2026 World Championships: Reusser repeats his time trial title

An emotionally charged elite women's time trial officially opened the 2026 UCI Road World Championships , with Marlen Reusser (Switzerland) holding off the assault of the day's big surprise, Britain's Zoe Backstedt , on the streets of Montreal this Sunday morning.

On her thirty-fifth birthday, Reusser handled the race with impressive clarity, distributing her energy with precision. Despite trailing the twenty-one-year-old Backstedt at both the first and second splits, the defending champion turned the tables in the final stretch, displaying the power and consistency that have made her an absolute guarantee against the clock.

Reusser thus won the first rainbow jersey up for grabs in this edition of the World Championships, having gained a decisive lead in the final sector of the race, finishing with a time of 50:24.44, 40 seconds ahead of the Welsh runner.

Backstedt achieved a remarkable feat, winning a surprising silver medal on her elite debut, finishing just 5.43 seconds behind Germany's Franziska Koch in a close battle for the podium that was decided down to the wire.

Koch secured the bronze medal, putting in one of the best time trial performances of her career, providing a thrilling appetizer for this edition of the World Championships.

The final standings saw Elisa Longo Borghini finish fourth for Italy, followed by Cedrine Kerbaol in fifth. Also noteworthy is Demi Vollering's eighth-place finish, likely reflecting a less than stellar approach to the race—a detail worth keeping in mind for those following her in the coming weeks from a fantasy cycling perspective, especially ahead of the road race.

Also noteworthy are the lackluster performances, according to the forecasts, of Lotte Kopecky, who finished sixth, and Antonia Niedermaier, who finished seventh: two names who will certainly have more to say in the road races than in the time trial specialty.