TakeWorlds3 weeks ago
Marlen Reusser defends her title on a course that shares almost nothing with the one she won it on. Kigali was 31.2 km and climbing-heavy; Montreal is 39.2 km and flat, run through the fast sweeps of Circuit Gilles Villeneuve. Remove the climbing and Reusser's edge narrows — this becomes a pure power test, and that opens the door for Zoe Bäckstedt and Demi Vollering.
The 39.2 km distance matters beyond the parcours: it's only the third time since 1994 that the women's Worlds time trial has matched the men's distance, a quiet equality marker inside a race that's already being framed around Reusser's form. That form is real — she won her Gatineau tune-up by 43 seconds and took stage wins at both Tour de Suisse and Tour de France Femmes this year. But Vollering and Nooijen already beat Bäckstedt over 21 km in France, and a flat 39.2 km rewards sustained output over the terrain-reading that suited Reusser in Rwanda.
Sources
2026 Worlds ITT's startlist: Evenepoel and Reusser lead the fields in MontréalMarlen Reusser or Demi Vollering? Can anyone challenge the two favourites in the World Championships elite women's time trial?Chrono Féminin de Gatineau: Marlen Reusser smashes individual time trial showing strong form ahead of WorldsWorld Championships 2026 Montréal men's and women's elite time trial 2026 preview, profile, favourites & predictions
Analysed 4 sources, written and summarised with AI · How we work