How do the team time trial and the mixed relay work?
I · Intermediate · Time trials · 4 of 6A whole team starts together and rides against the clock, sharing the work at the front. The team's time is taken on a particular rider across the line, which each event's regulations name. In the mixed relay three men ride first, and the three women start when the second man crosses the line.
How it works
- Team size: between two and ten riders, as the event's technical guide sets it.
- Intervals: teams start at equal intervals of at least four minutes.
- The start: riders are held side by side on the line and released, not pushed.
- Whose time: the event's regulations "specify on which rider of a team crossing the finishing line" the team is timed. In Women's WorldTour team time trials it is the fourth rider.
- Sharing: food, drink, wheels, bikes and help with repairs may be exchanged between team-mates.
- No pushing: "Riders, even of the same team, may not push one another."
- Dropped riders: a rider who falls behind may not join another team or take or give help.
- Being caught: the same slipstream and gap rules as the individual time trial.
- Mixed relay team: at the world championships, six riders of one nationality, three men and three women. An incomplete team may not start.
- The handover: the women line up in marked lanes and are released when the second man crosses the line.
- The relay time: taken on the second woman at the world championships. The team's result is the continuous time of both halves.
- False start: a rider leaving before the team-mate crosses the relay line is sanctioned.
The glossary has the time trial, the mixed relay, draft and the team classification.
Tricky cases
Is the team's time taken on the first rider across the line?
No, not normally. The event's regulations name the rider. In Women's WorldTour team time trials it is the fourth.
A rider is dropped by their team and another team comes past. Can they tag on?
No. A dropped rider may not join another team or ride in its slipstream.
In the mixed relay, do the women start when the first man finishes?
No. The second man across the line gives the relay.
Can a stronger rider push a struggling team-mate up a climb?
No. Riders of the same team may not push one another.
Why the rule exists
A team that rotates smoothly goes much faster than any of its riders alone, so the event tests drilling and trust. Timing a rider part-way down the line stops a team from burning off everyone to launch one rider, and it forces a choice about when to leave a tiring team-mate behind.
Where it differs
| Where | What changes | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Team time trial | Two to ten riders, time on the rider the event names | UCI 2.5.001; UCI 2.5.014 |
| Mixed relay at the world championships | Three men then three women, time on the second woman | UCI 2.5.001; UCI 2.5.014 |
| A team time trial stage | Run in the first third of a stage race, in reverse order of the team standings | UCI 2.6.003; UCI 2.6.024 |
From the rule book
Union Cycliste Internationale, Cycling Regulations, Part 2: Road Races (2026 edition, amendments to 1 July 2026), articles 2.5.001, 2.5.008 to 2.5.022, 2.6.003 and 2.6.024. Checked 14 October 2026. Official document: UCI Cycling Regulations, Part 2 (PDF).