The 2026 UCI Road World Championships officially opened when Zimbabwe’s Skye Davidson rolled down the starting ramp of the women’s elite time trial.
But she contested her race on a rather unusual setup. Where we’ve become used to seeing the latest and greatest of incredibly sleek, wind-defying machines, hers looked…well, a bit dated.
She rode what appeared to be a 2015 Cervélo P3, complete with rim brakes, mechanical Shimano Dura-Ace and Profile Design clip-on aerobars. She was rolling on a Zipp 404 front wheel and a Zipp 808 rear wrapped in Pirelli P Zero tyres.
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Still a serious time-trial bike, but roughly a decade old, borrowed at the last minute and a size bigger than her usual ride.
As it turns out, the bike belongs to Zimbabwe team manager Nathan van Vuuren, who lent Davidson his bike after hers broke during the course recon the day before.
“This bike is the first time I’m riding it, ’cause my bike broke yesterday,” Davidson explained. “The derailleur hanger snapped and the jockey wheel broke, but it’s done that three times in the last week.”
Van Vuuren, who stood noticeably taller than Davidson as we spoke afterward her race, came to the rescue and offered his own bike.
“Good thing I brought it,” he remarked.
Davidson usually rides a 54cm bike but was happy with the 56cm loaner.
“It’s not the end of the world,” she said of the substitute. “I mean, it’s great considering, you know, compared to my road bike, which was my only other option. It’s great.”
(Image credit: Anne-Marije Rook)
Davidson is a former multi-time Zimbabwean national road race and time trial champion who previously rode for the University of Edinburgh cycling team while studying astrophysics. She hasn’t raced a time trial in a couple of years and started first.
“I was actually very happy that I was going off first, ’cause I think it kind of removes all of the pressure,” she said. “And it was quite nice having the motorbike in front to follow.”
There was also the relief of knowing there was a little breathing room before the biggest names came through.
“Not having too many of the big, big riders going immediately after me, so that was quite nice,” she said.
Once underway, the temptation was to attack the technical opening too enthusiastically.
“The beginning bit is very hard to not go out too hard because of all the corners, and you kind of want to ride it quite aggressively,” she said. “I think I did go out a little bit too hard, which is absolutely fine. I can learn from that.”
She found a rhythm through the first three quarters before the effort began to catch up with her.
“My legs were really, really killing me towards the end. But I think I managed to back off just enough to ride the last 4Ks up all the hills.”
Davidson finished 40th.
“All things considered, I am quite happy,” she concluded.
Davidson’s World Championships continue on Saturday, 26th September with the women’s elite road race.
The Cervélo’s championship aren’t over yet either. It will make another appearance in the junior men’s time trial.
