Reusser’s Birthday Present: Back-To-Back Time Trial World Titles

MONTREAL, Sept 21 (Bernama-dpa) -- Swiss cyclist Marlen Reusser won back-to-back world titles in the women’s individual road race time trial on her 35th birthday in dominant fashion on Sunday, reported German Press Agency (dpa).

Reusser trailed at the early splits on the long 39.2-kilometre course in Montreal before cruising to a comprehensive victory in 50 minutes 24.44 seconds, producing a strong performance over the final kilometres.

She retained the rainbow jersey, finishing 40.11 seconds ahead of young Briton Zoe Bäckstedt, who took silver.

The bronze went to surprise German Franziska Koch, who finished 45.54 seconds behind the winner.

Reusser was unstoppable in the closing stages, even catching Dutch great Demi Vollering, who had started 90 seconds ahead of her.

Vollering, the runner-up in 2024 and third-place finisher in 2025 and a winner of all three Grand Tours, eventually had to settle for ninth.

“Apparently, I coped well [with the long course], but it made me really nervous,” Reusser was quoted as saying by the Cyclingnews website.

“I was not really sure because we don’t have time trials like this often. I’m used to 20k, and we had huge discussions with the team and coaches, like, ‘What is good pacing?’ Until an hour ago, I was not 100 per cent sure, and also on the course, I was not 100 per cent sure.”

The men were contesting the same course later on Sunday, with Belgium’s Remco Evenepoel seeking an unprecedented fourth consecutive gold.

-- BERNAMA-dpa