This is riding in its simplest form, but certainly not its easiest form.
Riders strain every sinew in this energy-sapping road race that pits athletes against each other and the clock in a solo ride where the athlete with the fastest time takes home gold.
Riders set off at one-minute intervals and focus purely on recording the fastest time they can achieve without the tactical jostle for positions that happens in the road race.
In Birmingham the men’s Time Trial course was 37.4km and the women’s course was 28.8km.
Leading riders in the Time Trial will have an average speed of more than 45kmh during the race as regular roads are transformed into elite sporting arenas.
Riders are required to dig deep and push themselves to the limit as every second counts.
More information on the Time Trial, venue and routes for the race will be available soon.
Time Trial Facts
- Australia’s Rohan Dennis won Gold in Birmingham and his average speed over the tricky course was 48.41kmh.
- A Time Trial bike is typically 1-2kg heavier than a road bike because the focus is on making a Time Trial bike more aerodynamic rather than lightweight.
- The road Time Trial first appeared at the 1998 Commonwealth Games.
- Cadel Evans, who was the first Australian to win the Tour De France, won gold in the individual Time Trial at Manchester 2002.
