ever more itchy to pin on a number once again.

However, race-starved testers now have winter options. UK TT governing body Cycling Time Trials has launched the second iteration of its Winter Time Trial Series on Zwift, and the number of riders taking part so far suggest that there are plenty out there already missing competition.

"It's had an amazing response, with over 1,100 rides over the first week [across two events]," CTT chair Andrea Parish told Cycling Weekly.

"The objective is outreach into the wider cycling online community to reach cyclists who've not ridden CTT time trials – also, it's great fun," she added.

"Building an online, supportive community is a fantastic way to evangelise for the sport while providing a competitive outlet. It's keeping CTT front and centre during winter too, and anecdotally, from others, I fully expect to see riders transition to our real-life events next season," she said.

"I see this as an important part of CTT and pretty forward-looking. It's more investing in the future rather than immediate revenue"

Parish also said the CTT Zwift Club had amassed more than 1,200 members and the Discord and club chats had proved extremely popular.

The series is being run by elite time triallist Hayley Simmonds, who also ran it last year and is joined this time round by Ali McLean and Phil Gilbanks.

"Hayley, Ali and Phil are super-committed and are volunteers in this," Parish points out.

The series should offer enough racing for even the most eager online time triallist, with two races weekly all the way through to the end of February. There is a break of nearly three weeks between December 20 and January 7 – enough time to fully digest the turkey and play with your Christmas presents, and perhaps don a Santa hat for that Boxing Day 10.

It features a variety of courses on all kinds of terrains, from the flat, 10.3-mile London Classique to the super-hilly Everything Bagel in New York, which measures 21.7 miles and promises to be a tough call.

Events are held at 7pm GMT on Wednesday evenings, and are repeated at 9am on the Saturday.

All riders are welcome, and you can dip in and out of the series as you wish. However, there is the option of competing for an overall series placing, you'll need to race in seven of the 14 weeks, and include four flat rounds, two rolling and one mountainous.

Elsewhere Parish was keen to highlight the performance of the CTT website, which had been revamped at the beginning of this year and had so far seen 5.2 million views, against 1.1 million total last year.

It was dark when Henry Furniss set out for Regent’s Park, London, on Thursday morning. His nose was already streaming - a cold he’d picked up the day before, destined to make the next 24 hours even tougher than they were supposed to be.

Soon he fitted into a steady pace, slotting in with his friend Massimo Saetta behind a group of his Q36.5 CBRE team, their navy-blue kit flashing through London’s mid-morning buzz (after coffee and cake at the Pinarello store).

The challenge was inspired by an earlier one: last year, Tim Allen and friends had taken on the Regent's Park time trial, only to be caught in torrential rain, and, unable to maintain a steady core body temperature, two riders had to drop out with hypothermia. Luckily, Furniss and co. had the weather on their side. They’d worked out that they needed to keep a steady(ish) pace of around 19mph to reach their goal of 450 miles in the set time, but they didn’t account for one thing: art fans.

Traffic lights stalled their progress, and hoards of Frieze Art Fair goers clogged the route, with parts of the park intermittently cordoned off. But for Furniss, it wasn’t too much of a problem. “It was all quite interesting people watching,” he said. “We got to know the people at the crossings.”

“The day was kind of book ended by two amazing people,” Furniss said. “There was a 14-year old standing on the side of the road saying, is this the 24 hour time trial? Can I join you? Which I thought was so brave.

“And then right at the end, the brother of a guy that I know quite well rocked up. He’d ridden down from North London for about an hour - he was 81.”

And in the middle of the ride, he was joined by two off-duty police officers. They held the front for hours, maintaining a steady speed Saetta and Furniss could settle into behind. One of the officers returned the next day and was soon joined by his colleague - complete with squad car - who opened up a section of the park for the team to whip round once on their 24-hour ride.

“I love that about cycling - it's such a leveller. We all have this thing in common that we all love, regardless of our age or background,” Furniss said.

The ride was raising money for two charities: the Laureus Sport for Good who work with underprivileged school children to get them into sports, and for the Alzheimer’s Society. Both are close to Furniss’ heart, but after his dad, received a diagnosis of vascular dementia six years ago, the latter has entered his life more acutely.

He explained: “One of the things that I've learned about dementia, which none of us learn until you know someone really close to you, that's got it, is that only 5% of Alzheimer's cases have been proven to be hereditary. You know, selfishly, you're like, Oh my God, my dad's got dementia, his father had it, his uncle had it - I'm gonna get it. You selfishly think that way.

"Then you start looking into it, and you start looking into lifestyle, and how profound the effect of lifestyle is on your likelihood to get it at all. Depending on lifestyle, the variance is about 30 years if you have a terrible lifestyle versus if your lifestyle is really good."

“Stay hydrated,” he advises on his JustGiving page. “Eat clean. Prioritise sleep. Move your body - really move it. Suck at something new. Ditch the alcohol (yes, any amount is too much). Floss!”

“It’s funny, when I tell people about the flossing thing, they all run straight down to Boots,” Furniss smiled. The science backs it up, with a recent study suggesting that gum disease and mouth infections could lead to the development of Alzheimer’s, though more consistent research suggests that a healthy diet, sustained exercise and hobbies that stretch the brain (like dance or music) can also help maintain general health for longer.

Furniss, Saetta and their Q36.5 CBRE teammates - plus everyone who came to cycle with them - finished their team time trial in 24 hours and seven minutes, at an average pace of 19.2 miles per hour ("it's been pretty flipping tough, I have to say!"). They have so far raised almost 50% of their £10,000 donation aim, in support of the Alzheimer's Society, and will be keeping their JustGiving page open for more donations.

According to the Alzheimer's Society, dementia is the UK's biggest killer, affecting one in three people.

Team Bottrill continued to exert their dominance of the time trial scene with multiple victories across this year's British Best All-Rounder (BBAR) time trial competitions, including a hard-fought last minute victory in the short-distance class.

The Bottrill team's 12-hour champion Jake Sargent took his first win in the men's traditional 'BBAR' – which sees riders compete over 50, 100 and 12 hours – as well as taking third in the short-distance contest over 10, 25, 50 and 100 miles.

The men's short-distance was won by Thomas Lee, also of Team Bottrill, who secured the title only last weekend with a 17:58 10-mile time trial at the Sotonia Falling Leaves event.

His had been a hard-fought battle with runner-up James Jenkins (Hart Performance Coaching), who finished less than 0.2mph behind Lee's impressive 31.536mph on average speed.

The Bottrill bunch extended their success across the women's contests, with the UK's national closed circuit champion Emily Martin proving her versatility with a win in the short-distance BBAR.

But Team Bottrill didn't get things all their own way, with Drag2Zero's Naomi de Pennington defending her title in the women's trad distance event. She was closely pursued by Team Bottrill's 2023 winner Kim Barfoot-Brace though, who finished runner-up.

Naturally, there was also a road bike category for those brave enough to attempt 12-hour and 100-mile time trials on drop bars.

In the traditional distance road bike class, Stephen Clark of Sherwood CC was the winner, and indeed the only rider to qualify across open or female categories.

The short-distance road bikes had a few more takers, with Ipswich BC's Joseph Shaw heading home seven qualifiers in the open class, and the female category won by Sien van der Plank for the third year in a row.

This is the third season in which the British Best All-Rounder competition has had a separate road bike class with short and traditional distances open to both female and open-category riders.

Qualification is simple: competitors must compete across time trials of the requisite distances (and in the case of the traditional distance, a 12-hour too), and the highest average speed wins.

It was introduced at the end of 2022 as part of a number of measures voted through at the AGM to help modernise Cycling Time Trials. While the long distance time trialling of the BBAR does not lend itself to drop-bar riding, the introduction of a road bike category has overall proved a shot in the arm for the governing body, with recent figures showing a rise of more than 300% over the past few years in numbers of those racing time trials on road bikes.

Results: British Best All-Rounder competition 2025

Time trial bikes

Open category
Traditional distance (50mi, 100mi, 12 hours)
1. Jake Sargent (Team Bottrill)
2. Benjamin Williams (Team Bottrill)
3. Anthony Jones (VMCC powered by Y Beic)

Short-distance (10mi, 25mi, 50mi, 100mi)
1. Thomas Lee (Team Bottrill)
2. James Jenkins (Hart Performance Coaching)
3. Jake Sargent (Team Bottrill)

Female category
Traditional distance
1. Naomi de Pennington (Drag2Zero)
2. Kim Barfoot-Brace (Team Bottrill)
3. Chris Murray (Army Cycling)

Short-distance
1. Emily Martin (Team Bottrill)
2. Hayley Wells (Wrekinsport CC)
3. Kim Barfoot-Brace (Team Bottrill)

Road bikes

Open category
Traditional distance (50mi, 100mi, 12 hours)
1. Stephen Clark (Sherwood CC)

Short-distance (10mi, 25mi, 50mi, 100mi)
1. Joseph Shaw (Ipswich BC)
2. Lee Ridden (Reifen Racing)
3. Mark Fenn (Shropshire CAA)

Female category
Traditional distance
[no qualifiers]

Short-distance
1. Sien van der Plank (New Forest CC)
2. Sharon Langton (Liverpool Century RC)

Zoe Bäckstedt thundered to her first under-23 road world title on Monday, winning the time trial at the UCI Road World Championships in Rwanda.

The Brit, a three-time junior road world champion, won by 1:50 ahead of Slovakia's Viktória Chladoňová, averaging 43.8kph over the 22.6km course.

So dominant was Bäckstedt's effort, that she caught and passed two riders on her way to victory: Julia Kopecký (Czech Republic), who started 1:30 ahead of her, and Marie Schreiber (Luxembourg), who had a 3:00 head start.

Beyond the finish line, the 20-year-old fell in a heap on the floor, empty after the course's final cobbled climb. She has now won her last five races against the clock, and nine rainbow jerseys, split across road, track and cyclo-cross disciplines.

"I was of course nervous before the start. I think that's natural in one of these championship events," Bäckstedt said afterwards.

Those nerves began to subside when, before even the halfway mark, she overtook Kopecký, a fellow WorldTour-level rider.

At the first time check, the Brit posted the fastest time by 16 seconds. She then grew her lead to 34 seconds by the second, which fell between the course's two climbs.

"Those two climbs that we had to do just zapped your legs completely," Bäckstedt said. "I have to say, it was quite fun on that downhill going super quick. I’m looking forward to seeing what my maximum speed was in that one.

"Hearing that I was up at the first time check, only by 16 seconds, I thought, 'Ok it's possible to lose that on the last climb.' But I just kept pushing as hard as I could on the section in between."

Waiting in the hot seat for Bäckstedt's arrival, Chladoňová had drawn out her lead on the closing climb: the Côte de Kimihurura (1.3km at 6.3%). The Brit, too, ploughed into the cobbles, passing Schreiber with 1km to go, and charging in victory to the line.

Having decided not to take part in the under-23 road race, Bäckstedt will now leave Rwanda with a rainbow jersey. In fact, this year's Road World Championships mark the third of the 20-year-old's career, at each of which she has won at least one title: the junior road race in 2021, and the junior road race and time trial in 2022.

"It means a lot," Bäckstedt said of her latest exploit. "Hopefully next time I can try out for the elites."

The bronze medal was won by Italy's Federica Venturelli.

Results

Women's under-23 individual time trial, Kigali > Kigali (22.6km)

1. Zoe Bäckstedt (Great Britain) in 30:56
2. Viktória Chladoňová (Slovakia), +1:50
3. Federica Venturelli (Italy), +2:11
4. Felicity Wilson-Haffenden (Australia), +2:21
5. Alena Ivanchencko (Individual Neutral Athlete), +2:22
6. Millie Couzens (Great Britain), +2:37
7. Justyna Czapla (Germany), +2:47
8. Alli Anderson (Australia), +2:53
9. Tabea Huys (Austria), +2:59
10. Ava Holmgreen (Canada), +3:05

After Marlen Reusser (Switzerland) and Remco Evenepoel (Belgium) were crowned world champions in the elite categories on Sunday, the 2025 UCI Road World Championships continue on Monday with the under-23 individual time trials.

The women's event begins first, at 9:50 (BST), and is set on a 22.6km route with 350m elevation. The course counts two climbs: the Côte de Nyanza (2.5km at 5.8%) and the cobbled Côte de Kimihurura (1.3km at 6.3%) which leads up towards the finish line.

The men's event starts later in the afternoon, at 12:50 (BST). Its course is exactly the same as women's elite time trial on Sunday, stretching out 31.2km on a loop south of Kigali. The riders will climb 460m in total, over three climbs: the Côte de Nyanza, which is ascended from both sides, and the Côte de Kimihurura.

One rider to look out for on the women's under-23 start list is Great Britain's Zoe Bäckstedt, a three-time junior world champion, who will roll down the ramp last, at 11:05 (BST). Speaking ahead of the race, the 20-year-old said she is going to "give it 200% to try and go for that gold medal".

In the men's event, the last rider to start will be Sweden's Jakob Söderqvist, who finished runner-up to Spaniard Iván Romeo last year, and will ride for Lidl-Trek in 2026.

There are no defending champions in Monday's under-23 time trials in Rwanda, as Romeo and Antonia Niedermaier, last year's women's title winner, both stepped up to the elite category.

Other Brits competing on Monday include the national road champion Millie Couzens, who will begin her effort at 10:41 (BST), and Callum Thornley, the only Brit in the under-23 men's event, starting at 14:34 (BST).

Below are all the start times for all 110 riders competing across the women's and men's under-23 time trials, listed in British Summer Time. The local time in Kigali (Central African Time) is one hour ahead. All the riders will set off at 1:30 intervals.

Women's start list

Men's start list

The men's elite individual time trial is the second event of this year's UCI Road World Championships in Kigali, Rwanda, following on from women's event on Sunday.

The course takes the riders on a 40.6km out-and-back route, starting at Kigali's BK Arena and returning to finish at the city's Convention Centre.

It will be the hilliest Worlds time trial since Bergen in 2017, with a total elevation of 680m, gained over four climbs: the Côte de Nyanza (tackled from both sides – firstly 2.5km at 5.8%, and then 4.1km at 3.1%), the Côte de Peage (2km at 6%), and finally the Côte de Kimihurura (1.3km at 6.3%), which is cobbled and leads the riders to a closing kicker at the finish line.

The event begins at 12:45 (BST) with local Rwandan rider Shemu Nsengiyumva the first to roll down the ramp. The last rider to begin his effort will be the defending champion Remco Evenepoel (Belgium) at 15:00.

Evenepoel, who also won gold at the Olympics last summer, is one of two clear favourites for the title in Kigali, alongside Tadej Pogačar (Slovenia). The four-time Tour de France winner will be the penultimate rider to start, doing so at 14:57:30. Also among the contenders are Luke Plapp (Australia) at 14:12, his compatriot Jay Vine at 14:50, and Stefan Küng (Switzerland) at 14:55.

There are three reigning world champions on the start list: Evenepoel, who is targeting three in a row, last year's under-23 champion Iván Romeo (Spain), and Paul Seixas (France), the winner of the junior time trial in Zurich, and the youngest rider taking part on Sunday, still only 18 years old.

Below are all the start times for the 55 riders competing in the men's elite time trial, listed in British Summer Time. The local time in Kigali (Central African Time) is one hour ahead. All the riders will set off at 2:30 intervals.

Make sure you have read our guide on how to watch the Worlds.

The elite time trials at the UCI Road World Championships 2025 in Rwanda take place on the opening Sunday - 21 September - with the women's race occurring first, followed by the men's.

Both start at the BK Arena, mostly used for basketball and volleyball, but this time, cycling.

The races are, euphemistically, sporting courses. This is not a pure time trial specialist’s course, not one for Filippo Ganna or Ellen van Dijk to blast everyone away on, with 460 metres of climbing across 31.2km for the women, and 680 metres in 40.6km for the men.

Unusually for a time trial, the route also includes a cobbled section. The women’s race includes ascents of the Côte de Nyanza from both sides, first from the north, 2.5km at 5.8%, before 4.1km at 3.1%. There is then a long, reasonably straight, descent towards the cobbles, which come before the Côte de Kimihurura, 1.3km at 6.1%, before a finish at the Kigali Convention Centre.

Britain’s Anna Henderson will surely be in contention, alongside the favourites, Demi Vollering (Netherlands) and Chloé Dygert (USA). 2024’s defending champion, Grace Brown (Australia), is now retired.

The men’s race is 9km longer than the women’s race, thanks to a longer return from the Nyanza climb, and then a further climb is tackle, the Côte de Péage, 2km at 6%, before the cobbles and Kimihurura, meaning there will be more opportunities for time gaps to be made towards the end.

It will be the hilliest time trial since Bergen in 2017, when the race finished up a proper climb, but with ups and downs throughout this year’s race, it is one for a time triallist who has a punch, like Tadej Pogačar (Slovenia) or defending champion Remco Evenepoel (Belgium).

The individual time trials are followed by the mixed relay team time trial in midweek, which takes place on a similar loop.

The junior men's and women's and under-23 men race against the clock midweek too.

Make sure you have read our guide on how to watch the Worlds.

Women's individual time trial

31.2km, Sunday 21 September, 9:10am (BST)

Men's individual time trial

40.6km, Sunday 21 September, 12:45pm BST

Mixed relay team time trial

41.8km, Wednesday 24 September, 11:30am BST

The 42.4km mixed relay TTT, raced after all the individual time trials have taken place, occurs on a similar, but not identical course around Kigali, with the Côte de Nyanza only climbed from the north, and the Côte de Kimihurura making an appearance, but not the cobbles. The men go first, riding 21.2km, before the women set off on the same route. The defending champions are Australia.

Junior and U23 time trials

The under-23 women and junior men tackle the same 22.6km course with 350m of climbing. It's a shorter version of the elites, with just one ascent of the Côte de Nyanza, but still includes the cobbles and then the Côte de Kimihurura.

The under-23 men tackle the same course as the elite women, 31.2km with 460m of climbing, while the junior women don't make it to the Nyanza, riding 18.3km with 225m of climbing.

As the Vuelta a España builds towards its finale in Madrid on Sunday, the riders face one last time trial on stage 18.

