The women’s and men’s cycling time trials both take place on Wed Aug 1^st. This is an individual race against the clock where the riders set off every 90 seconds, with the men riding a distance of 44km and the women’s attacking 29km.

With 40 men and 25 women starting and finishing at Hampton Court Palace, the route takes the riders through the rolling Surrey countryside making the course both physically and technically demanding.

It is a course that is perfect for some of the world’s fastest cyclists including Pro Cyclist and World Time Trial Champion Tony Martin who after crashing out of the Tour de France with a broken hand is almost healed up and ready to prove he is still the best in the world. Fabian Cancellara also left the tour early this year to welcome a new member to his family and after only placing third in the last World Championships, a gold medal may just make up for it. But with Bradly Wiggins and Chris Froome on home soil and still on a high from winning 1^st and 2^nd in the Tour de France it will be a battle to the last second.

In the womens event, Kirstin Armstrong from the US has returned after a year off to pursue her second gold in this event and Clara Hughes from Canada has also pulled out of retirement with the sole purpose of winning a medal in the Olympics. As Canada and the US are generally known as the main rivals, the riders fans will be crossing every body part with the hopes of achieving international bragging rights. But again the British team looks strong and as Lizzie Armistead and Emma Pooley were both able to train in the Surrey hills months before the event, they may know this TT route better than any other rider.

But as ever, cycling is hard to predict and anything can happen along the route that could be detrimental to their win. From crashes to punctures it is bound to be a challenge for even the most experienced rider.