The Road World Championships in Montreal show: in the battle against the clock, it is not just pure muscle power that decides, but smart pacing, mental strength and the right cornering technique.
The individual time trial is considered the most honest discipline in cycling. Man against man, woman against woman, without drafting, just the battle against the clock. At the Road World Championships in Montreal, the pros impressively demonstrated that the 39.2 kilometres are about far more than just mindlessly pedalling. The demanding city circuit took everything out of the athletes and provides valuable lessons that you can also use for your next training session or amateur race.
If you start too fast, you pay the price later on. This old cycling wisdom was proven true once again in Montreal. According to reports from Cyclingnews, the Swiss rider Marlen Reusser, who ultimately secured the women's world championship title, approached the race in an extremely controlled manner. At the first intermediate split after the technical opening section, she was still in fifth place, ten seconds behind the young British rider Zoe Bäckstedt. Reusser revealed after the race that she had deliberately chosen not to have intermediate times in her ear so as not to get nervous. Her strategy paid off: in the flatter middle section and on the hilly final climb, she made up the time and won clearly in the end.
According to Radsport-News, the Swiss rider Stefan Küng also struggled with his pacing – albeit in the other direction. He stated that he had not started aggressively enough. In the end, he felt he could have ridden even longer, which indicates that his potential was not fully utilised. For you, this means: pace yourself actively. A conscious, controlled start prevents you from blowing up prematurely, especially when the profile becomes more demanding towards the end.
The course in Montreal was technically demanding and characterised by potholes, cracks and uneven asphalt. The Italian Filippo Ganna, who took silver behind serial winner Remco Evenepoel, clearly criticised the condition of the roads. In such sections, the wheat is separated from the chaff. Evenepoel emphasised that he has greatly improved his cornering technique on the time trial bike and has the necessary confidence to apply pressure in the corners.
However, Jakob Söderqvist had to learn the hard way that there is a fine line between a personal best and a crash. On course for a medal, he crashed in a left-hand bend just a few kilometres before the finish, ruining his chances of a podium finish. Zoe Bäckstedt also reported how difficult it is to maintain concentration at an extremely high heart rate and hit the racing line in tight corners. For recreational athletes, safety comes first. Mastering corners requires practice and focus – when in doubt, it is better to scrub off some speed than to risk a crash.
An exciting contrast was revealed when looking at the young French rider Paul Seixas, who surprisingly won the bronze medal. As analysed by Velo by Outside, Seixas sits relatively upright on the bike compared to specialists like Evenepoel, presenting a larger surface area to the wind. However, he compensated for this aerodynamic deficit with his enormous physical performance. On the other hand, Evenepoel benefited from his extremely aerodynamic position and his ability to maintain it even in technical sections.
For your training, this shows: you do not necessarily have to stay in an extremely uncomfortable aero position if you cannot maintain it or if your power output suffers as a result. Comfort and the ability to apply constant pressure to the pedal over a long period are often more valuable than the last bit of aerodynamics.
Your takeaway: Pace yourself in a controlled manner during long efforts, approach corners with focus, and find a riding position that you can keep stable even when fatigued.
This article was generated automatically with AI from the sources listed above and has not been editorially reviewed.