Hello and welcome to Cyclingnews' live report of the women's World Championship individual time trial in Kigali, Rwanda.
The lineup of 44 riders is stacked with talent including former winners Chloe Dygert (USA) and Anna van der Breggen (Netherlands) but there are plenty riders who will be hoping they can pull on the rainbow jersey later today.
The women's ITT route starts by Kigali's BK Arena before taking on the 31.2km undulating route back into the capital to finish by the Convention Centre.
There are three climbs along the route including the cobbled Côte de Kimihurura (1.3km at 6.3%) which comes right at the end of the race route.
The other two climbs come earlier and have the two time checks on them. It is the Côte de Nyanza taken from two sides, first being 2.5km at 5.8% and the second being 4.1km at 3.1%.
Rwanda are all set to host the UCI World Championships. A first for Africa. A massive moment in this sport.
The first rider off the ramp in the BK Arena will be Rwanda's own Xaverine Nirere at 10:10 local time.
The temperature is a pleasant 22°c with the peak later today expected to be 27°c with sunshine all day.
All the riders to watch for in the race today are in the link below with our race preview...
Marlen Reusser (Movistar) is coming into this as one of the favourites but she has suffered a setback with an illness but a medal is still a hope...
The men's race comes later today, here is the start times for all the riders involved in both women's and men's races...
>>> Road World Championships – elite men's and women's time trial start times and order
Nirere (Rwanda) will start her ride at 10:22 local time and start the 32nd women's ITT World Championships as well as the entire World Championships in general.
No defending champion this year. Grace Brown retired at the end of last season with the World and Olympic ITT titles and finished things off with a win in rainbows and on her gold bike at the Chrono des Nations in France.
Demi Vollering (Netherlands) and Anna Henderson (Great Britain) are two riders who will be hoping for a good result this year. Vollering took silver in the Worlds ITT last year with Henderson taking silver in the Paris Olympics ITT.
There has been a slight delay to the start hence why Nirere's start time has moved from 10:10 local time to 10:22'30". Probably making sure everything is set and ready.
As expected, absolutely gigantic crowds have packed the course.
Kholoud Shahine Al-Kuwari (Qatar) is the second rider off the ramp inside the BK Arena. The 35-year-old rider is on a road bike and already has had a couple of shaky moments in the early corners.
Serkalem Watango (Ethiopia) starts her ride. She will be followed by Jelimo Monica Kiplagat (Kenya), Lobopo Kono (Botswana) and many more. Fantastic to see riders for these smaller nations in the sport.
One rider to focus on is Anna Henderson, the British rider is the only elite women representing Great Britain in these World Championships and she isn't riding the road race. She has given her full focus on the TT with British Cycling focusing on the U23 and junior women instead.
Altitude is meant to be a big factor in these Championships with today's race being at around 1500 to 1600 metres above sea level.
Nirere is coming to the first time check. She sets a time of 19'11" after just over 10km of racing.
Faina Potapova (Kazakhstan) and Kendra Masiga (Kenya) are the latest riders off the start ramp in Kigali.
The Neutral Athlete, Natalia Frolova, passes the Botswana rider, Lobopo Kono on course.
Nirere has just taken on the hairpin at the furthest point of the course and she heads back towards the capital again. Huge crowds across the whole route.
Watango (Ethiopia) goes 18" slower than Nirere at the first split.
Soraya Paladin (Italy) sets off on her ride as one of the first bigger and more known names on the start list.
Kiplagat (Kenya) goes through the first time check and she is 3'10" down on the fastest time set by Nirere.
Nirere goes through the second split with a 32'33" after 19km of racing.
Frolova has just set the exact same time as Nirere at the first time check.
We are getting closer to the first big name favourites of Anna van der Breggen (Netherlands) and Cedrine Kerbaol (France) who are just a few minutes away from starting their efforts.
Watango goes through the second time check 47" behind Nirere.
