time trial

American  

noun

Sports.

1. a race in which competitors are timed individually on a set distance over a course or track, especially to qualify for a successive event.

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time trial British  

noun

1. (esp in cycling) a race in which the competitors compete against the clock over a specified course

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Other Word Forms

• time-trialling noun

Etymology

Origin of time trial

First recorded in 1855–60

Example Sentences

In the only Olympic long-track speedskating race with more than two competitors on the ice, the event is much more than a pure time trial.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 21, 2026

Belgian star Remco Evenepoel continued his excellent start to the season with victory in a second-stage time trial to take the overall lead of the UAE Tour on Tuesday.

From Barron's • Feb. 17, 2026

Elsewhere, Joe Truman took bronze in the men's 1km time trial - behind the Dutch duo of Harrie Lavreysen and Jeffrey Hoogland - to match his achievement from 12 months ago.

From BBC • Oct. 25, 2025

Early in the week, Pogacar looked a little jet-lagged during the individual time trial competition—that’s the one with the funny helmets, in which they compete for the fastest time against the clock.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 10, 2025

He had almost certainly read about the 16:20 three-mile time trial Ulbrickson’s varsity had turned in, but the news couldn’t have fazed him.

From "The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics" by Daniel James Brown