Thursday's course in Valladolid is 12.2km and flat, cut down from the original 27.2km by the organisers. The decision to shorten the stage was made on Wednesday evening, in a bid to ensure "greater protection" for the riders amid security concerns over ongoing pro-Palestine protests at the race.

According to L'Équipe, the Vuelta organisers have sought extra security measures for the stage, for which 300 officers, in uniform and plain clothes, and 150 security guards are expected be deployed.

As is always the case in stage races, the first rider down the ramp will be the last-placed rider in the general classification, which is Oscar Riesebeek (Alpecin-Deceuninck) at this Vuelta. The Dutchman will start proceedings at 14:35 local time (13:35 UK time)

Race leader Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike) will be the last of 153 riders to begin his effort, doing so at 17:17 (16:17 UK time).

The Dane, a two-time winner of the Tour de France and former runner-up at the Vuelta, goes into the stage with a 50-second advantage over João Almeida (UAE Team Emirates-XRG).

Tom Pidcock (Q36.5 Pro Cycling) currently sits in third overall, almost two-and-a-half minutes adrift of Vingegaard, and with a 36-second buffer to Jai Hindley (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) in fourth.

Time trial specialists to look out for during the day include: Filippo Ganna (Ineos Grenadiers), twice a world champion in the discipline, at 14:51 local time, Rémi Cavagna (Groupama-FDJ) at 15:09, Stefan Küng (Groupama-FDJ) at 16:01, and Bruno Armiral (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale) at 16:49.

The full rider order, with start times in local Spanish time, is listed below.

Scribe launched the Tempus wheelset with some bold claims around aerodynamics, stating its new time trial wheels are the "fastest bike wheels on the planet." The Northern-Irish brand has been making waves in the industry since opening its doors in 2019, offering cyclists impressive wheels at more palatable price points through its direct-to-consumer sales model. Having catered to most of the cycling demographic with myriad options spanning the best road bike wheels segment, Scribe has leaped into the triathlon and time trial space with Tempus wheels in 2025 and finds itself going head-to-head against some very established rivals.

As a cyclist who spends a lot of time on my time trial bike, I naturally take my equipment very seriously and am always looking at ways to shave off time and go faster over the 10- and 25-mile distances. Of the many ways to go faster, I've found that wheel and tyre choice can account for a significant saving in the watt department, especially if you fit the very best road tyres. So when Scribe launched the Tempus range, I was pretty excited to put the company's claims to the test.

While the Tempus wheels were launched amid much fanfare, for this review, I refrained from going into the aero data and claims. Instead, I focused on how the wheels felt and performed in real-world training and racing scenarios, touching on the ride quality, ride feel, and how they fared against the clock.

Design and construction

There's no denying the beauty of Tempus wheels – the finish looks incredible and bestows them with a refined and premium appearance. Much of this can be attributed to the gloss-finished unidirectional carbon fibre, which shimmers in the sunlight, almost giving off a metallic look at certain angles. Both the front wheel and solid disc rear are manufactured from high-filament (12K/18K) Japanese Toray T1000 carbon fibre, known for its lightweight properties and high tensile strength. There's no fancy paint or special logos used here. Instead, the company has utilised its logo on both wheels but increased the scale to ensure onlookers don't mistake it for anything but Scribe wheels.

Apart from the 100mm rim depth, there are no Tempus references on the front wheel – only on the solid rear disc, where a diagonal Tempus wordmark logo aligns with the valve hole. I love the look of both wheels, but truly appreciate the design of the rear wheel specifically. It uses a 'pie-chart-like' pattern on the carbon fibre, creating a three-dimensional effect despite its almost totally flat surfacing.

Looking at the specifications, Scribe has left no stone unturned with the Tempus wheels. Both wheels employ a mini-hook design and come standard with ceramic bearings (Grade 3). The front is built using 24 Sapim CX-Ray spokes laced in a 1:1 two-cross pattern with concealed nipples for a clean aerodynamic profile. With 24/21mm front/rear internal rim width, the wheelset was optimised around 28mm tyres for better comfort and aerodynamics. The total system weight of the Disc/100 wheelset is pegged at 1,900g. They can be purchased individually, as the Disc/100 wheelset pictured here, or optioned in a 100/100 configuration – the choice is yours.

The 100mm front wheel uses a wide, toroidal disc-specific rim profile – widely known for its aerodynamics and crosswind stability. The rear disc wheel was designed to balance weight with functionality across multiple frames. Scribe's goal was to bring a lightweight disc for TT specialists and triathletes to the market that would be compatible with all frames and drivetrains, and I think the brand has succeeded.

According to Scribe, several shapes were computed and tested on both the drive- and non-drive sides within the disc and drivetrain parameters. Some of these were elaborate and novel concepts, but, in short, none proved groundbreaking in terms of measurable gains outside the testing margins of error. As a result, the drive side of the Scribe Tempus rear disc wheel features a slight concave shape to accommodate derailleur/jockey wheels in the largest sprocket. This ensures its compatibility with a range of derailleurs and aftermarket OSPW systems – particularly those requiring the full spread of gearing to be functional, especially on 1x setups on hilly/sporting courses.

I've struggled with rear disc wheel compatibility on my Cannondale SuperSlice TT frame in the past. The derailleur cage often rubs or scratches the disc wheel when the chain is in the upper sprockets, which is both annoying and costly in terms of wattage. The Tempus Disc, however, is dished in such a way that there's no rub and plenty of clearance when my CeramicSpeed OSPW Aero is in the 30T on the cassette.

While it's close to perfect from a functionality perspective, if I were to nitpick, I would have appreciated a dedicated rubber or carbon valve door as opposed to a vinyl sticker. Scribe says it did look at creating a dedicated valve door cover but decided it wasn't needed with the consensus being that a vinyl sticker was a "lightweight and efficient" solution.

The ride

Aerodynamics is always going to be challenging to quantify in the real world, and manufacturer wind tunnel tests don't always take individual body shapes and bike setup into account when benchmarking performance, which means the claimed gains will vary from rider to rider. That's not to say Scribe's claims of being the "fastest wheelset in the world" are not true – but the real world is a very different place from isolation in a laboratory, and that's why all my testing was done outdoors on the same 10-mile time trial course, using the same bike, kit, and helmet. Sure, conditions are often variable and not as controlled as a lab, but I find that real-world rider/bike/environmental interaction is the best way to critique equipment of any kind, especially if the conditions are similar.

I've reached a point in my time trialing where I've settled into a good position and consistently complete 10-mile time trials in under 20 minutes – but my new goal is to dip under 19 minutes. My best result to date is 19:20 using an 80mm Caden Trispoke front and DT Swiss Arc 1100 DiCut rear disc, and I haven't been able to go any faster since returning the Trispoke wheel to the manufacturer. This year, while pleasing and consistent, my times have plateaued somewhat, with my fastest attempts of 2025 being 19:48, 19:40, 19:30, and 19:57 using an 80mm DT Swiss Arc 1100 DiCut front and Arc 1100 DiCut Disc rear wheel wrapped in 28mm Vittoria Corsa Speed Pro tubeless tyres.

As a consequence, I was very interested in Scribe's latest offering, and the company's claims got my attention. While 100mm for a front wheel is radically deep, I've never felt uncomfortable in the wind on my time trial bike and was intrigued to see how the claimed "lower rolling resistance, higher speed and uncompromised comfort and control" would translate into real-world performance.

The wheels arrived with 28mm Vittoria Corsa Pro Speed tyres pre-installed, complete with sealant, but with the wrong freehub body fitted. I quickly swapped out the SRAM XDR body for a Shimano version – a one-minute job. After fitting my 140mm front/rear rotors and 12-speed cassette, I checked the derailleur cage compatibility and was very happy to see ample clearance in the largest sprocket (30T). While I don't often use the 30T, having the extra climbing gear at my disposal has been a bonus and real lifesaver – especially on some of the sporting courses I often race.

After a few shakedown rides, I was ready to put the wheels to the test on a local 10-mile course in Hampshire. While this particular course is not the fastest around, owing to the four roundabouts to negotiate and exposure to the wind, I wanted to feel them at speed in race conditions. The wind was relatively calm, and compared to my previous time on this course, I was 14 seconds quicker in similar conditions. I was pretty happy with my performance and how the front wheel dealt with the wind – if anything, it felt more controlled than the 80mm options I've been testing and provided me with confidence heading into my target races. The ride quality was good, too, and the wheels felt comfortable and stable at high speed.

After monitoring the weather conditions for a few days, the wind didn't look great ahead of my target 10-mile time trial in Oxford, and far from ideal. With much of the dual-carriageway course exposed to the elements and the forecasted side wind coming on a downhill stretch of road, it would require some bravery and discipline to stay in the position at high speed. As the average yaw angle at the front wheel is consistently higher than at the rear, crosswind handling performance at the rear wheel is significantly less critical since the wheel is on a fixed axis, so I opted to stick with the rear disc wheel. It's more important to swap out the front if you're not feeling confident – I opted to keep the 100mm Scribe Tempus in place and focused on maintaining a less rigid, more supple position to counter any gusts while remaining as aero as possible.

I had a good start, reaching the first roundabout ahead of my target time and avoiding cars without getting held up. I kept the power down on a few rolling sections, where I felt the wheels helped with momentum at a high speed, and I was on for a decent time. Having made it to the turnaround several seconds ahead of my sub-19-minute pacing plan, the horrendous cross-headwind on the way back scuppered my sub-19-minute hopes, and I came home in 19:26 – just a few seconds off my PB. I wasn't particularly dejected as the conditions were far from favourable, yet I was still able to put in a reasonably fast ride on the day. With one more 10-mile still to come, I'm confident I'll dip below the 19-minute threshold if the wind plays ball and we get a float day.

I also tested the wheels over a 25-mile time trial on a course I've done a few times before to see how the Tempus wheels perform over a longer distance and whether they could help me dip under 50 minutes. While I finished the race a fair bit down on my goal, I did secure a personal best time of 51:25 – over one and a half minutes faster than my previous outing on this particular course and over two minutes faster than the second-place finisher. I reckon a sub-50-minute 25-mile is well within reach on the right course and in favourable conditions. I felt the wheels pushed me along quite nicely at certain yaw angles, and I felt comfortable and, more importantly, stable even when the wind did gust at times.

Value and conclusion

As a time trialist, the law of diminishing returns becomes a significant cost factor the faster you get, and this has turned the local time trialling scene into an arms race, with accessibility forcing people to the sidelines or driving them away from the sport entirely.

As a wheelmaker for the people, Scribe has built its reputation on affordable performance products, and the Tempus Disc/100 wheels are not any different. In fact, if we compare them to other options on the market - and I'm talking genuine rivals with a solid carbon rear disc wheel - there’s nothing that can compete with the Tempus on weight, specification, and performance.

Sure, there are some good-value alternatives available from brands such as Parcours. I thoroughly tested the 83mm Parcours Chrono Max and rear Disc in 2022 and, while they are very impressive and offer better value at £1,819 for the complete set, they are heavier, less ornate, shallower, and don’t come standard with ceramic bearings. Add the ceramic hardware and the price jumps to £2,039 – making them £41 dearer than the Scribe Tempus Disc/100 wheelset.

At £1,998, the Scribe Tempus Disc/100 wheelset is also considerably cheaper than high-performance options from DT Swiss. In fact, at £2,300, the new DT Swiss Arc 1100 DiCut 85mm front wheel alone is more expensive than the complete Tempus wheelset. Add the £2,500 1100 Dicut Disc rear and the total price jumps to £5,800 – £3,802 more than what Scibe has created with the Tempus wheelset.

If you're a competitive time trialist looking to improve your 10-mile PB, the Scribe Tempus Disc/100 wheelset might be the key to unlock the gains you've been after. Not only do they look good and complement most bike colour schemes, but they are also lighter and cheaper than many options on the market, delivering high performance at an accessible price point. Furthermore, the wheels are backed by Scribe's Infinity Warranty, which covers them for three years against material or workmanship defects. In the event of a crash, Scribe offers a 50% discount on all replacement parts for carbon wheels

I highly recommend them.

Scribe Tempus Disc/100 wheelset specs

Price: £1,998
Weight: 1,900g
Hubset: Ceramic bearings (Grade 3)
Freehub options: Shimano HG11/12, SRAM XDR, Campagnolo
Rim depth: 100mm front, solid disc rear
Rim width: 24mm internal, 31mm external (front) / 21mm internal, 29mm external (rear)
Spoke count: 24 front / N/A rear
Hookless: Mini-hook design

The full, original version of this article was published in the 19th June 2025 print edition of Cycling Weekly as part of our 'Meet the Maker' series. Subscribe online and get the magazine delivered direct to your door every week.

Long before Alex Dowsett was setting Hour record times, winning Grand Tour stages and repeatedly becoming British time trial champion, there was another Dowsett from Essex who was speeding around and breaking records: his father, Phil. Hailing from a motor racing family – Phil’s nephew Oliver runs a successful British touring car team, Napa – the 74-year-old raced single-seater, saloon, sports and touring cars for 22 years.

Though he never accomplished his dream of becoming a Formula One driver, Phil was regarded as one of Britain’s best drivers throughout the 1980s. But it wasn’t how he paid the bills. “I had a job, and that was my biggest downfall because I only had one day a week to prepare and test the car before racing,” he says. In 1989, the year after Alex was born, Phil turned down the opportunity to race in Japan for Toyota Factory, instead beginning an upholstery, carpet and curtain business in London. Phil’s wife Jan gave birth to the couple’s second child, Lois, in 1991.

Alex, who was diagnosed with the blood-clotting disorder haemophilia at 18 months old, began cycle racing at age 13, despite no history of the sport in his family. “My nan on my mother’s side would have swum in the Olympics had it not been for the war, but other than that, neither side of my family was particularly sporty,” Alex says. The father and son have made the Dowsett name synonymous with speed.

Phil’s success was a source of inspiration for Alex from a young age. “I heard these stories as a kid about how good my dad was,” Alex says, “and I thought, How am I going to excel at life to the point where I can tell my own kids similar successful stories?” Phil nods: “He more than achieved that goal – he’s got better stories to tell than I have.”

The son's take

Alex Dowsett
Age: 36
Height: 5ft 10in
Raised: Chelmsford, Essex
Lives: Chelmsford, Essex
Occupation: Performance engineer at XDS Astana
Biggest sporting achievement: Hour record, 52.937km (2015); 2x stage wins, Giro d’Italia (2013, 2020)

Q: What did you know as a child about your dad’s racing success?
I was aware of it because he used to drive fast and his trophy cabinet was in the corner of the dining room. But he wasn’t one to talk about his success. I pieced together the dots when we went to the invite-only British Racing Drivers’ Club and I saw Dad’s name on the board next to 1988 with a silver star denoting that he was that year’s best national driver.

Q: Were you interested in motor racing?
I went to the local go-kart track where, if you got under a certain lap time in a kid’s kart, they let you come back on a Saturday or Sunday morning to drive the adult karts. I was pretty good, but not the fastest.

Q: How did your sporting career start?
I was diagnosed with haemophilia as a baby and doctors told my parents that swimming was really helpful for it. Swimming was my sport and I tried racing but wasn’t very good.

Q: Do you think your cycling talent was learned or inherited?
I find my childhood fascinating: I swam 10,000 hours to master swimming but I was sh*t. I went running and was quite good at a county level but nothing amazing. And then I picked up a bike and within a year I was the best in my age group.

Q: Physically, are you more similar to your dad or your mum?
Dad loves cycling, but you can see that it doesn’t come to him naturally. It’s a useless comparison but my wife Chanel and I took Mum and Dad to New Zealand a few years ago and we did a vineyard tour on tandems. Chanel and Dad were on one bike and me and my Mum were on the other. They wanted to race against us, but they didn’t win a single one! Michael Hutchinson once told me that in most cases the physiology comes from the mother’s side; in my case, I think that’s true.

Q: Did your dad teach you any racing techniques?
Racing lines – on the kart track as a kid. [Ex-pro] Paddy Bevin said to me a couple of years ago that I was one of the only bike riders who took a motor racing line on a push bike.

Q: Do you have a similar mindset to your dad?
Yes, I’d say I got my head from my dad – especially my work ethic.

Q: What about your will to win?
I once had a fascinating conversation with Dad where he said it was outrageous that I was buying a £5,000 skinsuit. I said to him: “Dad, you remortgaged the house to do another year of racing.” But if you ask him, he’ll say he didn’t want it enough – as if remortgaging your house isn’t wanting it enough!

Q: What career advice did you take from your dad?
He always drummed into me the importance of sponsors: “If there’s a logo on a pair of socks you’re being paid to wear, you wear those socks.”

The father's take

Phil Dowsett
Age: 74
Height: 5ft 7in
Raised: Chelmsford, Essex
Lives: Maldon, Essex
Occupation: Retired commercial upholstery business owner
Biggest sporting achievement: 1st – British Formula Atlantic race, Oulton Park (1980)

Q: How much did you train as a motor racing driver?
I ran around London keeping fit, which gave me an advantage over everyone else. Keeping fit was something that very few drivers did back in my day.

Q: Did you want Alex to become a racing driver?
We didn’t have the money for it. You’ve got to be extremely rich nowadays. He’s a good car driver and he’d have loved car racing, but he never approached me about doing it seriously.

Q: Did you give him a love of speed?
Definitely. I used to take him out in my Porsche and he’d enjoy ripping around in it. He had a hunger for speed from an early age, and you saw that in his time trialling.

Q: How did you try to encourage Alex’s cycling?
I used to go mountain biking on Thursday nights, and when he was 13 he asked if he could come along. I said yes as long as he kept up and didn’t fall off. That was the start of it.

Q: When did you know Alex had talent?
When he started racing time trials at Maldon CC, one of the guys said to me: “Phil, Alex is very, very good: his body doesn’t move [around in the saddle] but he delivers power”.

Q: How did you help him as a cyclist?
I didn’t know a thing about the technical side of cycling. I always said to him: “Alex, have a plan B. If things go wrong, you need to be able to execute an alternative plan.” All I could do was get him to where he needed to be, make sure he ate a good meal, had a good night’s sleep.

Q: What was the most important thing Alex inherited from you?
When he was around 15, if he didn’t win, he hated it. That will to win is something that I didn’t teach him, but like me, he had that desire. I think he also grasped early on that when your arse gets kicked, on those bad days, you learn more.

