The 2022 road cycling world championships in the Australian city of Wollongong will see men and women compete on the same elite time trial course for the first time in the competition's history, cycling's world governing body said on Friday.

The championships will begin with the men's and women's elite time trials, which will both be held over the same distance and on the same course, said Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI).

Time trials, a competition that pits cyclists against the clock to record the fastest time, are usually conducted over shorter distances for women.

"This is a first in the history of the UCI Road World Championships and is in line with the UCI's priority of promoting gender equality," the organising body said in a statement.

In the 2021 competition, the women's course took place over 30.3 km (18.8 miles), compared to the men's distance of 43.3 km.

The 2022 Road World Championships in Wollongong, a narrow coastal city located 68 km south of central Sydney, will take place on Sept. 18-25.