Katrine Aalerud will not start the elite women’s individual time trial at the 2026 UCI Road World Championships in Montréal after crashing while reconnoitring the course ahead of Sunday’s race.
The Norwegian confirmed her withdrawal on social media on the eve of the event, sharing a medical X-ray image alongside the message: “Stupid crash on the recon, sad to not be able to be on the start tomorrow.”
Aalerud has not disclosed the precise nature or severity of the injury, so there is no indication yet whether the crash will also affect her availability for the elite women’s road race on Saturday 26 September.
Her late withdrawal leaves Norway without a starter in Sunday’s time trial after Mie Bjørndal Ottestad had already pulled out of the World Championships.
Aalerud was due to start fourth-last
Aalerud had been given a prominent position in the official women’s World Championships time trial start order.
The 31-year-old was scheduled to leave the start ramp at 10:25:30 local time / 15:25:30 BST, making her the fourth-last rider on the course.
She had been placed immediately after Germany’s Antonia Niedermaier and before the final trio of Zoe Bäckstedt, Demi Vollering and defending world champion Marlen Reusser.
Her withdrawal reduces the field from 48 to 47 riders.
The first starter, Zimbabwe’s Skye Davidson, is still scheduled to leave at 09:19:30 local time, with Reusser closing the start order at 10:30.
Norway now has no rider in the women’s time trial
Aalerud had already become Norway’s sole representative against the clock following Ottestad’s withdrawal.
Norway initially selected both riders, but Ottestad has been unable to return in time from the concussion which interrupted the latter part of her season.
That left Aalerud alone on the women’s World Championships time trial start list.
Sunday morning’s crash-related withdrawal means Norway will now have no rider in the first race of the Montréal championships.
It is an unfortunate conclusion to Aalerud’s preparations after a season in which she has remained an important stage-race leader for Uno-X Mobility.
Aalerud had a course capable of rewarding her consistency
Aalerud was not among the principal favourites for the rainbow jersey, with the women’s World Championships time trial preview centred on Reusser, Bäckstedt and Vollering, but her late starting position reflected her standing among the field.
The Montréal time trial covers 39.2km with only 220 metres of climbing, making it a prolonged test of sustained power rather than a mountainous championship course.
Aalerud has traditionally been strongest when climbing becomes more significant, but she has also developed into a reliable stage-race time triallist during her years with Movistar and Uno-X Mobility.
Her 2026 season has included another substantial programme of WorldTour stage racing, with Aalerud part of Uno-X’s continuing attempt to establish itself more consistently around the top 10 in Grand Tours.
That role was recently examined in ProCyclingUK’s feature on Anna Badegruber and the development of Uno-X Mobility’s women’s team.
Photo Credit: GettyCrash happened during final course reconnaissance
Aalerud described the incident simply as a crash “on the recon”.
Course reconnaissance is an important part of preparation for a World Championships time trial, allowing riders to examine corners, road surfaces, braking points and changes of direction shortly before racing.
The Montréal course includes long, fast sections around Île Notre-Dame and Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve before returning towards Parc Jeanne-Mance. Although much of it is designed for sustained speed, there are enough corners and transitions for riders to spend significant time studying the route before their timed effort.
For Aalerud, that final preparation instead ended her participation before she could reach the start ramp.
She posted no additional details about how the crash happened and did not identify the injury shown in the accompanying medical image.
Road race participation is now uncertain
The next question is whether Aalerud will recover in time for the elite women’s road race on 26 September.
Unlike the relatively flat time trial, the road race is much closer to her usual strengths.
The 180.4km route contains around 2,570 metres of climbing, with repeated ascents around Mount Royal expected to make it one of the harder women’s World Championships road races of recent years.
Aalerud’s climbing and experience would make her an important part of Norway’s plans if she is able to recover.
For now, however, she has confirmed only that she cannot start Sunday’s time trial.
The women’s individual time trial opens the competitive programme in Montréal, with the first rider starting at 09:19:30 local time and Reusser beginning her rainbow jersey defence at 10:30. Aalerud should have been one of the final riders between them, but a crash during her last preparation for the course has ended her time trial before it began.
