Marlen Reusser, the reigning Swiss time trial champion, has a long track record in that discipline at the World Championships. But despite claiming three medals, two silver and one bronze, she has yet to capture the world title.
Her recent attempts have been plagued by misfortune: in 2023, she abandoned mid-race citing burnout at the end of the season, while in 2024 a crash and subsequent COVID-19 infection forced her to miss the championships entirely.
This year, she fell sick during the Giro d’Italia Women and was forced to abandon the opening stage of the Tour de France Femmes in July.
Yet despite the setbacks, Reusser has still enjoyed a strong season, winning the overall titles at both the Vuelta a Burgos and the Tour de Suisse, while also finishing runner-up at Setmana Ciclista Valenciana, La Vuelta Femenina and Giro.
But illness once again derailed her buildup to the UCI Road World Championships in Rwanda. As she had recovered following the Tour, bad luck struck again, this time through her trainer and partner, Hendrik Werner.
“As soon as I started training a little again, Hendrik got a bad case of the flu, which I caught too, even though I hadn't fully recovered yet. As a result, I spent part of August in bed again,” Reusser told watson.
“Obviously, I would have preferred to arrive differently. But even at 95%, I'm still a very fast cyclist. I have no intention of throwing in the towel at all.”
Reusser’s record in the individual time trial is outstanding. Over the past five years, she has placed in the top three at every race against the clock she has finished.
In Kigali, the Swiss rider is targeting both the time and the road race, though she admits that she is “mainly focusing on the time trial.”
Her debut race in Africa will coincide with the first World Championships ever held on the continent.
“For the people there, for the country, and for the public, the setting and the atmosphere are important. But for me, as an athlete, it's mostly the practical aspects that matter: the state of the roads, the weather. We're not here to go sightseeing or take a vacation. Unfortunately.”
Reusser will start her effort to finally win the rainbow jersey at 11:55. (See the start times for the elite women’s and elite men’s time trial.)
She will then line up for the women’s road race the following weekend.
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