For some, this period is about maintaining fitness, balancing on the precarious knife’s edge between stellar form on one side and DNF’s on the other.

For others, this time is more about finding form. The Olympics brought a few disappointments, and many will be fighting hard to finish the season on a high.

In any non-Olympic year, the back end of the season is always an interesting one.  Riders are scraping the barrel for contracts, others are dawdling after a stellar start to the year, and the rest hope they are able to gain something, even if they aren’t sure what it is.

Post Olympics, attention turns to Vargarda, Sweden, this weekend for round six (teams time trial) and seven (road stage) of the UCI Women’s Road World Cup. The fight for the final podium spots is turning into a combative one.

Once again, Marianne Vos (Stichting Rabo) has all but secured the win and Judith Arndt (Orica-AIS) looks good for second. The remaining podium spot is a close competition with up to ten riders still in points contention.

As is often the case, rider’s teams will play a huge role in this weekend’s racing. This may seem obvious with a team time trial (TTT), but the results on Friday will have a strong influence on what unfolds in Sunday’s race.

Firstly, the TTT will refine the fight for the world cup title, with this result determining the tactical approach to Sunday’s race.  With the classification more defined, we may see the top teams riding for individuals who would normally not be in the hunt, but have found their overall chances boosted after a strong time trial performance.  With a single round remaining in the series (the Grand Prix de Plouay-Bretagne in France next weekend) the race may be more about preservation. Instead of the exciting race we witnessed in London, teams may have to revert to less aggressive tactics to preserve their leaders chances. 

Secondly, this year’s world championships will see the team time trial return as a medal event. While the TTT  has been a world championship and an Olympic event before,  this time around it has a new twist. Riders will represent their professional teams, rather than riding for their country. The time trial in Sweden this weekend will be a showcase for what we can expect in six weeks time.

Orica-AIS has a huge opportunity, and boasts a strong group of riders, spearheaded by reigning time trial world champion Judith Arndt. They won’t go in as favourites though, that title rests with Specialized Lululemon. AA-Drink Leontin.nl will also fielding a competitive team.

The teams will be watching each other closely this weekend in this world championship dress-rehearsal. There will also be an internal battle for a spot in the team for World Championships. 

A TTT provides huge opportunity to riders who otherwise would only dream of pulling on the stripes.  

Australia has not had a female road world champion before, but for the likes of Melissa Hoskins, Amanda Spratt and Shara Gillow this weekend could increase hope that for the Aussies, rainbows aren’t far away.