The next rider off the ramp is the Norwegian rider, Sigrid Ytterhus Haugset.
Al-Kuwari (Qatar) finally made it to the first time check. She was slower to the first time check than Nirere took to get to the second time check.
Nirere is on the final climb of the Kimihurua. The cobbles look rather brutal.
Just before the cobbles, Nirere crossed the third split after 26.6km of racing. She set a time of 40'48". She is now very close to the finish but still on the cobbles.
Paladin (Italy) goes fastest at the first split with a time of 18'33" but is immediately beaten by Hao Zhang (China) with a time of 17'59", that is an amazing 34" faster than Paladin.
Flamme rouge for Nirere and back onto the asphalt again.
Watango and Frolova will be the next riders to finish.
Already at the third time check the four riders who have crossed that point are split by 6'45"!
Anna van der Breggen (Netherlands) sets off on her ride. the First of the massive names and the first of just two former winners at this race.
Paladin goes fastest at the second split with a time of 31'44" which is 49" faster than Nirere.
Kasia Niewiadoma-Phinney (Poland) starts her ride. She has said in interviews that she was expecting the course to be harder!
Sigrid Ytterhus Haugset (Norway) goes fastest at the first split with a 17'40", that is 19" faster than Zhang.
Meanwhile, Zhang sets the fastest time at the second time check with a 30'47". That is 57" faster than Paladin.
Serkalem Watango (Ethiopia) has finished her ride and is 1'56" behind Nirere.
Natalia Frolova (Neutral Athlete) finishes 1'01" down on Nirere. That is a very good ride by Nirere.
Paladin is over a minute faster than Nirere at the third split before the cobbled climb up to the finish.
Zhang, once again, obliterates the time of Paladin. She is 1'12" faster than the Italian at the third time check.
Other riders of note on course are Olivia Baril (Canada), Cedrine Kerbaol (France), Monica Trinca Colonel (Italy) and Ruth Edwards (USA).
Five riders have finished with Xaveline Nirere still leading. However, this is about to change with Soraya Paladin now going under the flamme rouge.
Haugset has gone fastest at the second check, 41" faster than Zhang.
Anna van der Breggen goes fastest at the first time check by 50" over Haugset.
Soraya Paladin (Italy) finishes with a time of 48'37" and puts 1'31" into Nirere.
Hao Zhang (China) finishes with a time of 47'24" which is the new fastest time by 1'13" over Paladin.
Niewiadoma-Phinney is 48" slower than Van der Breggen at the first split and Kerbaol is 52" down on the former World Champion.
Haugset crossed the line at the third time check and is 46" faster than Zhang. She is on track to go fastest at the finish.
Sigrid Ytterhus Haugset (Norway) finishes her ride with a 46'25" which is 59" faster than Hao Zhang. Very strong ride by the Coop-Repsol rider.
Van der Breggen goes 1'31" faster than Haugset at the second time check. She is flying out on course!
The next few riders to start are Marlen Ruesser (Switzerland), Brodie Chapman (Australia), Antonia Niedermaier (Germany), Juliette Labous (France), Anna Henderson (Great Britain), Chloe Dygert (USA) and Demi Vollering (Netherlands)
Al-Kuwari (Qatar) has finally finished. She is 32'52" slower than Haugset.
Marlen Reusser (Switzerland) sets off on her ride.
Van der Breggen goes 1'54" faster than Haugset at the third time check as she heads to the cobbled climb.
Brodie Chapman (Australia) sets off on her ride. The national champion will be hoping for a good ride on a course that suits her. However, she only got her TT bike yesterday after losing it on her way over.
Anna van der Breggen is looking very good on the cobbles as she is on her way to setting the fastest time so far. She is just over a kilometre away from the finish.
Antonia Niedermaier (Germany) has now set off on her ride. Former U23 world ITT champion, she will be hoping for a top ride today.
