Arens completed the 18.6 kilometre course, in which only the cobblestone climb in the finale had to be mastered, in 25:47 minutes at an average speed of 42.6 km/h. The 18-year-old was 35 seconds ahead of Ostiz, who is also older. Gissinger needed two seconds more.

While Arens will continue to ride at club level next year, Ostiz has been a stagiaire at Movistar since August. She has already signed a professional contract with the Spanish Women's WorldTeam for the next three years. Last year, Ostiz was already European junior champion and runner-up in the world road race. She finished seventh in the time trial - two places ahead of Arens. Now the Dutch junior champion has turned the tables against the clock.

"I can't really believe it. It's really moving, I don't even know what to say," said a visibly moved Megan Arens, searching for words to describe her triumph. "It was a really tough course and we obviously had a plan for the pace, but it was hard to hit the wattage, so I just focused on my gut and gave it everything I could - and it worked."

World Championship 2025 - Individual time trial junior results

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