Q: Do you share a similar mentality?
He once told me: “Dad, I’ve learned how I can go quicker.” I was expecting him to go on and say he had new tyres or some new kit, but he said: “I’ve learned how to hurt myself more.” I am not like that on a bike – unlike him, I don’t like putting myself through pain! I push to keep up with my mates, but not to the level where I ruin myself.

The no-conferring round

‘Guess what your dad said when we asked…’

Who’s the best driver today?
Alex: He’d say me.
Phil: He’s better than me now. When you get to my age, you can’t process things as quickly as before.

Could Alex have made it as a racing driver?
Alex: I think I could have been, yeah.
Phil: He’d have been good, but I’m not sure how good.

Could Phil have become a cyclist?
Alex: From what I’ve seen, he doesn’t have the ability.
Phil: No. He’s got the cardiovascular levels and the technique – I don’t have any of that.

What’s one thing Phil can do but Alex can’t?
Alex: He could dismantle an old engine.
Phil: I can windsurf better than him. For now…

What’s one thing Alex can do but Phil can’t?
Alex: I can go under 30 minutes for a 10-mile TT!
Phil: Ride a bike fast! And he’s good at maths.

What’s the tougher sport, rally or cycling?
Alex: He’d have said pro cycling.
Phil: In my era, it was motor racing – it was far more dangerous, but then it became incredibly safe. Cyclists have to be far fitter.

How would Alex describe Phil in three words?
Alex: Humble, loyal and generous. Can I add smart?
Phil: Stubborn old bastard! Impetuous, selfish – to be successful, you have to be. And generous.

How would Phil describe Alex in three words?
Alex: He’d say something about me being focused, and how when I want something I work hard for it.
Phil: Cool, calm and collected.

Who’s more competitive?
Alex: He’ll say himself. He would get pissed off with me if I helped team-mates in time trials.
Phil: I think we’re similar, but I had to be very competitive, as it was often a dog-eat-dog situation.

Who’s more famous?
Alex: Dad tells the story about when his Wikipedia page stopped being about his own achievements and became about being the father of Alex Dowsett.
Phil: Alex, by far.

Cycling Time Trials (CTT) has supported and welcomed a legal judgement, handed down in June, which ruled that a County Durham-based club was not responsible for a collision with a motor vehicle that left a time triallist with serious injuries. The verdict comes as a boost for domestic racing and cycling clubs.

In Raymond Fell v Ben Hetherington and Ferryhill Wheelers, Mr. Justice Ritchie confirmed that time trialling is an activity for the benefit of the cycling members of society, and that CTT and Ferryhill Wheelers were not at fault for the incident.

On 23 May 2019, Hetherington was seriously injured during a 10-mile time trial when Fell made a right turn across the carriageway, negligently driving into the cyclist's path whilst Hetherington was riding at 37mph. Fell admitted liability to Hetherington but tried to blame Ferryhill Wheelers for a negligent risk assessment, inadequate signage and insufficient marshalling.

The judge rejected Fell's allegations and dismissed his claim for a contribution. The driver had failed to notice signs on two roundabouts while approaching the accident site, in addition to a large sign placed immediately in front of him as he made his turn. The cyclist was clearly visible.

He said the club and the CTT were "clearly dedicated to the sport and were serious and trying their best to perform the responsibilities for which they volunteered to assist members of the public who wished to do cycle time trials in pursuing their passion".

The judge added: "If a standard of care in relation to risk assessment that is too high is imposed on time trial clubs, people may be put off contributing for free or at all. Insurance premiums will rise. Volunteers are not looking to be sued, they are looking to help others. I find that this club and CTT itself was carrying out an activity for the benefit of the cycling members of society."

A CTT spokesperson said: "Although CTT and Ferryhill Wheelers were exonerated by the Judge's ruling, CTT will be reviewing the judgement in relation to the whole of its guidance and regulations and making any appropriate changes.

"Whilst CTT welcomes the judgement, which strongly supports volunteer sport, it does not forget that one of its riders suffered life-changing injuries with an enormous effect on him, his family and friends."

Leigh Day represented Hetherington and Ferryhill Wheelers. Laura Murphy, a partner at the law firm, said: "This provides helpful and sensible guidance for those who give their free time to help organise time trials or other racing events for the benefit of the cycling community in a safe manner."

Time trials are the purest form of bicycle racing. There are no team tactics, no drafting, no lead-out trains, and no wondering if the rider behind is about to launch a surprise attack. The TT is known as the race of truth for good reason. It's just you - your body, mind and soul - against the clock. No grey areas. You pedal as hard as you possibly can for the allotted distance and hopefully emerge on the other side with a PB, or at least without having thrown up a kidney.

Riding a time trial is a unique physical and mental challenge - a sustained effort that pushes riders to the edge of their limits. But what exactly happens in the body and mind during one of these solo races against the clock? Where does the discomfort come from, and how does it unfold across the effort? To find out, I went to the lab to lay down some of the key metrics that shape performance in a 10-mile TT-from lactate levels and oxygen uptake to carbohydrate and fat usage, heart rate and perceived exertion.

The first thing that caught my attention upon entering the lab at One Track Club in Farnham, Surrey, was an oxygen mask - a necessary evil. Riding a 10-mile time trial flat-out is hard enough, but doing it strapped into a mask, every laboured breath amplified and inescapable, makes it far more daunting. Adding to the pressure, my effort would be closely monitored by performance consultant Anthony Fletcher, who would be analysing every metric. No time trial is easy - but this was a different kind of test altogether.

Before launching into the abyss, there was data to collect: resting lactate via a pinprick to the ear. A healthy baseline is typically between 0.9 and 1.1mmol/L - anything significantly outside that range can flag underlying conditions like diabetes or even cancer. To my relief, the monitor read 0.9. Next came a baseline max power effort. This would be repeated post-TT to measure the muscle fatigue induced by the ride. I barely scraped 1,000 watts - I blame the oxygen mask - but the number was logged, and the real suffering was about to begin.

Miles 0-2.5

The first three miles of the test triggered sharp spikes across several metrics. In just six minutes, my heart rate leapt from a resting 70bpm to 167bpm. Lactate climbed to 1.6mmol/L - still manageable at this point, but the floodgates were beginning to creak. I was exhaling around 4,500ml of CO2 per minute, confirming what my ears already knew: I was breathing hard. My respiratory exchange ratio (RER) hit 1.10, indicating I was heavily reliant on carbohydrates over fat—a hallmark of high-intensity effort. Power output was holding steady at around 350 watts.

Get it right: The opening miles of a 10-mile time trial can make or break your ride. With fresh legs and lungs, there's a strong temptation to go out too hard. This is why early pacing discipline is absolutely crucial. The pace you set in the first five minutes of a short time trial is likely the one you'll have to live with - or suffer for over the rest of the effort. So ask yourself early on: can I hold this pace for the next 10 miles? If the answer is not a confident "yes", ease off before you blow up.

Dr Hutch says: You have to start hard and settle into the effort reasonably quickly, because you're aiming to cross the line having emptied the tank. You've got a little bit of headroom, so at this stage you should be aiming to go out with a negative split in mind.

Miles 2.5-5

I won't lie - concentrating during the lab-based effort was a real challenge. The oxygen mask, regular lactate sampling and clinical setting made it hard to fully immerse myself in the task. Physically, I felt fine: well-rested and free from soreness. But this section highlighted just how much of time trialling is a mental challenge.

My power had dropped. What I'd assumed was a conservative start at 350 watts quickly proved unsustainable. By the halfway point, it was clear I was fading. When Fletch asked for my RPE, I didn't hesitate: "Nine." (We were using a 1-10 scale, rather than the more typical 1-20.) My heart rate had crept up to 172bpm—still short of my usual 10-mile TT average of 180. I was exhaling 4,500ml of CO2 per minute, same as earlier, and my RER remained pinned at 1.10 - meaning I was burning almost exclusively carbohydrates. No fat-fuelled efficiency today. Lactate had risen to 3.2mmol/L, still shy of LT2, the second lactate threshold typically set at 4.0mmol/L. Had I gone out too hard? Quite possibly.

Get it right: Sustained efforts beyond five minutes require serious time spent in Zone 4—your threshold zone. Training here is essential for time triallists, as it builds the fast-twitch muscle fibre recruitment and energy system efficiency needed for this type of short-course racing. But perhaps more importantly, it hardens and programmes the mind. The pain of a 10-mile TT isn't just about the physical — learning to embrace and endure it mentally is what separates a good ride from a great one.

Dr Hutch says: If you aim to raise your heart rate by two or three beats per minute with each quarter of the ride, you'll be close to the pacing strategy I use. These days, I typically start at around 176bpm and finish somewhere near 186 or 187.

'If you've chosen it, it's not suffering'

CW's in-house TT specialist Michael Hutchinson, AKA Dr Hutch - a multiple national champion across a range of distances—offered a refreshing take on the idea of suffering when we spoke to him for the 'Going Long' podcast. The physiological changes that take place over the course of a TT - as outlined in this feature - no doubt cause considerable discomfort. But Hutchinson takes issue with the term "suffering" in this context.

Rather than interpreting the predicament - the aches and anguish that set in during a race or training effort - as an ordeal to be feared or endured, he believes that these sensations should be viewed as a privilege. They are the signs of a healthy, capable body operating near its limit in a situation we have freely chosen for it - a luxury many people don't have.

"I don't like the concept of 'suffering' in cycling - because we do this voluntarily," said the Doc. Undeterred by the risk of coming across as a nitpicking "pretentious arse", he continued: "If you volunteer for it, you don't get to call it suffering. There are points in longer [multi-hour] events where maybe the term becomes more appropriate, but in regular time trials... if you think you're suffering, you don't have enough problems in your life."

It's a sobering reminder. While endurance athletes often take pride in "pushing through the pain," reframing that experience as chosen, even joyous, can change your mindset. You're not being punished or tortured. You're chasing speed, challenge, growth and that's a privilege.

So next time you're deep in the red, heart thumping, legs screaming - reimagine your grimace as a special kind of grin. You've worked hard for the right to feel this. The bottom line: embrace the burn, and enjoy the ride!

Miles 5-7.5

With my RPE still a barely tolerable nine, this was fast becoming a lesson in poor pacing. Ideally, this is the point where you'd just be merely tickling the red line, but I had stormed across it. Acute discomfort had kicked in far too early. My heart rate had climbed to 176bpm, yet power remained stubbornly low, fluctuating between 320 and 350 watts. The volume of CO2 I was exhaling dropped to around 4,100ml/min - an early sign that fatigue was setting in. My RER dipped slightly, indicating a small shift back towards fat metabolism, but lactate had soared to 6.4mmol/L - well above threshold. At this stage, the body struggles to use lactate efficiently, but it's not the lactate itself that causes discomfort. It's the resulting build-up of hydrogen ions that brings the deep, acidic muscle burn. I was officially starting to unravel.

Get it right: Durability - the ability to maintain high power late in a ride - is a crucial and highly trainable skill. Try adding sweetspot or threshold intervals to the tail-end of your long endurance sessions. It's here, in the final third, that fitness and mental grit are forged.

Dr Hutch says: Knowing your FTP is of limited value precisely because it is not a physiological marker. It's widely used because it's simple to test with a reasonable degree of confidence, or at least consistency. The second lactate threshold, LT2, if you're in a position to use it, is an actual physiological point, and a more accurate determinant of when you're on the edge.

Miles 7.5-10

My power had dropped to around 320 watts, but my RPE was now pressing up against a full-blown 10. Despite the dip in output, I was still deep in the red—heart rate hitting 182bpm and CO2 output climbing back to 4,500ml/min. The finish line was near, and while my mind was willing, my body was faltering. RER had crept back up to 1.10 and, after a final push, my lactate spiked at 8.2mmol/L - the highest I've ever recorded. In a sprint scenario, I'd expect that number to go even higher.

Curiously, I found something extra in the final minute. Was that a purely psychological response - a final surge knowing the suffering was nearly over or had I been physiologically capable of more all along? A follow-up absolute power test recorded only a few watts shy of my pre-ride baseline. It was clear I'd left something in the tank.

Get it right: The final five minutes of a 10-mile TT are, without question, brutal. But with the end in sight, the brain can override the body's protest. Focus on recognising when you're about a minute from the finish - that's your cue to empty the tank. Pain may scream that you're done, but the truth is, you probably have more to give.

Dr Hutch says: The last time I had my lactate measured right at the end of an effort, it read 8.2mmol/L. I remember winning a national 10 once, with Ed Clancy second - his lactate at the line, I'd bet, was significantly higher than mine. He's just built differently. I'm a very aerobic animal, and my physiology doesn't lend itself to producing those sky-high lactate values.

It was about 11.30pm and I was 16 hours deep into a 24-hour ultra event. Standing in a queue composed largely of boisterously belching gentlemen fresh from a night of beer swilling in the local boozer, we were all lining up for a serving of mystery meat at a kebab van parked in a layby.

Despite a collective hankering for highly calorific fare, our reasons for consuming it couldn’t be more different; The boozers wanted something that would soak up an evening’s worth of ale. I wanted something that would allow me to get back on my bicycle, boost my cycling performance and pedal with a little more urgency than I’d be able to muster for the last hour.

Of course, decked out in Spandex, I was suitably heckled: “What have you come as?” a chap in a neatly pressed Ben Sherman shirt enquired. “Shouldn’t you be on the energy bars?” another asked as I shuffled from side to side on my cleats.

Then I dropped my order. “A large kebab, a large portion of chips, two bottles of water and three cans of Coke, please.” It was a concise, calculated and cold delivery. A delivery that was met with gasps of confused admiration from my fellow patrons. “But, but, I didn’t think cyclists actually ate,” Ben Sherman stuttered.

“Oh, we eat, Ben,” I replied. “We eat a lot…”

You may think that I arrived at this juncture having poorly fuelled my ride prior to queuing up at the van. In theory I suppose I had. But it hadn’t been through a lack of trying. A 24-hour TT demands almost constant fuelling and hydration if you want to keep power up and the speed high. Aside from having a working pair of legs and a beating heart, the most important part of ultra long distance rides and races is your stomach – and, more pertinently, what you put in it.

My quest to eat as much food as humanly possible over a 24-hour period started the day prior to the event. A carb-heavy breakfast (double portions of porridge oats), was followed by a carb-heavy lunch (rice and bread) and a carb-heavy dinner (half a packet of spaghetti). This is what’s known as carb-loading. It’s also what’s known as being a fat b**tard. But ridiculously long bicycle rides offer the perfect excuse to overindulge and I was far from done for today.

A trip to the supermarket with my daughter between lunch and dinner turned into a bit of a game – a game in this case we simply called ‘Calorie Hunt’. The plan was to find – pound for pound – the most calorific items in the shop. Sound boring? Surprisingly it was extremely entertaining, particularly for my daughter – we spent an inordinate amount of time perusing then purchasing chocolate.

Aside from lard which offers a phenomenal 900 calories per 100g, the next best, and slightly more palatable option was chocolate. But not just any old chocolate. After leaving no packet unturned it was the Bitsa Wispa at 550 calories per 100g that proved the heaviest hitter. I bought three bags and decanted them into the food pouch on the cockpit of my steed.

After adding some macadamia nuts and two bags of Haribo I had what you might call a Trail Mix deluxe – a compact mélange of snackables weighing in at the best part of 5,000 calories. So that’s breakfast sorted.

0-6 hours

My first meal of the day then was a protracted affair, which I finally polished off after around 120 miles in the saddle. So six hours deep into the ride the hunt for more sustenance began.

I had emergency rations on me in the form of my favourite gels, but taste fatigue had set in and the thought of any more sugar filled me with actual revulsion. Fortunately the course was based on a loop that took in a series of small towns and villages, and on the outskirts of small towns and villages one can generally happen upon the long-distance cyclist’s best friend – petrol stations. Don’t worry, I wasn’t about to lift a nozzle and pump myself full of Shell V-Power – that would be far too costly – rather take advantage of the competitively priced junk food on offer.

6-12 hours

A meal deal yields a big hit of carbs in one nifty little package. I bought two, and a Greggs steak bake just in case. Meal deals, to those unfortunate enough not to know, comprise a main (usually in the form of a sandwich), a side (a chocolate bar or a packet or crisps – they also have packets of fruit and olives apparently), and a drink. If I’m feeling particularly decadent – today being a case in point – I’ll plump for the triple cheese sandwich on white bread, a packet of Monster Munch and a bottle of Cherry Coke. So I ate one on the petrol station forecourt and secreted the second meal deal in various places around my person and bicycle. The steak bake was eaten on the move – not the easiest fare to consume at 20mph, I spent the next two weeks sneezing out flakes of puff pastry.

Let’s break down the energy in that little repast, then: 2 x triple cheese = 1,400 cals; 2 x Monster Munch grab bags = 900cal; 2 x Cherry Coke = 600cal; 1 x steak bake = 600; for a grand total of 3,500 calories. Add to that the gels in my back pocket and I do believe we’re set for the late afternoon shift.

12-18 Hours

Four thousand calories came and went and by now I had 250 miles on the clock. They were relatively fast miles, The course was a gently undulating affair which never really trouble the fast-twitch fibres, so my legs were feeling reasonable, my backside was middling to fair but once again my stomach and muscles began muttering something about supper.

Seriously? More? Yes, more. I was already a couple of hours deep into the night shift and the Cotswolds was drawing the curtains for the day. I had no other option than to descend upon the last refuge of the interminably hungry.

And so it was that Ben Sherman ribbed me for my attire and his mate asked me why I wasn’t eating energy bars before I dropped the large kebab and chips bombshell. Had I had the energy and the inclination I would have explained that an energy bar was a waste of time that wasn’t going to fuel a further six hours of cycling, whereas what I’d just ordered – large kebab (2,000 cals), large chips (900cals) and three cans of Coke (450cals) – probably would.

18-24 Hours

In hindsight, the kebab was a bad idea. Yes, I needed salt but I didn’t want half of the Dead Sea in my dinner. My gut started revolting. It simply refused to process what I’d just offered it and there it sat, sloshing around in my stomach refusing to budge. I found a likely verge on a country lane and lay down on it. Dew already forming on the grass teased my bare neck as I parted with a long and meaningful groan.

