The UCI, the governing body of cycling, has moved up the women's elite time trial at the UCI Road World Championships (open in new tab) by 40 minutes.

In the U23 men's race, several riders hit a flooded section of road at high speed and fell. There was discussion as to whether the women's race, originally scheduled for 14:50, would be postponed until Wednesday, but the UCI simply confirmed that it would be postponed so that the first athletes would race at 15:30. The start time between riders was also changed from a 1:30 to a 60 second gap.

"Due to the heavy rain experienced this morning and in view of the inclement weather forecast for the rest of the day, the International Cycling Union (UCI) and the Organizing Committee of the 2019 UCI Road World Championships have reviewed the conditions for this afternoon's Women's Elite Individual Time Trial Race," a press The release stated.

"After consultation, it was decided to delay the start to 15:30 in order to clear water. The organizing committee and the prefecture have deployed marshals, yellow flags have been erected in areas where water has accumulated, and staff and vehicles have drained water from the roads to ensure the safety of riders.

"The gap between riders will be reduced from 1 minute 30 seconds to 1 minute to ensure that finish times are closer to the original schedule; the UCI and Yorkshire 2019 will continue to monitor the event closely and make appropriate decisions."

Noura Alomairi (Kuwait) will start first while defending champion Annemiek van Fluten (open in new tab) (Netherlands) will start at 16:22.

This comes after Belgian rider Jan Bakelants expressed concerns about the course after competing in the mixed team relay on Sunday. After the race, Bakelanz told Cycling News, "It's not a lap for time trials, and to be honest, I don't think it's a lap for road racing either.

"I think it's pretty dangerous. It's really technical. I think it's great for [Dutch road race favorite] Mathieu van der Pol.

"But when it's wet it's marginal, and this is England, it's probably going to be marginal. The two times we cross the bridge it's very dangerous. It's off-camber and that's Van der Pol's forte."

The elite women's time trial at the World Championships will be broadcast live on Cycling News. (opens in new tab)