‘The dream is to win the rainbow jersey’: Brown looks to go one better in 2023

When Grace Brown takes off down the start ramp in the individual time trial on Thursday, she will be chasing one dream: to win the rainbow jersey.

She got a taste of what it might feel like to win the world championship last year in Wollongong where she won silver.

After clocking the fastest time early in the day, she waited and watched from the hot seat, until the final starter Dutch rider Ellen van Dijk narrowly beat Brown’s time.

“After coming so close last year, the dream is to win the rainbow jersey, and that's the vision we have all been working towards,” Brown said.

But she knows it will be a tough battle just to get on the podium this year.

“The women's ITT is very competitive at the moment however, and there are at least three other women who are capable of winning on the day. It will be a tough fight for the podium, let alone the win,” Brown said.

This year’s time trial is a relatively flat 36.2km course, that finishes with a cobbled climb up to Stirling Castle.

In her most recent time trial race, Stage 8 of the Tour de France Femmes last month, Brown finished fourth.

“The time trial in Pau was definitely a good test for worlds. It's not entirely the same racing on fatigued tour legs, but it was a good reminder of what will be needed for the world’s time trial. I hope that I can lift my level a bit from that performance,” Brown said.

In Pau, Brown finished behind Switzerland’s Marlen Reuser, Dutch rider Demi Vollering and Belgian Lotte Kopecky.

Also representing Australia in her first world championships on the bike is Georgie Howe. The former rower previously donned the green and gold on the water about eight years ago.

“It’s been a few years between drinks in terms of pulling on the green and gold but each time is an honour,” Howe said.

“This journey I’ve been on with cycling has been so much fun and the people that have been a part of it have been so amazing.

“I feel excited to do them proud and execute a good piece come Thursday.

“I feel like the course really suits me, it’s fast, it's reasonably flat, not so technical, it’s a time trial specialist's paradise – watts and aerodynamics will be the biggest player I think.”

Representing Australia in the men’s race on Friday will be two-time individual time trial world champion Rohan Dennis and current national time trial champion Jay Vine.

It will be the last world championships for Dennis, who won back-to-back titles in 2018 and 2019 and will be retiring from professional cycling at the end of the year.

Meanwhile, Vine is ready to test himself in his first time trial world championships against the best in the world, including the likes of Belgians Wout van Aert and Remco Evenepoel, and Italian Filippo Ganna.

“(There have been) lots of improvements in aerodynamics with the team since the Aussie nationals, so I will be more slippery for worlds. (I’m) excited to see how I stack up in a longer TT against the best,” he said.

The men’s course covers 47.8km and 352m of elevation.

“I would have liked some steeper or longer climbing sections but overall I think it's a well-rounded course,” Vine said.

“Depending on the weather it could be a challenging course coming into the final 5km trying to maintain speed through wet corners and onto the final cobbled climb.”

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