There’s a very good reason sports nutrition and supplements are so popular among athletes. It offers a fast-release form of energy that can be easily processed by the gut. Regardless of what you eat during long-distance rides, fuel should be factored into training. Your stomach can’t be taken by surprise by a sudden onslaught of calories it’s hitherto never been required to process.

So practice eating, find out the kind of food that works for you and, of course, avoid the kebab van.

Regardless of my little setback I managed a fairly commendable 335 miles and, more importantly, learned another lesson about the highly nuanced world of ultra riding.

All eyes are on the world and Olympic champion Remco Evenepoel (Soudal Quick-Step) this Wednesday, as the Critérium du Dauphiné plays host to an individual time trial.

The race's fourth stage offers a 17.4km course from Charmes-sur-Rhône to Saint-Péray, in France's Auvergne Rhône-Alpes region. The route is set to be a fast one, albeit with a pair of uncategorised lumps in the middle.

"I just have to go all in," said Evenepoel, the favourite for the stage victory.

The Belgian will roll down the ramp 12th from last, at 16:33 local time (CET), as the 13th rider in the general classification.

Stage three's solo winner and race leader Iván Romeo (Movistar) will be the last rider to start at 16:45. Only 21 years old, Romeo is the under-23 time trial world champion, and has impressed against the clock this year, with a seventh place at the UAE Tour and 12th at the Tour de Romandie.

Other key riders to look out for are Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike) at 16:35, and Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG), who starts just two minutes later, at 16:37.

Proceedings for the time trial will begin at 14:15, when Pogačar's team-mate Domen Novak will be the first to begin his effort.

Below are all of the start times for stage four's time trial, all in the local time (CET).

Love them or hate them, team time trials are back in vogue. There will be one at this year’s Vuelta Femenina, one at next year’s Tour de France, and Paris-Nice continued its tradition on Tuesday of hosting one each spring.

With more team races against the clock scheduled – particularly at the calendar’s biggest races – cycling’s great innovators are coming up with ways to draw marginal gains out of them. The latest came from XDS Astana, who wore multi-coloured gloves and overshoes when they lined up for Paris-Nice’s third stage.

The eagle-eyed among you may have already spotted it. Perhaps you thought it was just a fun gimmick, a nod to the disco trends of the 80s. According to XDS Astana's performance engineer Alex Dowsett, there’s good reason behind the rainbow.

“When you do a turn in a team time trial, you do obviously a massive pull on the front, with really high power, and then you have to come off the power,” he said in a team post on X. “When you get to seventh position or sixth position, you then have to do another big effort to get back into the line. If you miss the back of that line by centimetres, it then becomes a third monumental effort to close the gap.”

Riders typically count their way to the back of the line when they swap turns, rejoining the end, if they can hold on. At Paris-Nice, XDS Astana judged it quicker to respond to colours, rather than count back through teammates.

“You react to things in your periphery faster than you react to them if you look directly at them. The difficult thing about team time trials, from that respect, is everyone looks the same,” Dowsett said.

“It could be that split second where you’re like, ‘Is that [Harold] Tejada or is that [Mike] Teunissen?’ The first thing you see from each rider is their hands. I was like, ‘So what if we could make everyone’s gloves a different colour?’ So instead of looking for the person, or the riding style of that person, or counting one, two, three, four, five, six, you’re just looking for a colour.

“It’s a small advantage,” he continued. “Let’s not beat around the bush, we’re not saving on aero gains or anything.”

There are also advantages for the team directors in the follow car, Dowsett explained.

“They’re not having to memorise riders’ numbers,” he said. “I think it will just be easier for the directors to know if someone needs to miss a turn, if someone says they’re struggling, [or] if someone’s getting in on the back. It’ll hopefully be easier to relay that information to the riders as well.”

XDS Astana ultimately placed 13th of 22 teams in the Paris-Nice team time trial, which was won by Visma-Lease a Bike. Without the fluorescent gloves, though, who knows where they might have finished?

Last week, in a bid to instil fairness for up-and-coming racers, Cycling Canada announced plans to outlaw time trial bikes in junior events.

The restriction will be applied to the National Road Championships in June, and will mean Canadian under-17s and juniors have to rely on “only one bike frame” for all racing categories – in other words, their road bike. They will also not be allowed to use extension bars or disc wheels.

Why has Cycling Canada done this? Well, they hope it will “ensure consistency, fairness, accessibility, increase participation and talent identification, and improve transport efficiency.” I, for one, am fully on board.

It’s no secret that cycling is a heavily-engineered sport, and where there’s tech, there’s a market for expensive gains. Today, a decent time trial bike can cost anywhere between £3,000 and £12,000. Add that to the outlay of a similarly priced road bike, and the sport quickly becomes a playground for those who can afford it.

I never raced bikes as a kid, I played football. My parents used to buy me top-of-the-range boots, and quality clothes to train in, but I think if I had asked instead for a £6,000 time trial bike, I’d have been told where to shove it.

This is where Cycling Canada’s wish for greater accessibility, fairness and inclusivity comes in. Teenagers should not have to engage in an arms race to compete in time trials, nor should they start a race feeling that they are at a disadvantage. Winning should not only be for the wealthy.

Of course, this is not always the case. Children of well-to-do families do tend to get a leg-up in cycling, as they do in the rest of society. To try and level the field, we see other parents stretching beyond their means.

I remember reading a Twitter exchange late last year in which Michael Tarling, father of former European time trial champion Josh and IPT Academy rider Finlay, called out someone for saying bike racing is for people who are “posh as f*ck”.

Tarling replied: “We’ve sacrificed, scrimped, begged and borrowed to help our lads get where they are. We’ll be screwed financially for years as a result. Would do it again in a heartbeat.”

In another post, he added that the family had “remortgaged multiple times” and loaded credit cards, often relying on second and third-hand equipment. The extent the Tarlings went to to give their sons a chance is hugely commendable – but should parents really have to go through this? I worry it's not a sustainable structure for junior racing, particularly as equipment gets more expensive.

From a talent-spotting perspective, too, banning time trial bikes makes sense. Riding at 250 watts over 25 miles, a rider on a road bike will lose almost six minutes to a rival doing the same on a time trial bike, according to an experiment by MyWindsock. So significant are the aerodynamic gains, that the two equal riders would finish tens of places apart in a event.

National squad spots are often decided on results. Likewise, teams, scouts and agents look for victories when seeking out promising riders. Is the one who wins the race generally the strongest? Perhaps. But similar talents who can't afford the equipment are falling through the cracks. What does that teach about fairness?

I’ll admit, I’d be ignorant if I didn’t say there are other sides to this argument. With Cycling Canada’s new ruling, there is a risk that Canadian juniors will be at a disadvantage in international competitions, where their opponents will have trained and raced on time trial bikes all year. Moreover, inexperience using time trial bikes could hold them back when they graduate from the juniors. To that, I'd say that the vast majority – those who don’t go straight to pro level as teenagers – can still rely on their under-23 years to get up to speed.

There’s also the question of where we draw the line. Banning time trial bikes would be one step, but what about time trial helmets and state-of-the-art skinsuits? The British amateur scene has taught us that road bikes can be aero-optimised to such a scale that they start looking, and acting, like time trial bikes. Would the unfairness only continue? Maybe, but it certainly won't be as stark.

The reality is there are so many entry barriers for those wanting to race bikes and make a career out of it. If banning time trial bikes removes one of them, count me in.

What began as a nightmare season for Anna Henderson has turned into the most memorable of her career, as she won herself an Olympic silver medal on Saturday.

The Brit came back from two broken collarbones earlier this year to earn her place on the podium in the time trial in Paris. For Henderson, the feat was the fruit of months of "blood, sweat and tears" shed in a race back to fitness following her latest crash in April.

"I was pretty much back on my bike like three days after the surgery," she said, "just the second one [collarbone break] mentally hurt a lot. It really took a lot to get back and get the motivation again. I always had Paris on my mind, and that really carried me through."

In February, on her first race day of 2024, Henderson came down in a crash and broke her left collarbone. She spent two months sidelined, before returning to racing at Amstel Gold. She then repeated her injury a fortnight later at the Vuelta Femenina. 

The second crash, she feared, could have put an end to her Olympic dream. "It did cross my mind," she said. "It was a really low point in my season but I've really bounced back quickly. I won at the Nationals and had a really good ride at the Tour of Britain.

"I had a really good run into this with an altitude camp and everything. I'm really happy with my form today, and really happy with my ride."

At the finish line on Paris's Pont Alexandre III, riders crossed the line soaked by the rain, some with cuts on their knees from crashing.

"I didn't realise how slippery it was out there until I was on the course," Henderson said. "I thought, 'I can lose a whole Olympic Games in one corner here.'"

Instead, the 25-year-old rode with great composure, staying upright on each of the 27 corners of the 32.4km course. "I really took control and my coach did a really good job to keep me calm all the way through and keep pushing until the end. Last year, I was two seconds from bronze at the Worlds, so I'm really happy to be on the right side of the seconds this time."

Henderson's family, boyfriend and former cycling manager sat dressed in plastic ponchos in the tribune on the finishing straight, cheering for her in the pouring rain. It was to them, those who felt her ups and downs with her this season, that Henderson was eager to dedicate her performance. 

"I'm really thankful of everybody around me that got me here and everyone that go me through today," she said. "I know I had to just turn the pedals, but there's a whole, huge group of people that got me here and I'm really proud to be here."

In the words of those set to race on them, the roads of the Paris Olympics time trial course are "bumpy", "bad", and, more bluntly, "pretty shit".  

That last evaluation came courtesy of Remco Evenepoel, the reigning world champion, who during his route recon on Thursday, was taken aback by the conditions of the 32.4km course. 

"The first and last five kilometres are pretty shit roads," the Belgian said. "Then it is straight and fast. Quite some beautiful sightseeing as well. But the road surface is pretty bad in the beginning and in the end. So that might be a problem if you have black spots in front of your eyes in the last kilometres."

Evenepoel was not alone in his criticism. Three-time time trial world champion Ellen van Dijk said she thought it's "a pity" the surface is so bad. "There's a lot of bumps and holes, but everyone's got to deal with it," she added. 

So just how rough are the roads in central Paris? Well, on the eve of the Games' first cycling events, Cycling Weekly took a stroll down Boulevard Saint-Germain to inspect the surface close up. 

The road in question, one of Paris's key arterial routes connecting the west and east, makes up both the opening and closing four kilometres of the course. It is a road this Cycling Weekly journalist knows well, having thrown up (from food poisoning) on one of its kerbs a handful of years ago.  

Along a two-kilometre stretch by the famous Les Deux Magots café, we saw unevenly laid tarmac, cracking, and areas of degradation so deep the original cobbles are visible. There are no crater-like potholes, but some of the most damaged parts have been highlighted with pink paint. 

Despite the riders' comments, members of the public using the city's pay-and-go Vélib' bikes seemed nonplussed by the conditions. Those bikes do, however, weigh more than 20kg and come with fat, often flat, tyres. 

For the pros riding fine-tuned TT machines on Saturday afternoon, it's likely to be a bumpy ride. "There's been a lot of resurfacing and so [there are] some potholes but it's gonna be fun," said Team GB's Josh Tarling ahead of his Olympic debut.  

Current weather forecasts indicate there will be rainy conditions for the riders, particularly those competing earlier in the afternoon. This means that, in a silver linings kind of way, many of the course's potholes will be signalled by puddles of water. 

The first rider will go down the start ramp in the women's race at 13:30 BST, with the day's final rider, Evenepoel, beginning his effort shortly after 16:21 BST. Here's how to watch all the cycling at the Paris Olympics, and a detailed guide to the time trials. 

The cycling events at the Paris Olympics begin this Saturday with the individual time trials, and as always, when the stakes are high, the tech gains come to the fore.

Earlier this week, riders set out on their recons of the 32.4km city-centre course, all under the watchful eye of photographers. Here at Cycling Weekly, we've scrutinised the images to pick out some tech insights we might see during the race. 

From a rare front disc wheel, to brand-new paint jobs, here's a taster of what to look out for.  

Wout van Aert's front disc

Wout van Aert made headlines yesterday when he took to the time trial course running a dual disc wheel set-up. Despite offering a smoother air flow in still conditions, front discs can be notoriously difficult to control in crosswinds, and are for that reason very rarely used on the road. 

Speaking to Sporza, Van Aert explained that he isn't certain to use the disc wheel. 

"It's definitely an option," he said. "We've been preparing for this for a while. It's super fast, but the right conditions are needed.

"We'll decide on Saturday. It mainly depends on the wind, because you have to be able to keep your bike under control," the Belgian added. "I was happy when I saw the course, because there is a lot of shelter, so it could be an option, even though it looks unusual."

Josh Tarling, Team GB's medal hope for the event, was unconvinced by the choice when asked about it in his press conference on Thursday. "It's clever if he thinks there's a gain in it. If he's tested it, then go for it," the Brit said.  

"I know the first and last five kilometres are bumpy, and so harsh on a disc wheel. I've never ridden one outside but I'm sure the corners won't be amazing on it either. Because the corners are fast, you need to really make the most out of them."  

Pinarello's new Bolide F TT

There's going to be a new incarnation of Pinarello's Bolide F TT bike in Paris, used by riders such as Magnus Sheffield, Filippo Ganna, and Tarling. 

The bike, unveiled by the Italian manufacturer last week, claims to have a 2.28% CdA reduction compared to its previous design, meaning aerodynamic drag is lower - albeit by a slim margin. 

Part of the way the brand has achieved this, it says, is through its 'AeroNodes' – the small ridges that go down the seat tube – that are borrowed from its track bike, the Bolide F HR. These AeroNodes are said to "reduce the complex vortexes generated by riders' leg movements" and are inspired by the tubercules on the flippers of humpback wales.  

Stefan Küng's Willier Supersonica

Like the new Pinarello Bolide F TT, Willier's recently released Supersonica SLR promises significant aero improvements - 16% more than its previous model, according to the brand. 

Developed in just nine months, the bike was released in June this year with a hefty price tag starting at €20,5000 (£17,280). It was ridden by Groupama-FDJ's Stefan Küng at the Tour de France, and the Swiss rider was spotted using it again in his recons of the Olympic course in Paris. 

One of the bike's more unique elements is its integrated bottle cage, which requires a special, rectangular bottle, and is typically seen in triathlon. It's all part of making the machine a fast, cohesive unit, with as little airflow disruption as possible. 

Team GB's special skinsuits

Brought to our attention by Cyclingspy on Instagram, the material on the Team GB skinsuits is worthy of closer inspection. 

As shown in the picture above, Tarling's forearms appear to be wrapped in a shiny, smooth fabric. This material could be latex or silicone, and despite being branded as Adidas, may have been made by another manufacturer, such as bespoke brand Vorteq, who are known to be working with the Team GB track team at the Games.

The desired effect of the material, ultimately, is to go faster. Track sprinter Jeffrey Hoogland used similar fabrics, inspired by speedskating suits, during his kilometre time trial world record in a bid to reduce drag at higher speeds. 

The GB skinsuits, likewise, seek to control airflow with a waved texture on the upper arm, likely achieved by layering two fabrics.

Specialized's Paris paint jobs

Specialized may not have given their riders new models for the Olympic time trials, but the American brand has provided fresh paintwork. Those using S-Works Shiv TT bikes, such as Demi Vollering and Remco Evenepoel, will race with special paint jobs that have a nod to sustainability. 

The design comes as Specialized celebrates its 50th anniversary, and symbolises the brand's mission to strive for a better planet. 

Vollering shared close-up pictures on her Instagram, revealing the phrase "pedal the planet forward" printed on her bike's top tube. 

For more information about the Paris Olympic Games time trials, visit our detailed hub page, which provides everything you need to know to follow the action. 

A British time trialist has set a new road bike record over 10 miles, using a machine that garnered him "a load of stick".  

George Fox knocked two seconds off the existing benchmark last Thursday, when he rode 18 minutes and 33 seconds on a course in Northamptonshire, averaging 32.3mph (52km/h).

Fox achieved the record, which is not officially recognised by the Cycling Time Trials (CTT) body, on his Argon 18 bike with an E119 triathlon frame. 

Following his win at April's National Road Bike Time Trial Championships, the 30-year-old faced complaints about his bike and position, which led to a disciplinary hearing. He was found not to have breached any rules, and was awarded the victory. 

"Last year I copped a load of stick, and at the start of this year," he tells Cycling Weekly. "There's a lot of people who are, what's the best way of putting it, not happy with the set-up I've used."

Fox competes under the banner of his bike fitting and coaching company, George Fox Cycling Solutions, and has always had a keen interest in optimisation. 

In the wake of his disciplinary hearing, he jokes, his bike is now "arguably the only CTT-approved road bike", but it continues to raise questions on social media. 

"A lot of people that are in the sport still come from an era where it's round steel tubes, and they don’t like change," he says. "They look at [my bike] and go, 'Well that doesn't look like my road bike, so now I've got an opinion on it.'

"I think that's why there's always so many comments, because people love to hate it. They're not racing, but they can relate to it. They go, 'That doesn't look like mine, so it can't be one.'"

While his disciplinary hearing was ongoing, Fox chose not to use his road bike for seven weeks, and was told by one race organiser that he would be disqualified if he tried to take part. The legal fees, he says, were "one of the most expensive parts" of his National Championships bid. 

"I'm very much a function-over-form person. If it works, and it's fast, I'll use it," he says. "Once the rules are set by the CTT each year, you've got a good idea of what you can and can't do, which sort of sets the boundaries. It's obviously a case of working within that.

"Ultimately, if you're in a sport that uses technology, then you have to embrace it, because if you don't embrace it, you get left behind very quickly."

Despite complaints about his bike, Fox is keen to stress that it's the shape of the rider's body that really makes a difference in races, something he found out in wind tunnel testing. 

"In terms of the drag, the body is 80 to 85% of it. It's the position that makes us fast, not the bike," he says. "Ultimately, it's being able to produce the power in that position that wins the race."

"Scarring", "painful", and "unpleasant" are some of the words John Archibald used to describe his record-breaking ride at the National 100-Mile Time Trial Championships on Sunday.

