“The Race of Truth” comes to the 2021 UCI Road World Championships in Knokke-Heist, Belgium for the elite women on September 20th. The women’s individual time trial is 30.3km. While slightly shorter than the men's, both races will pass through Damme before finishing in the heart of Bruges.

Anna van der Breggen

Anna van der Breggen will be the returning champion, having won the rainbow jersey for the Individual Time Trial at the 2020 World Championships. In 2020, she was also the European Road Time Trial Champion. Although Van Der Breggen announced her retirement from professional cycling for the end of the 2021 season, she has still had a very successful final year of racing in 2021, including winning the Dutch National Time Trial title and earning a bronze medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

Van der Breegen has expressed concern about her post-Olympics form, but the Dutch superstar is intent to end her career at her best.

Annemiek van Vleuten

Annemiek van Vleuten might be van der Breggen’s compatriot, but she will likely also be her biggest competitor for the Individual Time Trial. Van Vleuten is currently the Olympic Gold medalist for ITT and was third in the 2019 edition of the UCI Road World Championships’ Time Trial competition. Although she was only fourth in the 2021 Dutch National Time Trial Championships, she has previously won the National Time Trial in 2014, 2016, 2017 and 2019.  

Anna Kiesenhofer

Anna Kiesenhofer won the gold medal for women’s road racing at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and is the 2019, 2020 and 2021 Austrian National Time Trial champion. Although Kiesenhofer was not seen as a contender to medal in the 2020 Olympics, her tenacious early race attack in the 137km road race showed her true skill as an upcoming powerhouse.

Grace Brown

Australian cyclist Grace Brown was second place in the Australian National Time Trial Championship in 2021 and 4th in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics Individual Time Trial. Brown, a strong time trialist, achieved her first road racing victory in the Women's World Tour at Brugge-De Panne in 2021. 

Marlen Reusser

Marlen Reusser is the 2017, 2019, 2020 and 2021 Swiss National Time Trial Champion. Reusser is the silver medalist for Individual Time Trial for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. An accomplished road racer, Reusser recently secured second overall at the 2021 Ceratizit Challenge by La Vuelta behind winner, Annemiek van Vlueten.