The time trials at the UCI Road World Championships 2025 in Rwanda are just days away, with the elite women’s and men’s the first elite road events at this year’s Worlds. The races against the clock are scheduled for the opening Sunday – 21 September – with the women’s race occurring first, followed by the men’s.
Both are over tough courses in Kigali, Rwanda, with defending men’s champion Remco Evenepoel of Belgium and Chloe Dygert of the US among the favourites, although there are lots of people hoping for medals. These include GB’s Anna Henderson, Demi Vollering of the Netherlands, and that little known Slovenian, Tadej Pogačar.
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Women to watchChloé Dygert (USA)
(Image credit: Getty Images)
2025 TT wins: 0
Already a two-time world champion against the clock – in 2019 and 2023 – the American ticked off a long-awaited career milestone last summer in winning an Olympic gold medal. That triumph came on the track, while in the time trial, she crashed and still came away with a bronze.
Dygert’s story, her horror crash at the 2020 World Championships where she lacerated her thigh, has come to define her career. Still today she feels the pain of that injury, and even though she often needs help to get off her bike, it hasn’t stopped her pushing herself to her limits.
Cédrine Kerbaol (France)
2025 TT wins: 1
France’s national time trial champion has morphed into one of the peloton’s strongest all-rounders. Kerbaol can climb, she descends like a demon on rails, and is showing herself to be increasingly more adept against the clock, too.
Fourteenth in the time trial in Zurich last year left a bit to be desired for the 24-year-old, but with more elevation to scale this time round, the course suits her better. Don’t be surprised to see the EF Education-Oatly rider contesting for a podium. That said, she might be saving her matches for the road race.
Anna Henderson (GBr)
(Image credit: Getty Images)
2025 TT wins: 0
Not even Henderson herself could believe it when she scored a silver medal in the time trial at the Olympics in Paris last year. “I burst into tears when I found out I was second. I just can’t stop smiling,” she said at the time.
In reality, though, Henderson’s ability had been building up to that point, and has shown no signs of slowing down. Twice a British national champion against the clock, she guided Lidl-Trek to team time trial victory at the Vuelta Femenina in May, and won a lumpy stage of the Giro d’Italia. She should relish the hills of the Kigali course.
Zoe Bäckstedt (GBr) – U23
2025 TT wins: 3
The Welshwoman is focusing her energy on the time trial in Rwanda, and is one of the favourites for the U23 title. A three-time world champion as a junior, Bäckstedt has since won U23 gold against the clock at the European Championships, and is the current British time trial champion.
Others to watch
Demi Vollering seems destined to win a rainbow jersey at some point in her career, and the Dutchwoman is hedging her bets this season by lining up in both the road race and time trial. Last year she finished runner-up in the latter, 16 seconds behind Grace Brown, but in the Australian’s absence will now be one of the favourites in Kigali.
Eyes, too, will be on the German national champion Antonia Niedermaier, who won the U23 world title in the last two editions, as well as France’s Juliette Labous, Vollering’s team-mate at FDJ-SUEZ, and chief climbing domestique.
European champion Lotte Kopecky of Belgium will be absent, with her compatriot Marthe Goosens instead picking up the mantle.
Men to watch
2025 TT wins: 4
The 25-year-old comes into the World Championships as not only the defending champion again, but as Olympic champion too. He has won time trials at the Tour de France, Critérium du Dauphiné, and Tour de Romandie this year, and is going all in for the rainbow bands yet again.
Filippo Ganna (Italy)
(Image credit: Getty Images)
2025 TT wins: 3
The tall Italian has for some years now been the rider that fans look to when a time trial is in town. His immense ability has helped him accumulate an extensive palmarès that includes Grand Tour and Worlds TT wins, as well as track medals and, in 2022, a World Hour Record of 56.792km, which still stands. He has been less prolific on the road in recent years – his Italian championship win this year notwithstanding – and, more to the point, the very lumpy Rwanda course doesn’t play to Ganna’s strengths.
All the same, if he’s on a good day he is likely to be up there in the results.
Tadej Pogačar (Slovenia)
2025 TT wins: 1
After skipping the time trial at the Worlds last year, Tadej Pogačar is back with his sights on another World Championships victory, this time against the clock. The hilly course should suit the Slovenian, although Evenepoel has a better record in time trials. Pogačar won the mountain TT at the Tour de France this year.
Others to watch
Four times in the top-10, and twice on the podium, Stefan Küng of Switzerland will hope to finally make it to the top step. Australia’s Jay Vine finished second in the recent time trial at the Vuelta a España, and is in the form of his life. His compatriot Luke Plapp should also be one to watch.
Isaac del Toro will hope to become Mexico’s first ever World Championships TT medallist, while Thymen Arensman of the Netherlands will hope to still have his stage winning form from the Tour de France.
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