The 33-year-old won the event in Cockermouth with a time of 3:12.58, averaging just over 31mph and taking 39 seconds off the existing record, which had stood for five years. 

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Speaking to Cycling Weekly the day after, Archibald said he was "a bit buckled" following his effort, but delighted with the result. 

"I had done some longer events, but nothing solitary to that level," he said. "There's no music or anything else to distract you, or talking or anything like that. You're just in the pain cave, like you'd expect really. The time doesn't fly by, it's definitely a drag."

To tackle the route, which comprised four out-and-back laps of a single carriageway, Archibald broke it down mentally into 25-mile chunks. It wasn't until after the first quarter, he said, that he "started to seriously consider" going for the record. 

"I knew I had the potential to get it, it was just [a matter of] would I fall apart or not?" the Scot explained. "It just got more painful from the second lap onwards, to the point where, on the third or fourth lap, I thought it could all fall apart completely.

"Your glutes, your hamstrings, your back, the position. Everything about it is just very uncomfortable and unpleasant," he continued. "I was just largely focused on the end goal of going, 'if I let off, I know I will be disappointed in myself, in terms of if I miss the end result.' I knew it was within reach. It would be a sort of mental defeat, rather than a physical one."

Archibald rode a Cervélo P5 TT bike for the event, and fuelled by fitting a hydration bladder pack down the front of his jersey, which he had never done before. "I had sugar water in it, and 300g of carbohydrates in there, but I only managed to drink two thirds of it. That probably contributed to how I fell apart a bit in the second half," he said. 

Still, despite the rainy conditions and depleting energy levels, the Scot ended up averaging 337 watts to take the national title and the record, a legendary marker of the British TT scene, which had belonged to Marcin Białobłocki since 2019.

"The way the sport moves on is just phenomenal," Archibald said. "Who knows if it'll stand for one year, five years, 10 years? I can imagine it'll go again pretty soon, because with the technological development in cycling, no record is safe."

The 33-year-old will now look to target the upcoming 10-mile and 25-mile National TT Championships, having already won the 50-mile event last month. 

Will he return to defend his 100-mile title next year? "It will take a lot I think," Archibald laughed. "It really was scarring in terms of how much it hurts. I wouldn't rule it out, but it really wasn't a pleasant thing to do." 

Chest fairings can give riders a "significant" aerodynamic advantage and decide time trials, a new study has discovered. 

The research, published in the Journal of Wind Engineering and Industrial Aerodynamics, found that a large chest fairing could result in time gains of almost a second per kilometre.

Even the most discrete of fairings could offer a few seconds' advantage over a course, which “could very well decide who wins and who loses the race”, concluded engineering researchers Bert Blocken, Fabio Malizia and Thijs van Druenen of Heriot-Watt University, KU Leuven and TU Eindhoven. 

A fairing is any object added to the bike or rider designed solely to improve aerodynamics and reduce drag. 

More recently, riders have turned to adding objects into their skinsuit to alter the shape of their body, helping to smooth the passage of air around it. Triathletes have been known to put water bottles down their jerseys to optimise their frontal area, while in cycling, riders like Andy Schleck, Dan Bigham and Jonas Vingegaard have used smaller fairings in time trials, the latter appearing to do so at last year’s Tour de France. 

UCI guidelines stipulate that "any non-essential element or device" may not "modify the morphology of the rider"; however, teams have tried to circumvent this rule by placing race radios as chest fairings, a practice which is not permitted.

In the new study, the researchers took a mannequin of a male rider, 177cm in height, and ran time trial simulations inside a wind tunnel in Eindhoven, the Netherlands. 

They found that fairings can give rise to "significant drag aero reductions", with wider objects yielding the largest gains. 

At speeds of around 55km/h, for example, riders can save up to 0.78 seconds per kilometre, with gains even larger at slower speeds, up to 0.9 seconds at 46.8km/h. "[This] might be perceived as counter-intuitive," the researchers noted. "The reason is that at a lower speed, more time is needed to travel a km, hence also the drag benefit – that is a fixed percentage of drag area and a fixed percentage of cycling speed, irrespective of the total riding speed – can be exploited for a longer duration for this km."

At this year’s Tour de France, the peloton will tackle two individual time trials, the first coming on stage seven, 25km in length and counting 300m elevation. The researchers calculated that, at an average speed of 46.8km/h, riders with large fairings could gain a whopping 22.4 seconds over their rivals. 

"For a cycling discipline in which sometimes tenths or exceptionally even thousands of a second can be decisive, the use of a chest fairing, even a very small one, could very well decide who wins and who loses the race," they said. 

The researchers noted, however, that their study did not consider the impact of head, tail or cross winds. They also conceded that savings will differ based on a rider’s size and positioning. 

On-body fairings became a hot topic in the UK time trialling scene last season, prompting discussions of a clampdown within Cycling Time Trials (CTT), the governing body.

Aero expert Dr Xavier Disley told Cycling Weekly that he believes they "shouldn’t be allowed".

"If you turn up to a bike race and the guy next to you is dressed up like a transformer, are you going to feel like you’re in the right place?" he said. 

In the second half of 2023, the researchers shared the findings of their study with the UCI, who subsequently reiterated their ban on fairings.

Today, on the third stage of Paris-Nice, the riders will line up in their teams and race against the clock in Dampierre-en-Burly, north-central France. 

The course is simple, a triangular 32.2km out-and-back, but it won't be a straightforward team time trial. No, this time there's a catch. 

Despite competing in seven-man squads, the race organisers are only taking the times of the first rider across the line, rather than the fourth as is customary. All seven riders will then receive individual timings for the general classification. 

“We want to avoid that one team with the majority of its riders is at the top of the rankings,” said race director François Lemarchand when unveiling the route earlier this year. 

“It will be interesting to see what tactics the teams will use,” he added. “I can imagine a scenario where only two riders of a team enter the final kilometre, after which one then launches the sprint for the other.” 

Speaking to Cycling Weekly last week, six-time British time trial champion Alex Dowsett said the format is “brilliant”. 

“The most efficient way of doing the race will be to have your GC guy dropped off with 500m to go," he explained. "Maybe he has taken some turns, maybe he hasn't, that depends how strong he would be, and how much energy they want to save for days to come.”

"If you have Jonas Vingegaard, who's a weapon on a team time trial bike, then it would be useful for him to ride for the team. If you have a weaker time trialist, it makes sense to keep the GC rider protected until the end."

Below are the start times for each team. Lotto Dstny will begin proceedings at 13:57 GMT, with each squad then starting at three-minute intervals. Race leader Mads Pedersen’s Trek-Segafredo will be the last team down the ramp at 15:00 GMT. 

For details on how to watch the action, visit our streaming guide here. 

Start times (GMT)

13:57 - Lotto Dstny
14:00 - Israel-Premier Tech
14:03 - Bahrain Victorious
14:06 - Jayco AlUla
14:09 - Alpecin-Deceuninck
14:12 - Ineos Grenadiers
14:15 - Intermarché-Circus-Wanty
14:18 - Astana Qazaqstan
14:21 - Uno-X Pro Cycling
14:24 - AG2R Citröen
14:27 - Arkéa-Samsic
14:30 - Team DSM
14:33 - Bora-Hansgrohe
14:36 - UAE Team Emirates
14:39 - Groupama-FDJ
14:42 - Movistar
14:45 - TotalEnergies
14:48 - Jumbo-Visma
14:51 - Cofidis
14:54 - Soudal Quick-Step
14:57 - EF Education-EasyPost
15:00 - Trek-Segafredo 

Last year I set out on a project to get more aerodynamic on the bike on the cheap. With an old frame, some borrowed equipment and a couple of items of test kit, I built a time trial (TT) bike and adjusted my position to get as aerodynamic as possible. The whole setup cost less than £200 and led to a significant improvement over previous TT times set on a standard drop barred road bike. 

This year the natural progression was to see if and how I could take it to the next level. To find even more cycling speed. With a better position and better kit would the improvements continue in a linear fashion and see me post ever faster times? That was the hope. But little did I know things were about to get complicated.

First up, the kit. This was in fact the easy part. I knew Specialized had a Shiv in my size that was gathering dust in a pro rider’s garage, and a loan of a bike that is known to test exceptionally well in all scenarios was the perfect start. I’d kit it out with a SRAM Red Etap AXS one-by groupset and there’d be no stopping me. 

Building the bike was relatively simple, even the oft troublesome internal routing for the disc brakes was straightforward. The Etap bar buttons were easy to locate and feed through to the brain sitting under the steam, while the wireless blips can go almost anywhere. Wireless setups, where you’re able to place gear-change buttons exactly where your hands sit, are perfect for TT bikes for which holding a set position is everything.

With the bike ready to roll I drove up to the Silverstone Sports Engineering (SSE)  windtunnel. With two bikes and test kit I was excited to see how many watts the £10k+ SRAM equipped Shiv would save over an eight year old, converted £1,600 road bike. With three hours of tunnel time to play with we’d then get my position dialled in to perfection, save even more watts, and I’d come away from the whole experience ready to race.  

Because that’s how it works, right? Well, not quite. Welcome to the aerodynamics rabbit hole.

I’ve had more conversations regarding aerodynamics than I care to mention. And most of them with the man stood behind the screen to my left, pushing the buttons and telling me when to pedal. Dr Hutch is well known for his riding exploits and column in CW magazine, but he’s also an aerodynamic consultant, currently working with the Irish team, and I’m constantly picking his brains on the subject. 

I’ve been lucky enough to watch Chris Boardman at work in a windtunnel and have had my brain frazzled by Tony Purnell, once of Jaguar F1, now with British Cycling, on the theory behind it all. 

I know you have to get your frontal area as small as possible. That some kit works for some riders’ positions and not others, and that a change in position can throw out all previously gathered data forcing you to start all over again. But even this knowledge is barely scratching the surface and I’d never had the chance to try it myself. Now was that chance.

We started by measuring my position and kit from last year, choosing to blast air at me at 45kph at a five degree angle (most testing is done at yaw angles between 0-10 deg, as it’s more representative of real life riding conditions - you’re rarely riding into a dead-on headwind) while I’m pedalling at 100 watts, the software then calculates how many watts I’d have to ride to sustain that speed. We’d also capture my CdA (coefficient of drag) for each test. The aim for that number is to get it as low as possible.

The headline from the table is that with the new kit and a few positional tweaks we managed to find 31 watts from last year's setup. We tried some other kit including a Rule 28 skinsuit and its ribbed undervest - one watt quicker than the Castelli suit, Rule 28 overshoes - lost that one watt again, and a POC helmet - similar savings to the Castelli setup but I couldn’t see where I was going.

With each ‘run’ requiring the wind tunnel to be fired up and reach its speed, a ‘tare’ taken to establish a zero point, then a 30 second measurement was taken, we rattled through our three hours in no time. Due to me forgetting the extensive box of nuts, bolts and spacers that allow for the armrests and extensions to be adjusted to multiple heights, we had barely scratched the surface of positional adjustments for my elbows and hands. A key factor in finding the optimal TT position.

My forgetfulness turned out to be a blessing as fiddling with the bar's intricate fixings would have taken up most of our time, and those three hours had flown by as it was. 

The idea of coming away with my perfect position was so far from the truth it was laughable. That perfection is like the horizon, something you can chase but never quite reach. There is always something else to try. In an ideal world I’d have gone back to the tunnel with one set of preferred kit for a session dedicated to getting the extensions in an optimal position. A quick fingered mechanic would help with that.

But we had to settle with what we had. The new position with the HJC helmet in either the Castelli or Rapha skinsuit would be how I tackle the remaining races of the season. 

All I now had to concentrate on was recreating this position on the road, sustain 245 watts, and 45kph was achievable. That’s a 53 minute 25, or a 21 minute ten. But this is where things got difficult. In the tunnel I had a live display of me riding projected onto the floor in front of me. 

On top of that was a green outline of my last, or a preferred, riding position. Moulding myself into the green outline was easy. I had a direct visual cue and didn’t have to worry about staying upright (the bike is held up by stanchions in the floor) or looking where I was going. 

On the road, none of those things apply. 

This was immediately brought home to me when someone took a pic of me in a TT where I looked more like a meerkat on the lookout than a streamlined, 45kph tester.

Getting my head down, whilst being able to look a safe distance up the road, was perhaps the biggest challenge. And without my green outline projected onto the tarmac in front of me I had no idea if I was keeping my CdA at 0.205 and therefore banking those precious watt savings. 

I spent as much time as I could in the position, going on the sensations in my shoulders and neck as I tried to replicate the wind tunnel position, but this was only possible in races and during turbo sessions. The Shiv’s setup was not appropriate for training rides. 

The observant among you may have realised I haven’t once mentioned my training up to this point. No, I wasn’t banking on aerodynamics alone slashing my times, but it was going to have to do a lot of heavy lifting. During the summer I was some way off my fitness from last year. With half of March and April wiped out by illness, sporadic riding rather than structured training the rest of the time, and a week at the Tour de France, meant I was not hitting the numbers I hit in 2021. Not consistently anyway. 

Several TT’s that were in my diary were cancelled, and before long I was worrying about having a set of rides to meaningfully compare to last year. Something that is difficult at the best of times. 

At my club’s interclub TT against our rival club on the Bletchingley course in Surrey I posted a 27:57 minute ride, six seconds slower than last year. But that’s not the whole story. My average power had been 16 watts lower than last year, but I put 1.03 minutes into a rider who beat me by 14 seconds in 2021 and went seven seconds faster than another rider who I had fully expected to beat me. Were they off form? Was it a slower night? I’d put out less power, gone only a handful of seconds slower and beaten two riders who usually beat me. It was a good result, even if it didn’t particularly feel like one. 

On the even shorter Newdigate course, I posted an 18.44 minute ride early in the season on the Venge, then two months later, on the Shiv, I lowered that to a 17.40, sadly with no power numbers to compare. A faster night? Probably. But the rider who beat me in May only improved by 24 seconds when I’d improved by 1.03min. The rider in third had gone faster by just two seconds.

The improvements were there despite my inability to hold the position honed in the windtunnel. But nothing was going to give conclusive proof.

The final test

As the summer evening TT season petered out in late August I felt like there had been no end point or conclusive set of results with which to neatly summarise my little aero project so a quick reassessment had to be made. I decided to ride a 25, a distance I hadn’t ridden since the late 90s when I first started racing. The aim would be to break the hour. 

With an open TT cancelled midway through (see note at end of feature) the final test would be on the E33/25 course. A triangular circuit completed twice on single carriageway A roads in Cambridgeshire with a total elevation of 190m. Originally proposed as a SPOCO course it wasn’t a given that I could break the hour, especially as I was riding it alone, on a random Thursday afternoon at the end of September. 

The pressure was on. Thousands of pounds worth of kit (a HED rear disc and front wheel had since arrived for testing) and input: I had to do it. Setting off on a rolling section of road I tried my best to hold back on the inclines, trying to keep it under 350 watts at all times and simultaneously staying as aerodynamic as possible. Basically, head tucked in and shoulders shrugged. 

I had reduced the display on my computer to show just speed, watts and elapsed time, so I had little to distract me while giving me the info I needed to ensure I was pacing myself and staying on target. I held an average weighted power of 222 watts (3.55 w/kg), fading ever so slightly at the end and eventually stopped the clock at 59.00, just after passing the finish line signalled by Dr Hutch, so adjusted my time down by one second for extra kudos. 

I’d done it. I’d broken the hour, and what's more done it on 48 hours notice, without any recent focused or consistent training, no structured warm up and without the extra impetus of being part of an event. 

Hutch made an educated guess that on a fast course, that time would drop further still, perhaps even as low as 55 minutes, and that was enough for me. The aero tech and work on my position had allowed me, a very average time trailer, without huge watts to spare, to post a good time, when in a state of fitness that really wasn’t conducive to it. 

Would I have been happy had I spent thousands of pounds of my own money (rather than borrow test kit) and not get that conclusive answer or result I was hoping for? I probably would. The results were good, if not spectacular, the Shiv is a superb bike to ride at speed and as a learning experience it was fascinating.

I’d learnt that the aero quest is an ongoing project, with an indefinite number of tweaks to be made. But more so, as I compared my times with those from last year I was reminded that while money can buy you speed, time is a more valuable commodity. Time spent training, and ideally in the TT position. 

I can turn up to a local TT on thousands of pounds worth of kit, get some admiring comments and post a good time, but I imagine I’ll never be fully satisfied. Always thinking, “if I’d done a few more miles, raised my hands, got my head down lower…….. I could go even faster.” But I guess that’s what keeps us coming back.

Good morning and welcome to today's live blog. Apparently it's Blue Monday, the most depressing day of the year, so make sure you look out for yourself and do something you enjoy (*cough* ride your bike *cough*), if you can. 

I'll be here all day rounding up the latest cycling news, especially for you. If you'd like to have your say, feel free to drop me a line on Twitter. My handle is @t_davidson. 

Latest updates:

9:09 - Alex Manly sprints into the lead at Santos Tour Down Under 

9:43 - Topless climate protesters arrested at Tour Down Under

11:03 - Tributes paid to Lieuwe Westra, who died aged 40 on Saturday

11:24 - Strava offers price hike rationale

12:02 - Chris Froome targets 'top level', dismisses retirement

12:48 - The new cyclo-cross national champions

14:20 - Scott recall road and gravel models due to 'cracking' hazard

14:46 - Toon Aerts takes on part-time PE teacher role

15:05 - EF Education-EasyPost partners with junior cycling program

15:34 - Bradley Wiggins eyes future after punditry

16:31 - UCI issues update to individual time trial rules

17:01 - Chad Haga pens Sound of Music inspired song

Alex Manly storms into Tour Down Under lead after stage two

In the early hours of this morning, when the Australian sun was shining, Jayco AlUla's Alex Manly sprinted to victory in stage two of the Santos Tour Down Under, claiming the race's orange leader's jersey. 

The 26-year-old Australian beat her compatriot Georgia Baker (EF Education-Tibco-SVB) to the line, where she took 12 bonus seconds to move into the overall lead. 

The race played out over a lumpy 90km course between Birdwood and Uraidla in the Adelaide hills. 

Baker currently trails Manly by eight seconds in the GC, with FDJ-Suez's Grace Brown also at eight seconds in third. 

