Brown and Evenepoel both took home Olympic gold in their respective individual time trials and will line up in Zurich, Switzerland eager to secure further success for their nations.
For Brown, world championship gold is the missing piece in her path to retirement after finishing second in each of the last two editions.
The 32-year-old has perhaps produced her best season to date despite her impending retirement and will hope the coveted rainbow jersey will complete a final campaign that’s featured wins at Liege-Bastogne-Liege, the Olympics, and the Australian Championships.
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Liege-Bastogne-Liege 2024: Women's Race
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For Evenepoel, however, keeping the rainbow jersey will be his main priority after taking out the title in 2023 and putting an end to his run of silver (2019) and bronze (2021, 2022).
At just 24 years of age, the Belgian continues to turn heads in cycling fraternities, with 2024 arguably his best season yet after backing up a third-placed finish at the Tour de France with Olympic gold in both the time trial and road race.
Nevertheless, plenty of big names are expected to stand in his way at the World Championships, with Brown, too, likely to face stiff competition from a handful of contenders.
Brown for gold? Four fellow women’s time trial contenders
Chloe Dygert (USA)
Dygert will be eyeing her own piece of history in Zurich as she looks to claim her third world championship crown.
A winner in 2019 and 2023, Dygert remains Brown’s biggest rival in the time trial and will hope to avenge her bronze medal showing at the Olympics, brought about by an unfortunate crash.
Lotte Kopecky (Belgium)
Not since a ninth-placed finish in 2022 has Kopecky competed in a world championship time trial, but much has changed since then for the 28-year-old.
Six straight national titles have preceded a runners-up effort at the Tour de France Femmes last year, which she then followed up with three world titles in the road race, elimination race and points race.
Like Dygert, Kopecky also succumbed to a crash at the Olympics but will feel confident in Zurich after capturing continental gold at the European Championships.
Demi Vollering (Netherlands)
Vollering will carry the Dutch team’s hopes in both the world championship road race and time trial this month, having shown considerable progress in recent years.
In 2023, the 27-year-old produced the sixth-fastest time at the World Championships in Glasgow, before going on to win time trials at the Tour de Suisse Women and Tour de France Femmes in 2024.
Anna Henderson (Great Britain)
Henderson has emerged as one of the leading time triallists in the professional peloton, having won two elite British time trial titles in 2021 and 2024.
Not even two separate cases of a broken collarbone could deny the 25-year-old her second national accolade, nor could it stop her from securing a silver medal at the Olympic Games.
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Tour De France Femmes 2024
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Gold for Evenepoel? Four fellow men’s time trial contenders
Filippo Ganna (Italy)
Ganna is expected to contest the time trial despite suffering from fatigue following the Paris Olympics.
The Italian took the silver medal behind Evenepoel in the Olympic time trial - just as he did at the World Championships last year – and will be out for revenge on the roads of Zurich, where his raw power on the flatter finish could propel him to victory.
Primoz Roglic (Slovenia)
Though no longer a time trial specialist, Roglic remains a threat as Slovenia look to secure gold in the time trial as well as the road race through Tadej Pogacar.
Roglic finished third behind Evenepoel and Pogacar at the Tour de France time trial before going on to win the overall title at the Vuelta a Espana, and though fatigue could play a factor, one would be wise not to write the 34-year-old off.
Stefan Kung (Switzerland)
Kung was seen studying the Zurich course earlier this week in a bid to further cement himself in the medal conversation.
An eighth-placed showing at the Olympics may have tempered expectations, but the Swiss has since bounced back with a time trial victory at the Vuelta a Espana and silver medal at the European Championships.
Josh Tarling (Great Britain)
Tarling burst onto the scene in Glasgow last year after winning world championship bronze as a teenager.
Now aged 20 and with two national time trial titles under his belt, the Welsh rider is a genuine threat who hopes his raw talent and power can propel him to the very top of the podium in Zurich.
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La Vuelta 2024
