The route

The women’s race also covers the Grumari circuit, with two climbs – as used for the first part of the road races at the weekend.

Where the men cover the circuit twice, however, the women will ride it only once – meaning 7.5km worth of climbing spread across several uncategorised climbs and two main ascents.

The 1.2km Grumari climb is the shortest, but also the steepest with a maximum gradient of 13 per cent, while Grota Funda is longer but less steep (2.1km at 4.5 per cent).

It is a course more suited to those happy to take on the lumpy stuff than the all-out time triallists, so which women are in contention for gold?

Evelyn Stevens (USA)

The Americans boast 2008 and 2012 champion Kristin Armstrong but it is team-mate Evelyn Stevens in the form of her life.

A multiple medallist at the world championships, without ever stepping onto the top step of the women’s time trial podium, Stevens is certainly a contender against the clock.

She proved as much by winning the time trial at the Giro Rosa to seal second place overall, but that victory – her third of the race – came on a much flatter course.

Armstrong also should not be ruled out of contention, despite now being 42 years old – the American’s last race against the clock was at Crooked River, at the Cascade Cycling Classic, where she finished third on the testing 25.5km course.

Ellen van Dijk (Netherlands)

Anna van der Breggen is not the only Dutch hopeful in the individual time trial, with Ellen van Dijk taking the Netherlands’ other time trial spot.

Van Dijk, 29, was world time trial champion in 2013 and in her last race against the clock – at the International Thuringen Rundfahrt der Frauen – she won on a hilly 19km course.

All eyes may be on her Dutch team-mate, but the Netherlands have two great shots at a gold medal and could well double up on the final podium.

Van Dijk tested her legs by getting in one of the breaks during the Rio 2016 road race, so while Van der Breggen has stolen the pre-race headlines, Van Dijk does have the form too.

Elisa Longo Borghini (Italy)

Elisa Longo Borghini finished third in the women’s road race on Sunday, and given she is also Italian national time trial champion should not be written off against the clock.

The only rider in this list not to have won a world championship medal in the individual time trial, she could still be a dark horse on Wednesday.

Third behind Evelyn Stevens in the time trial at the Giro Rosa, Longo Borghini is also a former podium finisher at the Chrono des Nations.

The 24-year-old Italian can climb too – that is undoubted, but if you need more proof than her third place in the road race, she was Queen of the Mountains at this year’s Giro Rosa – so don’t rule her out.

Lisa Brennauer (Germany)

Germany’s Lisa Brennauer was crowned world time trial champion in 2014 and has been a perennial time trial contender since then.

Winner of the 2015 Aviva Women’s Tour, too, the 28-year-old was fourth in her home country at the Thuringen Rundfahrt in her last competitive time trial, which came on a hilly course.

Brennauer has also been an integral part of the women’s team time trial success enjoyed by Specialized-lululemon and then Velocio-SRAM at the last three world championships too.

Germany, through Judith Arndt, were on the podium at last year’s Olympic Games and in Brennauer have a rider capable of at least the same this time out.

That victory came on a short 4.8km course, but she does also have top-fives from the Tour of the Gila time trial and Thuringen Rundfahrt TT too.

At the latter she was more than a minute behind Van Dijk, the stage winner, so Villumsen has a lot to make up on a course not as suited to her as the one used for the Worlds last year. But you don’t become world champion by accident.