Climate protesters arrested after baring breasts at Tour Down Under

Three women, who uncovered their breasts to the passing peloton at the Women's Santos Tour Down Under, have been arrested in South Adelaide, Australia, charged with indecent exposure. 

The women, aged between 69 and 74, were allegedly part of a climate protest against the race's title sponsor, Santos, a leading oil and gas producer. 

"We are baring our ageing breasts and our wobbly bums in the hope of shocking," one protester said at the race. "We want people to see that this company is not benevolent. It is prepared to destroy future life on earth in order to make profits." 

Last week, Tour Down Under director Stuart O'Grady said he hoped environmental protesters would act peacefully, and not impede on the safety of the riders. 

"Everyone has got their right to their own opinion, to protest, do what they may, but I don’t think blocking the cycling tracks and getting on course would be very wise," he said. "And if that starts becoming a liability or a danger to the riders then that’s going to escalate it to a whole other level and that wouldn’t be good for anybody."

The three women have been released on bail and will appear at a later date before Christies Beach Magistrates court.

Retired pro Lieuwe Westra dies, aged 40

Tributes have been paid to retired Dutch rider Lieuwe Westra, who died aged 40 on Saturday. 

The former Astana rider, who took 13 victories throughout his 11-year career, was found unresponsive at work in Zwaagdijk, Netherlands. His biographer, Thomas Sijtsma, later confirmed that he had passed away, despite CPR attempts to resuscitate him.

"The former cyclist fought with himself in recent years and lost," Sijtsma wrote on Twitter. "Rest in peace, beast."

Westra suffered with depression after finishing his career in 2017. "Lieuwe Westra had a very hard time in recent months," Sijtsma said. "But as far as is known, there is no suggestion of suicide." 

Westra's former team-mate Johnny Hoogerland, who he rode alongside at Vacansoleil, wrote: "Lieuwe my friend. What happened to you the last years? We are so terribly sad that your life ended already today. I'm very sorry that we could not help you more. Will never forget what you did for me when we were teammates. Find your rest above us."

His former team, Astana Qazaqstan, also tweeted: "We are shocked by the dreadful news about the untimely death of Lieuwe Westra... we express our deepest condolences to the family and loved ones…"

Strava responds to price hike criticism

Exercise tracking app Strava has responded to criticism of its recent subscription price hikes, announced earlier this month. 

First reported by BikeRadar, the company looks set to increase the price of its monthly subscription from £6.99 to £8.99 and its annual membership from £47.99 to £54.99.

In a statement shared last week, Strava said: "As we continue to invest in your experience, our prices may change to better reflect new features and market conditions. The decision to change our price was not taken lightly.

The company gave its rationale for the price hikes, citing new features, product updates and local market conditions. Price changes, it added, will vary depending on region and preferred platform.

The full statement can be accessed on Strava's website. 

Chris Froome sets sights on return to 'top level'

Four-time Tour de France champion Chris Froome has said he's "looking to get to the top level" as he readies himself for his season debut at the Santos Tour Down Under. 

The Israel Premier Tech rider was was taken into intensive care in 2019 after crashing into a wall in a course recon at the Critérium du Dauphiné. He suffered fractures to his sternum, neck, femur, elbow and ribs, and also lost four pints of blood. He returned to WorldTour racing eight months later, but has since struggled to regain his form.

Speaking in a pre-race press conference on Sunday, Froome said: "I feel I've been given a second chance. I've been given an opportunity to come back to bike racing and the sport I love. Had the crash marked the end of my career, I'd have felt I still had more to give.

The 37-year-old added that he still gets a lot of pleasure from cycling and is enjoying his time at Israel-Premier Tech. "It's as if I've rewound 15 years," he said, "I'm looking to get to the top level. It's a fresh approach for me and hoping to do it for a few more years."

Froome also revealed that he will travel to Africa for next month's Tour de Rwanda, scheduled for 19-26 February.

The Tour Down Under will start tomorrow at 7:30 GMT (8:30 CET) with a 5.5km time trial prologue in Adelaide, Australia.  

Cyclo-cross national champions crowned

In case you missed it, a number of country's held their national cyclo-cross championships over the weekend. Here's a list of the winners to look out for in the season's remaining races: 

UK 

Men's elite: Cameron Mason 

Women's elite: Zoe Bäckstedt

Cycling Weekly reporter Tom Thewlis spent the day in the mud in Cumbria on Sunday. You can catch his race report here.  

Netherlands 

Men's elite: Lars van der Haar

Women's elite: Puck Pieterse 

Belgium 

Men's elite: Michael Vanthourenhout

Women's elite: Sanne Cant

France

Men's elite: Clément Venturini 

Women's elite: Hélène Clauzel

Italy

Men's elite: Filippo Fontana

Women's elite: Silvia Persico

Spain

Men's elite: Felipe Orts

Women's elite: Lucía Gónzalez Blanco

Scott recalls road and gravel models due to 'cracking' hazard

Scott bikes has issued a voluntary recall of certain models from its 2022 Speedster and Gravel line-up due to a potential issue with the forks.

In-house testing found that the steerer tube/fork bridge can break without warning, with the recall notice describing “cracking within the fork steerer”. Naturally, such a failure presents a serious crash hazard for users.

However, despite the recall, done in cooperation with national recall authorities, Scott has stated that there have been no cases or reports of fork failure or related accidents to date and as such the recall is a pre-emptive move.

For more information, check out the full story written by Cycling Weekly Tech reporter Luke Friend. 

Toon Aerts working as a PE teacher while he faces two-year ban 

Suspended cyclo-cross racer Toon Aerts has reportedly taken up a new job as a PE teacher in his native Belgium. 

The 29-year-old returned a positive test result for the banned substance letrozole earlier this year and is currently facing a two-year ban from competition. 

Speaking to Het Nieuwsblad about his new role, Aerts said: “I was looking for a job and heard through the grapevine that they were looking for someone there.

"There were students who recognised me immediately, others didn’t know who I am at all. I assume that the first group will inform the second about my story. That will go around quickly. I didn’t get any comments about it and I think that’s good. I like to keep those things separate.”

The Belgian has not raced since February 2022 and denies all allegations of doping. He has said he will do everything to prove his innocence, arguing that letrozole must have entered his body through contamination. 

“I am convinced that I will take my place in cyclocross again," he said last month. "I have a lot of uncertainties, but one thing is certain: my second career will start on February 16, 2024 at the latest.”

EF Education-EasyPost partners with junior squad

WorldTour team EF Education-EasyPost has joined forces with ONTO, one of North America's most promising junior cycling programs. 

The partnership, which will see the junior squad compete as EF Education-ONTO, seeks to develop the next generation of cycling talent in the US, and prepare them for careers as professionals. 

In a press release shared this afternoon, EF team manager Jonathan Vaughters said: "I hope that this project shows that talented kid in Ohio, or Québec, or Los Angeles, who might have seen the Tour de France on Instagram and decided that they want to be a bike racer, that they can get there if they work hard and commit to it.

"We’re going to be keeping a close eye on North American junior races. Prove yourself there, and EF Education-ONTO could be your shot to learn what it takes to race as a pro and show what you can do against the best in the world.”

Is Bradley Wiggins's punditry career coming to a close? 

Former Tour de France champion Bradley Wiggins has hinted that he might soon draw the curtain on his punditry career, adding that he is currently out of contract with Eurosport. 

In an interview with Mail on Sunday, the Brit said there is "no longevity" in punditry.

"I’ve actually not extended my contract with Eurosport," he said, "so I don’t know if I’m going to be doing that this year.

"I really don’t want to be on Eurosport in 10 years’ time, doing cycling from the back of a motorbike. I’m just going with the flow at the moment."

Wiggins has been part of Eurosport's cycling team since 2019, and has his own podcast with the channel, which was last updated in July last year. Asked what he hopes to do in the future, the former cyclist said: "I do the punditry, but that all comes easy, and there's no longevity in it." 

He added that he would like to work with grass-roots social campaigns, such as the NSPCC's recently launched Listen Up, Speak Up, which he is backing.

"The social worker idea was just the start of a process moving towards something completely different, something fulfilling," he said. 

UCI tightens time trial rules

The UCI has today updated its rules surrounding individual time trials, writing that vehicles must now remain at least 25 metres behind the rider. 

The rule, which was previously updated from 10 metres to 15 metres in November last year, aims to prevent riders from gaining an unfair aerodynamic advantage. 

A study by the Eindhoven University of Technology found that a car driving 10 metres behind the athlete offers an advantage of 0.05 of a second per kilometre at 46.8km/h. This is equivalent to one second in a 20km time trial.  

At 15 metres, there is no advantage. 

The UCI said: "After consultation with the parties concerned, the decision was taken to increase the minimum distance between the rider and the following vehicle to 25 m. This distance, which is greater than the stated 15 m, ensures that the presence of vehicles does not have an effect on the performance of the cyclist.

"Furthermore, the 25 m distance aims to increase rider safety by providing the driver of the vehicle with longer reaction times in the case of an unexpected mishap or incident."

The rule does not apply to vehicles in the race convoy, which are allowed to go within closer proximity to the riders. Anyone who drives dangerously in the convoy may be suspended for up to seven days and dealt a fine.  

Chad Haga pens Sound of Music inspired song

Human Powered Health's Chad Haga has written a song to pass the time on his team training camp.

The lyrics, written to the tune of 'My Favourite Things' from The Sound of Music, are inspired by his ongoing struggle with patience in between training efforts. 

So here it goes. Warm up those vocal cords, dig out a karaoke version of the original song and sing along.

"Standing by roadsides
The time keeps on slippin'
We should get moving
But we just don't clip in 

We did our efforts
Now let's move along
This is my "can we please get moving" song"

Now we're heading into chorus...

"There's no reason
To just stand here
We've been here long enough 

I don't like this down time, there's still far to go
and standing around is slowwwww"

That's all for today's live blog. If you want some entertaining evening reading, check out my colleague Adam Becket's exposé on Tadej Pogacar's hair tufts. 

Do they form naturally, or might the Slovenian be pulling them through his helmet deliberately?  

On Tuesday morning, Michael Tarling watched from a hotel room in Poland as his 18-year-old son, Josh, won his first world title.

Josh's mother, Dawn, and younger brother, Finlay, were at the race in Wollongong, Australia. Ten thousand miles west, his father was on a work trip in Eastern Europe, readying himself for the day ahead with the logistics company he joined just a few weeks prior.  

“I came into the office late,” Michael told Cycling Weekly. “I told everyone I wasn’t going to be here until around about 11 o’clock.” 

That morning, Michael had been wide awake, eyes glued to the television as his son thundered through the winding time trial circuit. 

“I had Eurosport plugged into the hotel tele and the live timing from Tissot on my phone trying to work out where he was,” Michael said. “Fin and Dawn were sending us updates on the family WhatsApp group as to how it was going.

“Fin was in the media car following him with Mark Renshaw so he was having a whale of a time watching.

“It looked like it was all going really good until the final time check. I think he lost about six seconds. We were a bit heart in mouth and the WhatsApp group was going backwards and forwards about whether he could hold on. But he had it all in control in the end, bless him.” 

Josh averaged over 49km/h around the 28.8km course, taking the rainbow jersey in the junior men's individual time trial by 19 seconds.

“He said afterwards that when he caught Jens Verbrugghe, who was in front of him, he thought he was probably going a little bit too hard so backed off and maybe backed off a little bit too much. But I think he did that to give us all a bit of a scare in the end. There were a few tears once he crossed the line.

“I must admit," Michael continued, "I’m probably not as focused as I should be on this trip, that’s for sure.”

The view from Wales

Earlier that same morning, at 1:46am UK time, Magnus and Meg Bäckstedt watched nervously from their family sofa in South Wales as their daughter, Zoe, rolled down the start ramp in the junior women’s individual time trial.

“I never actually went to bed,” Magnus told Cycling Weekly. “At about half past 10, 11 o’clock, I started feeling a bit butterfly-y.”

Last year, when Zoe crossed the line first in the junior road race, Magnus fell silent in his TV commentary role. A video released later that day showed the Paris-Roubaix winner sobbing as he celebrated in the commentary booth. This year, he said, the emotions were back. 

“We were both standing up in front of the television last night,” Magnus said. “We had one or two points where [Zoe] was descending, taking one of the corners in the skis and full gas. [Meg] was like ‘oh my god, my heart rate’s going up so high.’ So she looked and she was like 155 beats per minute.” 

Over in Wollongong, Zoe made racing look easy. The 17-year-old ended up winning by a margin of over 90 seconds, earning her a fourth world title in as many disciplines.

“I think the ride was something special, in terms of performance and everything that goes with it, you know, the pressure before the race to deal with being the outright favourite.

“I don’t know how she does it,” Magnus added.

In the early hours of Saturday morning, Zoe will be the favourite once again as she looks to retain her title in the junior road race. With his eldest daughter Elynor competing in the women’s elite event afterwards at 3:45am, Magnus isn’t expecting to sleep a wink. 

“We’ve got a few friends and family coming round to watch it,” he said. “I think it will be an all nighter for us all to watch both of the girls do their racing.”

Michael Tarling, too, is planning a family affair for when his son Josh takes the start line in Friday’s junior men’s road race. “I’m landing in the afternoon and driving home,” Michael said. “Then I’ll probably go and watch it with his grandparents, my mother in law and father in law. They’re not too far away, so we’ll watch it together, I think.”

Tobias Foss said he had hoped for a top-five finish, following his surprise win in the men’s elite individual time trial at the UCI Road World Championships. 

Speaking after his victory, Foss said: “This is unbelievable.

“If I were a top 10 today I would be really really satisfied and even top five I was hoping for.

The 25-year-old became the first Norwegian to win the time trial at the World Championships. Heading into the race, Foss was not one of the favourites for the rainbow jersey, but emerged as the strongest on the day, holding everyone off to finish on the top step of the podium.

“[We did] a really good coaching and we prepared really well, so it was a perfect executed race,” the Jumbo-Visma rider said.

“To wear that jersey will be really really special and I will try to honour it as good as I can,” he continued, choking up in front of the cameras. “I will, for sure, enjoy it as much as possible.”

Foss was the twelfth rider from the end to take to the course in New South Wales, and immediately thundered down the start ramp. The Norwegian navigated the winding time trial circuit with confidence and finesse, clocking an average speed of over 51km/h. 

Though it looked like he would be pipped to the jersey by Stefan Küng, the latter appeared to fade in the closing moments of his effort, losing an 11-second advantage he had held throughout the race. 

In the hot seat, Foss watched on in disbelief as the rest of the race favourites came across the line. Neither Tadej Pogačar, Evenepoel or reigning world champion Filippo Ganna could better the time of the Norwegian, who took the biggest victory of his career. 

Küng finished in second place, while Remco Evenepoel earned himself the bronze medal.

Elsewhere, Ellen van Dijk retained her title in the women’s elite event, adding a third rainbow jersey to her collection. The Dutch rider beat home favourite Grace Brown by 12 seconds to earn the gold medal in Wollongong, Australia. 

Former Tour de l'Avenir winner Tobias Foss (Norway) thundered to a surprise world title in the individual time trial at the UCI Road World Championships. 

The 25-year-old, a two-time national champion, barrelled around the 34.2km course, holding an average speed of 51.24km/h to stop the clock at just over 40 minutes.  

Stefan Küng (Switzerland), who looked in supreme form, missed out on the rainbow jersey by a margin of two seconds, while Remco Evenepoel (Belgium) charged home for third place. 

On a rolling course with over 50 bends, Filippo Ganna (Italy) lacked the power to retain his title. The Italian, who many predicted would win the event, finished in seventh, over 55 seconds down on Foss.

How it happened

On a sunny afternoon in Wollongong, two laps of a 17.1km circuit awaited the riders, offering them a heavy helping of twists and turns as they punched around the city. 

To the delight of the home crowds, Luke Plapp followed the example set by his fellow Australian Grace Brown in the women's race by laying down a strong early benchmark. Unlike Brown, though, the 21-year-old was soon dethroned. Bruno Armirail (France) took the race lead momentarily, then Yves Lampaert (Belgium), before Stefan Bissegger (Switzerland) became the first rider to average a speed of over 50km/h. 

It would take until the final wave of riders for the medal places to come back under threat. Foss powered intently down the start ramp, hot in pursuit of Magnus Sheffield (USA), who recorded a new best time at the intermediate check taken after 7.2km.

The times then got faster and faster. On his 24th birthday, Ethan Hayter (GB) appeared to be in fine form on the course, so too did Küng, who chased down the best time set by his compatriot. 

At the first time check, Tadej Pogačar (Slovenia) and Evenepoel failed to better Küng, before all eyes turned to Ganna. The reigning champion rose over the brow of a sharp rise in the road, and to the surprise of many, clocked in two seconds down on the Swiss heavyweight. 

Disaster then struck for two of Ganna’s Ineos Grenadiers teammates. At the halfway mark, Hayter dropped his chain and struggled to pedal it back into place. A roadside bike change followed, but not before precious seconds were lost. 

Up ahead, Sheffield crashed into the barriers as he hurtled through his second lap. The 20-year-old American had been one of the fastest riders on the day, but ended up coming in almost a minute down on race leader Bissegger. Foss then took a mammoth 47 seconds out of Bissegger’s time, charging over the line to end the Swiss rider’s stint in the hot seat. 

Still out on the road, Küng was putting in one of the performances of his career. So strong was the former European champion that neither Pogačar, Evenepoel or Ganna could match his pace. With just 10km remaining, the Italian trailed by almost 40 seconds. 

When Küng came towards the line, it seemed certain that the world title would be his. The clock, however, continued to tick, turning from green to red as the 28-year-old pushed desperately through the final few turns of the cranks. As had happened in last month's European Championships, Küng gave everything for the win, but would be forced to settle for a silver medal. 

Rapidly, it became clear that Foss's time would not be beaten. Evenepoel crossed the line in third place, unable to replicate the heroics of his recent Vuelta a España victory.

As for Ganna, seventh was the best he could manage on the day, finishing outside of a podium place for the first time in his career in the elite time trial at the World Championships. 

With his victory, Foss joins Ellen van Dijk in boasting the title of world time trial champion. 

