A record number of teams have signed on to compete in the mixed relay time trial at the UCI Road World Championships, with 20 nations on the line in Zurich on Wednesday.
Two-time world champions Switzerland will be the final team down the start ramp but will be missing anchor Marlen Reusser, who has been out for the second half of the season with post-COVID syndrome.
Last year's runners-up France will be chased by the Swiss team at the tail end of the start list, with Italy's team, who were shut out of the medals in 2023, being third to last.
The Netherlands, who won the first mixed relay world title in 2019, will not be on the start line.
Mongolia will be the first team to start, with Olympian Jambaljamts Sainbayar anchoring the first half of the event, where three male riders complete 26.85 kilometres as a team time trial. When the second rider crosses the line, the three female riders will start their lap of the course.
Teams take off every three minutes, with teams from Rwanda - the hosts of the 2025 UCI Road World Championships - Afghanistan, Algeria, China, Ecuador, Ukraine, the UCI World Cycling Centre, Bulgaria and Estonia finishing off the first wave of teams starting between 14:00 and 14:27.
Canada kicks off the second wave at 15:41 followed by Spain, Austria, Denmark, the USA, Germany, Australia, Italy, France and Switzerland completing the start list.
