Australian Grace Brown has the fastest time so far in the women's time trial on day one of the world road cycling championships.
Brown is one of the host nation's top medal hopes at the Wollongong worlds and she set a blistering time on Sunday morning over the technical 34.2km course in and around the town centre.
She was one of the early starters and clocked 44 minutes 41.33 seconds.
Belgian Lotte Kopecky is the next fastest, 1:37.40 off the pace.
Significantly, leading Dutch contender Annemiek van Vleuten was 34 seconds off Brown's pace at the 24.5km intermediate time check.
The Dutch ace won the time trial at last year's Olympics and is a two-time world champion.
Brown's other main threats loom as Dutch reigning world champion Ellen van Dijk and Swiss Marlen Reusser, who are the last two starters in the field of 45.
The winner will be known at 12.30pm AEST.
The Australian finished fourth last year at the Olympics and won the time trial at the Commonwealth Games.
Compatriots Georgia Baker and Luke Plapp will also ride on Sunday, with the men's time trial to follow in the afternoon.
Vuelta a Espana winner Remco Evenepoel from Belgium, Italian two-time defending world champion Filippo Ganna and two-time Tour de France winner Tadej Pogacar from Slovenia headline the men's event.
Australian Rohan Dennis, a two-time world champion, is not racing at Wollongong because it clashes with his brother's wedding.
