On the 22nd of September the international peloton will begin the World Championships in Zurich. The first event will be the individual time-trial, and so the best time-trialists from all around the world will face off in Switzerland to battle for the rainbow jersey. We take a look at the profile.
The route will be long and it will be difficult in Zurich. This is a time-trial that will be very open, it is not at all completely flat - featuring 400 climbing meters - and the long distance also mean that, combined, we may see surprises in Zurich this year.
This is a route that can be divided into three separate sections. The riders begin their effort and throughout the first 20.5 kilometers will find a completely straightforward route that is also completely flat. This will favour the specialists in the discipline and 20 kilometers is enough time to make big differences. But certainly, the riders will save their legs a bit for the hilly section of the course that is rather vital.
We have got firstly 700 meters at 5%; 2.4 kilometers at 4.9% (the second intermediate point is at the summit of this climb, 26.5 kilometers into the effort) which feature a relatively steep ramp at it's start... Then there are 2 slightly technical and steep kilometers of descending before another slightly uphill ramp. The riders descend back into the lakeside in a small but very fast descent, before the final section of the race.
The final 12 kilometers of the time-trial are - literally - a straight line. No braking, no cornering, just a flat-out effort by the lake that features no gradients and will to be a constant effort all the way through. The riders have the finish line as they reach the center of Zurich.