Results

World Championships 2022 - Men's Elite Individual Time Trial (34.2km)

1. Tobias Foss (Nor), in 40-02
2. Stefan Küng (Sui), at 2s
3. Remco Evenepoel (Bel), at 9s
4. Ethan Hayter (GBr), at 40s
5. Stefan Bissegger (Sui), at 47s
6. Tadej Pogačar (Slo), at 48s
7. Filippo Ganna (Ita), at 56s
8. Nelson Oliviera (Por), at 59s
9. Yves Lampaert (Bel), at 1-09
10. Bruno Armirail (Fra), at 1-10

Ellen van Dijk (Netherlands) clinched the first rainbow jersey of this year’s UCI Road World Championships, powering to her third victory in the women’s elite time trial. 

The Dutch rider proved her dominance through the winding streets of Wollongong, Australia, clocking an average speed of over 46km/h to replicate her successes from 2013 and 2021. 

On home turf, Grace Brown (Australia) claimed a deserved silver medal, having sat in the hot seat for most of the morning. Marlen Reusser (Switzerland) completed the podium, 41 seconds down on Van Dijk. 

21-year-old Vittoria Guazzini (Italy) was the fastest rider under 23 to complete the 34.2km course, earning her the first rainbow bands ever awarded in that age category. The FDJ-Suez-Futuroscope rider finished 4th on the day, narrowly missing out on an elite medal. 

How it happened

For the first time in history, the women tackled the exact same time trial course as the men at the World Championships. The route consisted of two laps of a snaking 17.1km circuit, starting and finishing by the beachfront in Wollongong. 

Fifth down the ramp, Shirin van Anrooij (Netherlands) set out to replicate her performance in last month’s European Championships, where she won the under-23 title. The Trek-Segafredo rider went well under the morning Australian sun, laying down  an initial time to beat of 47-09-45.

In a matter of minutes, though, Van Anrooij was bumped from the race lead by home favourite Brown. Averaging almost 46km/h, Brown shaved an impressive 2-30 off the Dutchwoman’s time, setting herself up for a lengthy spell in the hot seat. 

As the Australian sat smiling on the podium, Annemiek van Vleuten (Netherlands) began turning the cranks around the circuit's wide roads. Despite her blistering form, the Olympic champion appeared slightly off in her pacing, coming in a minute down on Brown at the halfway mark. Van Vleuten lost a further 30 seconds on the run-in to the finish line and rolled home in a provisional bronze medal position. 

A podium place, however, looked unlikely for the two-time world time trial champion. Out on the road, it was time for Reusser and Van Dijk to cross swords in what many envisaged would be the battle for the gold medal. 

Seven kilometres in and the duel was well underway. Reusser clocked in one second up on Brown at the first intermediate split, before Van Dijk chipped a further seven seconds off the Australian’s time. Still, little separated the two race favourites. 

With her back flat to the east coast wind, Reusser thundered through the punchy course, tagging Emma Norsgaard (Denmark), who set off a minute and a half before her. Behind, Van Dijk continued to make headway.

As Reusser approached the line, onlookers were reminded of the high benchmark set by Brown earlier in the day. The clock turned red on the European champion, carrying with it her hopes of a world title. 

For Van Dijk, it was a different story. The tall frame of the Dutch rider rose out of the saddle as she lashed down the finishing straight. A bike throw across the line provided the cherry on top of another trademark display from the 35-year-old, who added a third rainbow jersey to her collection.

Results

World Championships 2022 - Women's Elite Individual Time Trial (34.2km)

1. Ellen van Dijk (Ned), in 44-29
2. Grace Brown (Aus), at 12s
3. Marlen Reusser (Sui), at 41s
4. Vittoria Guazzini (Ita), at 52s
5. Leah Thomas (USA), at 1-18
6. Kristen Faulkner (USA), at 1-25
7. Annemiek van Vleuten (Ned), at 1-43
8. Georgia Baker (Aus), at 1-46
9. Lotte Kopecky (Bel), at 1-50
10. Anna Kiesenhofer (Aut), at 1-56

This year’s Vuelta a España begins on Friday with a 23.3km team time trial through the streets of Utrecht in the Netherlands.

This opening stage marks the first time since 2019 that the discipline has featured at the race and, for many of the riders, the first time since that they’ve ridden against the clock in a team. 

When executed well, a team time trial can be a beautiful sight, with riders shifting smoothly through turns in perfect harmony. When it goes wrong, however, it can be a disaster. 

One rider who has experienced the chaos of a team time trial is three-time Vuelta a España winner Primož Roglič. On the first stage of the 2019 edition of the race, the Slovenian was one of four Jumbo-Visma riders who fell victim to a water leak on the course, causing them to slide out across the tarmac and into the metal safety barriers at the roadside.

After a scramble to retrieve their bikes, Roglič and his teammates ended up losing 40 seconds to stage winners Astana, who claimed the first red jersey for Miguel Ángel López in Torrevieja. 

Prior to 2019, the team time trial had been a staple amuse-bouche at the Vuelta. For eight editions in a row, between 2010 and 2017, the race kicked off with teams battling it out to set the fastest time. Nowadays, the discipline has become somewhat of an endangered art form.

While today’s pros are no strangers to racing against the clock, only rarely do they get the chance to do it as a team. The discipline has featured in just two of the last seven editions of the Tour de France, and you have to look back as far as 2015 for its last inclusion in the Giro d’Italia. 

The World Championships, too, have had a rocky relationship with team time trialling. After Innsbruck hosted the week-long festivities four years ago, the team time trial was scrapped from the list of events. It was replaced the following year with a new mixed relay, in which teams of three men and three women compete in two legs out on the course.  

Previously, riders competed in their trade teams in the TTT at the World Championships. The 2015 event proved to be one to forget for Tinkoff-Saxo, after a touching of wheels between Michael Valgren and Michael Rogers caused the duo to hit the deck in Richmond. The team finished last on the day, over eight minutes down on gold-medal winners BMC Racing around the 38.6km course. 

After the race, Tinkoff-Saxo sports director Sean Yates said such incidents are “something that can happen in these flat-out team time trials”.

With few technical sections, wide roads and barely an inch of climbing, this Friday’s Vuelta course promises to host some blistering team performances.

One team hoping to emulate their recent successes in the event is INEOS Grenadiers, who powered faultlessly to victory in last year's Tour of Britain team time trial in Carmarthenshire. Interestingly, 23-year-old INEOS Grenadiers rider Ethan Hayter, who will be starting his debut grand tour at this year's Vuelta, has a surprising wealth of experience, having taken part in six team time trials since 2018.

The 2022 Vuelta a España will begin at 18:30 CET on 19 August, with Spanish outfit Burgos-BH the first team to roll down the start ramp. 

The best time-trial helmets have come a long way in recent years. A shift from large, heavy, and poorly ventilated aerofoils has made way for stubbier, lighter, and more breathable designs. This doesn't mean brands aren't pushing the boundaries, though. Recent UCI interventions at the top level highlight the importance of the helmet in a rider's aerodynamics.

Alongside one of the best skinsuits for cycling or best triathlon suits, owning one of the best time trial helmets is a crucial part of any fast time trial or triathlon setup. While you may not be lining up at this year's Tour de France, an aero-optimised TT helmet can help save you vital seconds, assuming you can hold a good position on the bike.

This is why our experts test for much more than just speed. Holding a good position means you need to be comfortable, and your helmet plays a significant role in that, from the obvious like fit and weight to the often underestimated optics.

Our experts have put six of the world's fastest and best bike helmets to the test, scoring them on the obvious, speed, as well as comfort, usability, quality of optics, and, of course, claimed safety. Once all this has been taken into account, our expert tester, Aaron Borrill, has awarded the Specialized TT5, our best overall, for its superior comfort.

Quick List

Best Time Trial and Triathlon Helmets 2026: as tested by our experts

Best Overall

The Specialized S-Works TT5 eschews the long-tail blueprints of its contemporaries for a wider, short-tail design - something that was refined in the wind tunnel together with UCI World Time Trial Champion, Remco Evenepoel. The result is a new shape designed to work seamlessly with the head and shoulders, ensuring optimal drag.

What makes the S-Works TT5 such a hit among professionals and amateur athletes is its superior fit and comfort, which is a delicate balance to achieve at the best of times. This was achieved by the introduction of a MIPS Air Node liner, a refined strap management and retention system and a helmet shell that clears the face and ears - no restriction here.

With three sizes available (S, M, L), there’s enough variation in fit for most head shapes. The only real issue comes in the form of pricing and availability. It’s one of the most expensive options in the segment, and its popularity and reputation as one of the fastest time trial helmets available mean it’s often out of stock.

Best Fit

Compared to the wider, bulkier time trial helmets on the market, the POC Procen looks quite undergunned, but it’s still a top performer - especially if you’re a rider who struggles to hold position. The short-tail design means even if your head moves slightly over the duration of a time trial, you won’t be penalised, so you can just focus on driving the pedals.

In true POC fashion, the fit is exceptional, holding the helmet firmly in place with no pressure points or heat-related discomfort. What it lacks in rotational impact protection, it makes up for in optics - the Procen has one of the best visors in the game. In this case, the famed Clarity lens used an innovative two-position system to combat lens fogging.

Three vents are located at the front, which help with cooling. It’s not the most affordable helmet around, so it should be seen more as an investment than anything else - that’s if you’re a fan of POC’s distinctive styling. If the outlay is too much for your liking, the more affordable POC Cerebel might be a better shout as it’s similar and designed around the same principles.

Best for speed

Met has stepped up considerably when it comes to helmet performance, largely thanks to Tadej Pogacar and the Team UAE Emirates-XRG. While the company has two other time trial lid options available - the Codatronca and regular Drone - the Drone Wide Body II takes things one step further by channelling airflow over and around the shoulders to reduce turbulence and drag. Owing to the design and low-drag head position, discipline is required for the best results, but if you can feel the long-tail design resting on your upper back, you’ll know if you’re maintaining a good position. If this is a struggle, you might be better off with the short-tail Met Codatronca.

In terms of optics, it comes standard with a clear lens, but two other options are also available - Fume and Mirror. The fit is on the racy side, and some may find it too tight around the ears, but is still comfortable around the brow and circumference of the head. That said, you will need to spend some time tweaking the retention system to find the best fit for you. The Met Drone Wide Body II is only available in two sizes, Medium and Large, so it may not be suitable for riders with smaller head shapes. Due to the specialist nature of time trial helmets, it’s always worth visiting a store and trying on the helmet to ensure a proper fit.

Best Budget

Claimed to be the fastest helmet ever produced by Van Rysel, the XCR TT provides riders with an affordable that is proven at WorldTour level. Developed in collaboration with Swiss Side, the helmet was designed using digital simulations and subsequently benchmarked in a wind tunnel. Van Rysel, however, wanted to create a helmet that balanced aerodynamic, pricing and fit, and this means it has the potential to become a popular choice.

An area that the design team targeted was ventilation. As such, it benefits from a removable ventilation port. The helmet has also been designed to be used with or without the visor and, depending on the weather, you can pair it with sunglasses and not suffer a CdA penalty, granted you’re riding under 35km/h. There are two visors to choose from: a clear and a smoke option, which can be swapped out depending on the conditions.

The standout feature of the Van Rysel XCR TT helmet is its overall comfort and adjustable fit. The cradle and straps are unobtrusive and can be adjusted using the Tune-ring system, which features micrometric and occipital adjustments.

Best for experienced time-trialists

The Giro Aerohead II MIPS may not be the most visually appealing time trial helmet on this list, but it prioritises performance and safety at its core. Utilising the mantra of 'form follows function' to maximum effect, everything about the Aerohead has been carefully considered - this includes its optics. The large, forward-facing visor, wide profile and elongated tail blueprint are quite radical when compared to its rivals. Still, the wind tunnel results prove it's the company’s most aerodynamic helmet ever - well, if you’ve got the discipline to maintain a rock-solid position.

The large fore/aft overhangs mean any lapse in concentration in the time trial position will outweigh the performance gains - any lateral movement of the head will act as a wind sail and ultimately slow you down. The Giro Aerohead II MIPS is best reserved for professional or very experienced time trialists. Despite its divisive aesthetics, the Aerohead boasts a feature-rich specification sheet, including a MIPS Air Node rotational energy management liner and top-quality optics courtesy of Zeiss.

Best Optics

Used by the UCI World Tour team Picnic-PostNL, the Lazer Volante KinetiCore TT helmet is built around advanced optics utilising the company’s KIneticore system, which provides integrated protection against both direct and rotational impacts. Available in two unoffensive swatches, black and white-silver, which should complement most kit and bike colour combinations.

It gets a magnetic, anti-scratch lens. Why does this matter? Well, any time triallist will know how dirty and sweat-crusted the inner side of the lens can get and when cleaning it, this often leads to unsightly scratches. Lazer’s anti-scratch coating means the lens should last several seasons before needing to be replaced, if ever.

Like many of the options listed here, it’s not what we’d call cheap, but these helmets should always be looked at as an investment rather than a reckless splurge. One of the great selling points of this helmet is the ability to use eyewear underneath the visor - a boon for riders who prefer racing without contact lenses.

How we test the best time trial helmets

There are two main components to a time trial helmet. These can be split broadly into speed-related issues and practical ones. A time trial lid’s first function is to protect you. Secondary to this is speed, and then we have other issues like comfort, fogging, versatility, and others.

TT helmets are a significant investment, so we've strived to be as comprehensive as possible.

The helmets on test were worn for at least 200km each, and were also subject to aerodynamic testing using an aero sensor unit, such as Notio, Aerosensor or Bodyrocket, to measure the CdA changes compared to a baseline road helmet.

For the aero testing, we had a test pilot ride at 250W as smoothly as possible along a 3km stretch of road, then turn around and ride back. This was done twice in each TT helmet, as well as in a non-aero road helmet, which served as a control.

In analysing the results, we examined the speed at 250 watts, as well as the difference in CdA from the baseline.

Keep in mind when interpreting these results that aerodynamics are extremely individual - just because it tests fast in one position doesn’t mean it’ll be fast for you and vice versa.

The rest of our testing, as mentioned, focuses on how well these helmets fit, how easy they are to use, their overall weight, and comfort.

Meet our time trial expert

How to choose the best time trial helmet

Position is everything!

Position is everything on one of the best time trial bikes, and your position and ability to hold that position significantly affect your choice of helmet. Generally speaking, this determines the length of the tail of the helmet, but not always. Helmets like the Giro Aerohead II require you to keep the front in the correct position, which means that any horizontal movement affects performance, not just vertical movement.

The formula is simple, but it depends on your discipline. If you can hold a position for the entire time trial, then you can certainly consider a helmet with a longer.

This discipline is why we now have so many mid-length TT helmets now being used even at the top level.

Stay cool, comfortable and the speed will come

Ventilation when in the pursuit of speed is always a challenge, any venting or opening can create 'drag' and regardless of whether thats cool, an engine or a rider can cause real headaches for designers. Ideally, all time trial helmets would be enclosed entirely; however, we have seen in recent years the real effects of heat on even the world's top riders, like Tadej Pogačar.

We saw the comfort aspect come into play on stage 5 of the Tour de France this year when Jonas Vingegaard didn't look comfortable in his position at all and ended up losing significant time to his rival.

Consider carefully where the majority of your events will take place, including hilly or flat courses, and, of course, the climate and distances. Cool climates mean less venting might be necessary, but if you choose to tackle longer distances regularly, these factors need to be taken into account when making your decision.

Visibility is key

Most modern time trial helmets now have some kind of integrated visor system. They are largely there for protection and safety, of course; however, the advancements in lens technology can also play a key part in enhancing the road and furniture ahead of you, in a similar way to some of the best cycling sunglasses.

Which means choosing the right finish to these lenses is key. Some will choose a pair of sunglasses to dull bright light, but for those who may choose to get out on a winter morning or late evening, a clear or enhancing lens might be needed.

Many of the best time trial helmets offer various options, but they may not come with them, so an additional purchase might be necessary.

Try before you buy

Just like many things we write about here at Cycling Weekly, especially with time trial helmets, is the importance of trying before you buy. The relationship between you, your position and your helmet is so important, it is imperative you get the right one.

Head to your local bike shop or a bike fitter, and they can provide expert advice. They might even have one of the best smart trainers you can take your bike to, set it up and test out a few options.

At the very least, if you choose to buy online, check the return policy before making a purchase.

Frequently asked questions about time trial helmets

The Tour de France 2022 gets underway on Friday 1 July with a 13km time trial around the Danish city of Copenhagen, with the complete field of riders racing against the clock to begin their Tour campaigns. 

Another time trial presents itself on the penultimate stage of the Tour this year as well, which will ultimately crown the yellow jersey winner around the 40km route from Lacapelle Marival to Rocamadour.

Time trials can often prove decisive in determining the winner of a stage race, and at the Tour de France this is no different. The stage 20 TT in the 2020 edition saw Tadej Pogačar overturn a 57-second deficit to Primož Roglič, earning him the first Tour de France overall victory of his career.

Despite this, time trials can also prove divisive among cycling fans, with many spectators and pundits considering the solo discipline boring when compared with the tactical thrills of mountain racing and sprint trains, while the cycling purists often see the TT as the ultimate display of a rider’s ability on the bike.

Riders set off one minute after one another on TT days, with a random selection determining the opening stage. However, on stage 20 riders will begin their time trial depending on their GC position. The rider in first place overall will set off last, with second place starting a minute before him, and so on. 

Tour de France 2022 time trials

The time trials at the 2022 Tour de France come on the opening stage in Denmark, and the penultimate day in southwestern France.

The start of the 109th Tour takes place in Denmark's capital of Copenhagen with a 13km individual time trial on a pan-flat route that could see the record hit for the fastest average stage speed - Rohan Dennis currently holds that honour, reaching 55.45kmh on stage one of the 2015 Tour. 

Riders will then have to complete 18 stages over the next couple of weeks before facing the second TT, and this one is deemed a throwback to previous Tours due to 40km distance. It is a real test of the legs for the big GC contenders after three weeks of racing, and huge amounts of time can be gained and lost here.

While Filippo Ganna (Ineos Grenadiers) is the favourite to take the opening stage time trial, due to his imperious form over shorter distances, the 20th stage TT could favour a different type of rider. 

