When Grace Brown spoke late last year about her plans for 2022, the Australian's list of big goals seemed long and perhaps a bit tired.

That long list includes the Tour de France Femme and the Commonwealth Games, where she won the time trial, but most importantly, she is among the favorites to win the elite women's time trial on Sunday, September 18 and the road race on Sunday, September 23, home UCI Road World Championships in Wollongong.

"The start of the year was a little, um, lackluster, and I didn't ride as well as I would have liked in the classics. But in the second half of the season, I had probably the best conditions I've had all year, so I guess I was a little lucky in the end."

"A lot of people get tired at the World Championships, but I'm feeling good and I think I can race well this week."

The 30-year-old, a member of FDJ-SUEZ-Futuroscope, has already had impressive results against the clock, finishing fourth at last year's Olympics and winning the Australian time trial title in addition to the Commonwealth gold medal at this year's event.

But it is hard to imagine a bigger result than a podium finish at his home road world championships. Brown taking the rainbow jersey in the season opener would of course be a dream scenario for the home crowd. However, only one rider has broken the stronghold of the Dutch title in the past five years, and that was Chloe Dygert (USA) in 2019.

"I know I'm up there and I know I'm competitive," Brown said at a pre-tournament media conference. On Sunday, we'll see how it all turns out."

"Of course, there are some really strong girls and it's a unique course. It's hard to predict who among the top riders will be the best fit. I believe I have a good shot."

"I think we have a good shot.

The 34.2 km course starts on Market Street in Wollongong and finishes on nearby Marine Drive, with about 30 corners per lap concentrated early in the circuit and then a smooth ride along the coast to the finish line.

"It's a pretty unique course, with all the corners," said the driver. It's undulating and there's only one section where you can get into an aero position and settle into a comfortable pace."

"It's on and off, there's always something going on. I enjoyed the course at the Commonwealth Games in that sense, so I hope I can run as good as I did at the Commonwealth Games." Brown will also be joined in the elite women's time trial by Georgia Baker. She had represented Australia at the World Championships exactly 10 years ago, finishing 17th in the junior time trial.

Baker has lived up to the proverbial "third time's a charm" in her road career. Having competed primarily on the track in recent years, the 27-year-old rider competed on the European road in 2015 with Wiggle Honda; in 2017, she signed her first contract with her current team, Team Bike Exchange Jayco, and began another stint when the Tasmanian was diagnosed with ventricular supraventricular tachycardia, That came to an abrupt end.

"Since 2017, I've always been really driven to make a really good comeback and to give the road another chance and to really focus," Baker said.

"I think I've had to learn and experience a lot more overall this year instead of just focusing on a specific race.

The effort paid off, with the 27-year-old Baker taking gold in the Commonwealth Games road race, a sprint stage in the Lotto Thuringian Ladies Tour, third in the individual time trial at the Tour de Suisse, and second in the prologue to the Giro d'Italia. The time trial discipline seems to suit Baker, and while she tries to avoid the unrealistic expectations of her first world championships in the elite category, she aims to go further in this discipline.

"It's something I've definitely missed over the years, but it's my first elite world championships on the road, so I'd be very happy with a top-10 finish," Baker said in a media conference before the event. 'That would be a huge accomplishment for me.'