Juliette Labous (France) sets off on her ride now as well. Just three riders to go after her.
Anna Henderson (Great Britain) rolls off the ramp with just Chloe Dygert (USA) and Demi Vollering (Netherlands) left the start.
New fastest time at time check one is set by Katrine Aalerud (Norway). The Uno-X Mobility rider is absolutely flying. She is 6" faster than Van der Breggen after 10km of riding.
Kasia Niewiadoma-Phinney (Poland) goes 2'31" slower than Van der Breggen at the finish. Provisionally second.
Both Chloe Dygert (USA) and Demi Vollering (Netherlands) have started and that is everyone who has started the race.
Cedrine Kerbaol (France) goes 2'29" slower than Van der Breggen at the finish.
Marlen Reusser (Switzerland) goes fastest at the first split ahead of Aalerud by 9"
Monica Trinca Colonel (Italy) goes provisionally second at the fnish, 2'11" slower than Van der Breggen.
Antonia Niedermaier (Germany) also goes faster than Van der Breggen at the first split as she is currently third behind Reusser and Aalerud.
Aalerud now 5" slower than Van der Breggen at the second time check.
Anna Henderson (Great Britain) goes third at the first check 12" down on Reusser.
Marlen Russer goes fastest at the second time check by 28" over Van der Breggen. She is absolutely flying out there.
Chloe Dygert (USA) goes 29" down at the first split behind Reusser. A very big surprise.
Mireia Benito (Spain) goes provisional second by 1'40" behind Van der Breggen.
Demi Vollering (Netherlands) goes 1" slower than Reusser at the first time check. She is looking very strong.
Aalerud goes 15" slower than Van der Breggen at the third time check.
Reusser goes fastest at the third time check and she has lost a bit of time as she is now at 23" faster than Van der Breggen.
Niedermaier has lost a lot of time since the first check and is now 45" down on Reusser at the second split.
Henderson goes third at the second time check, 33" down on Reusser.
Katrine Aalerud (Norway) finishes her ride with a time of 44'33" which is 32" down on Van der Breggen.
Reusser now on the cobbles on the final climb. Just over a kilometre to go for her.
Flamme Rouge for Marlen Reusser. She is on track to take the race lead but how much will she lead by?
Chloe Dygert is 8th at the second split well over a minute down on Reusser. She doesn't look good at the moment.
Vollering goes 29" slower than Reusser at the second split. She has lost a massive chunk of time as Reusser looks set to take the rainbow jersey.
Brodie Chapman (Australia) goes provisionally third but several riders are still to finish.
Henderson was on the same time as Aalerud at the third check so it is all about the final climb to see if she can steal 2nd place from the Norwegian.
Antonia Niedermaier (Germany) goes provisional 5th. She is 1'29" down on Reusser.
Henderson looks to be really labouring on the Kimihurura climb cobbles.
Vollering is just a couple of seconds ahead of Aalerud and Henderson at the third time check.
Henderson is being predicted seventh place at the finish.
Anna Henderson (Great Britain) comes to the line 1'38" down in seventh place.
Dygert is expected 9th with Vollering expected 3rd at the finish.
Chloe Dygert (USA) finishes 8th with 2'25" lost to Reusser.
Demi Vollering (Netherlands) coming to the line and goes third, 1'04" down on Reusser.
Marlen Reusser (Switzerland) is the new World ITT Champion!
The Dutch take silver and bronze with Anna van der Breggen and Demi Vollering.
What a moment for Marlen Reusser. Someone who has so much expectations on her shoulders but has just been faced with so much bad luck. A massive stride forward in her career as she takes the rainbow jersey in the time trial.
Make sure to read out post race report on the women's ITT race in Kigali...
The focus shifts to the men now with Remco Evenepoel vs Tadej Pogačar expected to be the main storyline on out live report...
>>> UCI Road World Championships LIVE - Pogačar and Evenepoel face off in Elite Men's time trial
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