Netherlands' Annemiek Van Vleuten competes in the women's cycling road individual time trial during the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at the Fuji International Speedway in Oyama, Japan, on July 28, 2021. (Photo by Ina FASSBENDER / AFP) (Photo by INA FASSBENDER/AFP via Getty Images)

Olympic Individual Time Trials

The time trial is a solo effort in which the riders set off at staggered times rather than in a grouped peloton. They cover a much shorter distance than in the road race, as the time trial rarely exceeds 50km. It is a discipline that requires consistency and concentration as well as preservation through effective aerodynamic positioning and power.