The elite time trials are looking like the least open events of the 2018 UCI Road World Championships. On both the men's and women's sides it's difficult to escape the feeling that there are two big favourites followed by a supporting cast ostensibly fighting for bronze.
Still, the World Championships have the potential to throw up a surprise - even in the so-called 'race of truth'.
The women's time trial takes place on Tuesday on a 27.8km course from Hall-Wattens to Innsbruck, with a fairly flat opening 15km before a climb to Absam, and rolling terrain thereafter. The men's race on Wednesday is nearly twice as long, at 52.5km, and is flat for 30km before a rather more serious 5km climb and then a lengthy descent down to the final part of the course.
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Cyclingnews takes a look at the two favourites for each event, and those who might provide an upset.
Tom Dumoulin (Netherlands)
The 2017 world champion was a convincing winner 12 months ago and will once again be the favourite to take the gold medal and spend another season in the rainbow skinsuit.
Dumoulin has had an outstanding 2018 season. Though he failed to win a Grand Tour, to finish runner-up at both the Giro d'Italia and Tour de France is some achievement. He has gone from limiting his losses in the mountains to being right up there day-in day-out with the best climbers in the world, and what's more, he seems to have done it without blunting his time trialling capabilities, with two big wins this year at the Giro and Tour.
Annemiek Van Vleuten (Netherlands)
Rohan Dennis (Australia)
Anna van der Breggen (Netherlands)
The outsiders
You can read more at Cyclingnews.com
via Cyclingnews Latest Interviews and Features http://www.cyclingnews.com/features/two-horse-races-top-contenders-for-worlds-elite-time-trials
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