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
Event |
Date |
Time (BST) |
Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
U23 women |
22 September |
9:35am |
22.6km |
U23 men |
22 September |
12:35am |
31.2km |
Junior women |
23 September |
9:45am |
18.3km |
Junior men |
23 September |
1pm |
22.6km |
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.