Due to the distance involved, riders who can maintain a high watts per kilogram (w/kg) could be favoured because the stage isn't reliant on pure power in the same way. 

What is a time trial?

Time trials actually exist in a number of different sports, from cycling to cross country skiing and motorsports. A TT is basically a timed race from one point to another, but in cycling there are two main types - the individual time trial and the team time trial.

The individual time trial sees each rider compete alone against the clock without the benefit of slipstreaming, while a TTT sees a team of riders (from two to ten) race as a unit to complete the course in the fastest time. 

Time trials can either be raced as a standalone event, such as the World Championships TT or the once-prestigious Chrono des Nations event. They are also included in multi-day stage races on occasion, too, with this year's Tour de France featuring two individual events.

What is the difference between a time trial bike and a road bike? 

Time trial bikes are noticeably different to regular road bikes riders use. Designed with aerodynamics as the priority, TT bikes cut through the air as efficiently as possible.

Because of this, they are often heavier, trickier to handle and less comfortable than a traditional road bike, with a completely different riding position used in order to gain as many valuable seconds as possible. This is achieved through special out-front handlebars that put riders in a narrow tucked position to reduce their aerodynamic drag, while they also have a ‘base bar,’ which riders use to brake and corner more comfortably.  

Technical corners are more difficult on a time trial bike, though, meaning riders with the best ability to handle their machines are the most likely to prosper in time trials. 

Wheels are also a key choice for a time trialist, as most riders while use a carbon disc wheel on the rear of their bike and a very deep section carbon rim on the front. These will be the best road bike wheels for the job of being aerodynamic than the wheels used on a normal road race, but are also less comfortable, heavier and can make the bike unstable in strong winds. 

What kit changes do riders make for the time trial?

There are other changes teams make to their kit specifically for the time trial. The most visually obvious one for spectators will be riders selecting the best road bike helmet in their helmet sponsors range for going fast. 

Breathability and weight will take a back seat for a preference of watt saving aerodynamics, assisting the rider in punching through the air as swiftly and as cleanly as possible. 

Less obvious swap outs will be the choice of clothing, where aero skinsuits, which do away with pockets will make an appearance. Aero skinsuits reduce a rider's resistance in the air, helping them to go quicker without having to expend more energy. 

Clothing does come under UCI jurisdiction though, and must be cleared by the governing body or face being banned in competition - as was the case with Endura' Hour Record breaking skinsuit back in 2019. 

Ethan Hayter, Connor Swift, Alice Barnes and Dame Laura Kenny are just some of the riders that will be representing Team England at this year's Commonwealth Games.  

A total of 35 riders have made the selection, and events will kick off in Birmingham on July 28.  

The home games promise to bring enthusiastic supporters - something Lotto-Soudal's Josie Knight said would be particularly welcome after the Tokyo Olympics.

“Out in Tokyo, at the Olympics, no friends and family could come out,” Knight told Cycling Weekly, “with this obviously being in the UK they will all be there for me. For them to be able to come and watch me race for England at the Commonwealth Games is such a big deal,” she added.

Hayter and Kenny will be two of the most prolific names on the start list. The 2021 season saw some notable results for Hayter, including finishing 2nd overall at the Tour of Britain and winning the points classification. 

Hayer's superb form has continued into 2022, the 23-year-old came 2nd overall in the points classification at the Critérium du Dauphiné and may yet make the Ineos Grenadiers Tour de France selection ahead of the games. 

EF Education-TIBCO-SVB rider, Abi Smith, has also made the cut for the road team. One of the country’s most promising youngsters, the 19-year-old won the women’s Junior National Road Series in 2019 in her first year as a junior. Despite the 2020 season being interrupted by the pandemic, Smith still found time to win both the junior National Hill Climb Championship and the junior National 10 mile Championship. 

“It will be such an honour to pull on the jersey. I remember drawing myself aged 10 in a Team England skinsuit, so this is really really special to be there,” said Smith on her selection. 

“Being selected for the Junior Worlds in Harrogate was amazing. This is my 2nd big major championship really and my 1st as an elite rider so this is very very special. The fact it's at home is something else and the crowds will be amazing,” she told Cycling Weekly. 

“Hearing the crowds and seeing friends and family on the roadside is so important. Particularly if you’re in a time trial. Just hearing people shout your name spurs you on, you don’t get that in other countries in the same way. I’m so grateful for the opportunity of being there,” Smith beamed.

On the track, Kenny, Knight and Ribble Weldtite's Charlie Tanfield will be looking to impress in their different events and secure medals. 

Like Smith, Knight was quick to point out the advantage of a packed out crowd at a major event, “you almost don’t feel your legs when they’re cheering you on. I cannot wait to get out on that velodrome and race next month,” Knight said. 

“It’s a tricky balance preparing for this as I ride for Lotto Soudal on the road. I’ve got some stage races coming up that I need to prepare for like the Tour of Switzerland. Cycling up some massive mountains might not be the best prep for track riding but I know my coaches will make it work and there’s lots of track time coming up ahead of the games,” Knight added. 

Team England riders 

Track Cycling:

· Blaine Ridge-Davis – Manchester (from London)

· Charlie Tanfield – Stockport, Manchester (from North Yorkshire)

· Dame Laura Kenny – Cheshire (from Harlow)

· Ethan Vernon – Macclesfield, Cheshire (from Bedford)

· Grace Lister – Shrewsbury, Shropshire

· Hayden Norris – Stafford

· Joe Truman – Manchester (from Hampshire)

· Josie Knight – Macclesfield, Cheshire (from Buckinghamshire)

· Lauren Bate – Stockport, Manchester (from St Helens)

· Maddie Leech – Manchester (from Huddersfield)

· Milly Tanner – Stockport, Manchester (from Exeter)

· Oliver Wood – Stockport, Manchester (from Wakefield)

· Ryan Owens – Manchester (from Milton Keynes)

· Sophie Capewell – Cheadle, Manchester (from Burton On Trent)

· Sophie Lewis – Cheadle, Manchester (from Peterborough)

· Hamish Turnbull – Manchester (from Northumberland)

Track cycling (Para):

· Sophie Unwin – Honiton, Devon (from Salisbury)

· Georgia Holt, Pilot for Sophie – Oldham, Manchester (from Nottingham)

· Steve Bate MBE – Hebden Bridge, West Yorkshire

· Chris Latham, Pilot for Steve – Comberbach, Cheshire (from Bolton)

Road Cycling:

· Abi Smith – York, North Yorkshire

· Alice Barnes – Stockport, Cheshire (from Oxford)

· Anna Henderson, Buckinghamshire

· Ben Turner – Doncaster, Yorkshire

· Connor Swift – Doncaster, Yorkshire

· Dan Bigham – Stone, Staffordshire (from Newcastle)

· Ethan Hayter – Manchester (from London)

· Fred Wright – Cheadle, Cheshire (from London)

· Jake Stewart – Birch Vale, Derbyshire (from Coventry)

· Josie Nelson – Stoke-On-Trent, Staffordshire (from Lichfield)

· Joss Lowden – Andorra (from Lewes, East Sussex)

· Matt Walls – Oldham, Lancashire (from Oldham)

Mountain Bike:

· Evie Richards – Malvern, Worcestershire

· Harry Birchill – Newton Abbot, Devon (from Torquay)

· Joseph Blackmore – Bexleyheath, Kent (from Sidcup)

Grace Brown and Rohan Dennis took the women's and men's Australian national time trial titles in comprehensive fashion on Wednesday, both racing in their new trade team kits for the first time.

Brown (FDJ Nouvelle Aquitaine Futuroscope) posted a time of 41:28.68 over the 28.6km course in Ballarat, Victoria. This meant she won by 1:01 over her nearest competitor, Amber Pate (InForm TMX MAKE); it is the second time she pulled on the Australian bands. Lisa Jacob came third.

Dennis (Jumbo-Visma) meanwhile, finished in 45:33.58 over 37.5km, beating Luke Durbridge (Team BikeExchange Jayco) by 1:13. Conor Leahy of InForm TMX MAKE completed the podium

Dennis and Durbridge now share four titles between them in an event they have dominated since 2012, only being interrupted on three occasions by Richie Porte, Michael Hepburn and Luke Plapp.

Neither defending champion, Sarah Gigante or Plapp, took to the startline, but Brown and Dennis both proved their skill and form ahead of a season which sees new starts for both.

Speaking after his victory, Dennis paid tribute to his new team. "They put a lot of faith in me," he said. "To come in and show respect to that and put all my effort in – not that I haven’t every other year – but to really knuckle down on every little detail to perform for them straight away was really important.” 

The South Australian last won the title in 2018 in BMC colours, before his move to Bahrain-Merida which ended abruptly after just nine months. He then joined Ineos Grenadiers, where he won two WorldTour time trials and helped Tao Geoghegan Hart to victory at the Giro d'Italia in 2020.

However, after two years with the British squad, he joined Jumbo-Visma. When his transfer was announced he said that the chance to ride with the likes of Primož Roglič, Tom Dumoulin and Wout van Aert was "something I couldn’t refuse".

Brown has also moved teams for 2022, joining FDJ Nouvelle Aquitaine Futuroscope from BikeExchange, a move away from the Australian set up.

The rouleur, who was fourth at the Olympic Games time trial last year, has also looked promising in one-day races, something her new team sees potential in.

"I really wanted to get this for FDJ so it's nice to have that done now,"  Brown said after the race. "It was a pretty hard race actually, it didn't come easy, but I'm proud of the effort and happy to have the jersey for the year."

Anya Louw won the women's U23 time trial title, while Carter Turnbull won the men's equivalent.

The men and women's elite road races both fall on Sunday, with riders tackling a circuit around Buninyong, which includes the Mount Buninyong climb each lap.

Marianne Vos smashed the opposition to take victory at the Simac Ladies Tour prologue in Ede on Tuesday. 

The victory was the Dutch superstar’s first time trial win since 2017 and her first prologue success since the Ladies Tour of Norway three years before that.

Stopping the clock for the 2.4km course in 3-01, the Jumbo-Visma rider smashed the opposition, putting four seconds into her nearest challenger, compatriot and former world time trial champion Ellen van Dijk (Trek-Segafredo). Danish rider Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig (FDJ-Nouvelle Aquitaine Futuroscope) put in an excellent ride on the pan flat course to take third place, a further two seconds down.

Home riders dominated the day, with Lonneke Uneken (SDWorx) and Lorena Wiebes (DSM) rounding out the top five.

Wednesday’s first road stage sees the peloton tackle another flat day, covering 134.8km between Zwolle and Hardenberg, where Vos is certain to be up there in the sprint. However, the specialist sprinters, including Movistar’s Emma Norsgaard and Wiebes, with her excellent young lead out, will be hoping it’s their day.

How it happened 

Traditionally a warm up event for the World Championships, the Simac Ladies Tour has been run since 1998, when it began life as the Holland Ladies Tour. That means some big names have taken the title over the years, with Leontien van Moorsel, Kristin Armstrong, Marianne Vos and Annemiek van Vleuten on the race’s palmarès.  

However, there are some notable absentees this year, Movistar’s Van Vleuten joined by Anna van der Breggen (SDWorx) and Britain’s Lizzie Deignan (Trek-Segafredo) perhaps choosing GP Plouay and the lumpy, four day Challenge by La Vuelta for their rainbow preparations.

Four time winner Marianne Vos was there though, leading a strong Jumbo-Visma squad into the six day event.

The race has regularly included time trials and this year’s opening, 2.4km prologue around the central Dutch town of Ede was the first of two races against the clock. Among the early starters on the pan flat and technical course were previous overall winner Chantal Van den Broek-Blaak (SDWorx) and her former team mate, Amalie Dideriksen (Trek-Segafredo).

However, while Van den Broek-Blaak clocked a time of 3-10, it was was her 22 year-old Dutch compatriot Charlotte Kool from under-2323 development team, NXTG Racing, who set the early benchmark of 3-09.

Eventually the young Dutchwoman was overhauled by compatriot Vos, who began 29th of the 91 starters, and smashed the course, clocking 3-01.

The best British riders was Pfeiffer Georgi, the DSM rider clocking 3.10, fractions of a second ahead of national champion Alice Barnes (Canyon-SRAM). And fresh from winning the Olympic team pursuit, Barnes’s team mate Lisa Klein won the prologue in the 2019 edition, but only managed 3-09, leaving Vos waiting anxiously on the hot seat.

When Ellen van Dijk (DSM) crossed the line four seconds down, and Festival Elsy Jacobs prologue winner Lorena Wiebes (DSM) clocked 3-08, victory was far more likely. However, it was only certain when Olympic silver medalist Marlen Reusser (Alé-BTC Ljubljana) finished 11 seconds down.

ResultSimac Ladies Tour Race, prologue: Ede - Ede (2.4km)

1. Marianne Vos (Ned) Jumbo-Visma, in 3-01
2. Ellen van Dijk (Ned) Trek-Segafredo, at 4 sec
3. Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig (Den) FDJ-Nouvelle Aquitaine Futuroscope,at 6s
4. Lonneke Uneken (Ned) SDWorx, at same time 
5. Lorena Wiebes (Ned) DSM, at 7s
6. Christine Majerus (Lux) DSM, at same time 
7. Elisa Balsamo (Ita) Valcar Travel and Service, at 8s
8. Lisa Klein (Ger) Canyon-SRAM, at same time 
9. Barbara Guarischi (Ita) Movistar 
10. Charlotte Kool (Ned) NXTG Racing, all at same time 

General classification after the prologue

1. Marianne Vos (Ned) Jumbo-Visma, in 3-01
2. Ellen van Dijk (Ned) Trek-Segafredo, at 4s
3. Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig (Den) FDJ-Nouvelle Aquitaine Futuroscope, at 6s
4. Lonneke Uneken (Ned) SDWorx, at same time 
5. Lorena Wiebes (Ned) DSM, at 7s
6. Christine Majerus (Lux) DSM, at same time 
7. Elisa Balsamo (Ita) Valcar Travel and Service, at 8s
8. Lisa Klein (Ger) Canyon-SRAM, at same time 
9. Barbara Guarischi (Ita) Movistar 
10. Charlotte Kool (Ned) NXTG Racing, all at same time 

Primož Roglič claimed his revenge after the disappointment at the Tour de France, winning gold in the men's Tokyo 2020 Olympic time trial.

It was a fascinating battle on the roads around the Fuji International Speedway on Wednesday (July 28), with five riders all within 10 seconds of each other after the first of two 22km laps.

But as riders hit the tough undulating loop for a second time, Slovenia's Roglič began to pulled out an insurmountable leading, finishing a minute ahead of his nearest rival. 

Tom Dumoulin (Netherlands) took silver and Rohan Dennis (Australia) claimed bronze.

How it happened

The men’s time trial at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics was held on a 44.2km course, taking in two 22km laps starting and finishing at the Fuji International Speedway. 

With no flat sections on the course at all, it was a hugely unpredictable day of racing, with reigning world champion Filippo Ganna (Italy) heading into the event as pre-race favourite. 

Riders were set off in waves of 13 competitors, with all of the favourites going inside the final wave. 

Early in the day, it was Canada’s Hugo Houle who set all the benchmarks around the course, as he was fastest at the timing checks.

Houle did indeed go into the lead after the first wave with a finish time of 57-56, but he had faded dramatically on his second lap of the course. 

Into the second wave and Remco Evenepoel was clearly the rider to watch, despite his unknown form after he crashed out of the Giro d’Italia. 

Evenepoel was absolutely rapid on his run, catching Richie Porte (Australia) out on the road, eventually pulling ahead of Houle’s time and taking the lead by 35 seconds, with a time of 57-21.

But there was no time for the Belgian to enjoy the hot seat, as Colombia’s Rigoberto Urán put in a hugely unexpected ride, knocking Evenepoel off the top spot by three seconds. 

Then as the final wave hit the course, it became very clear that the previous fastest times were going to be smashed, as Primož Roglič, Wout van Aert (Belgium), Tom Dumoulin, Rohan Dennis, and Filippo Ganna also set rapid times at the first timing check, 9.7km into the course.

But with the brutal heat and the challenging parcours, the race would all come down to pacing as plenty of riders faded on their second lap. 

As the favourites finished their first lap, 22km into the run, Primož Roglič was fastest, followed by Tom Dumoulin who was eight seconds slower. 

Filippo Ganna was third fastest after one lap nine seconds down, Rohan Dennis also nine seconds behind, with Wout van Aert 10 seconds slower than Roglič. 

But into the final lap the race began to explode into life, as Roglič started to extend that advantage.

Tom Dumoulin finished his run and finally knocked Urán out of the hot-seat, but it wouldn’t last long. 

After catching Kasper Asgreen out on the race, Roglič and the Dane battled for position on the road as they overtook each other multiple times, before Roglič finally broke clear in the final few kilometres.

The Vuelta a España champion came into the finishing straight with a huge margin over Dumoulin, eventually finishing a minute faster than his Jumbo-Visma team-mate. 

Rohan Dennis was the next pre-race favourite to finish his run, but he was unable to compete for gold, taking third place at the line, redemption after a mechanical ruined his medal chances during the 2016 Rio games. 

Wout van Aert wasn’t able to match Roglič in the final lap and finished outside of the medals, leaving only Filippo Ganna in with a chance at taking the gold.

>>> Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games cycling schedule: when to watch the racing 

But it quickly became clear that even Ganna didn’t have pace for Roglič, as he also eventually finished outside the prizes.

Roglič took the Olympic gold just three weeks after he abandoned the Tour de France, taking one of the biggest results of his career. 

Britain's Geraint Thomas finished 12th on the day, 2-42 behind Roglič. 

Tokyo 2020 Olympics, men's time trial: Fuji International Speedway to Fuji International Speedway (44.2km) 

1. Primož Roglič (Slo), in 55-04
2. Tom Dumoulin (Ned), at 1-01
3. Rohan Dennis (Aus), at 1-04
4. Stefan Küng (Sui), at same time
5. Filippo Ganna (Ita), at 1-05
6. Wout van Aert (Bel), at 1-40
7. Kasper Asgreen (Den), at 1-48
8. Rigoberto Urán (Col), at 2-14
9. Remco Evenepoel (Bel), at 2-17
10. Patrick Bevin (NZl), at 2-20