The 28-year-old flew out of the blocks to clock one of the fastest times at the only intermediate check on the relatively flat 31.7km course, stopping the clock there at 20 minutes and 35.25 seconds.

She continued her strong early pace to cross the finish line in a time of 41 minutes and 21.3 seconds, which was the fastest of the day to put her in the hot seat for the rainbow jersey.

However, Dutch rider Anna van der Breggen would eclipse the Australian's time and claim the jersey in a winning time of 40 minutes and 20 seconds.

Switzerland's Marlen Reusser was 15 seconds behind with Dutch rider Ellen van Dijk a further 16 seconds behind. German Lisa Brennauer was in fourth 45 seconds behind the winner.

Brown, who was the only Australian in the field, finished one minute and 1.2 seconds behind van der Breggen.

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"There's always that little hope hidden away that you can like win even though it's your first world champs, I was realistically aiming for top-10, so I'm really happy with the results," she told the Australian Cycling Team website.

"This is pretty epic. It's sort of the first time that I've really been able to step up on my own accord and rise myself and show where I stand against the best girls in the world.

"I always believed that I could be up there with them. But now I can show that with a result. I was just wanting to go out and ride my fastest race and not worry too much about everyone else.

"I only got the info that I was up once I went through the final checkpoint. It was just a bit of a confidence boost going into the last five kilometres.

Listen to this week's The Main Break podcast with women's sport pioneer Alicia Drew:

"I had a time in mind that I came in under and I really wanted to push super hard in the first half because it was into a headwind. And I believe that that's where the race was won or lost, really.

"I think I managed to pace the race, to my strength and to the course."

Brown, a former runner, began her cycling journey in 2015 when, after multiple Cycling Australia National Road Series victories and fifth overall at the 2018 Tour Down Under, she was awarded the Amy Gillett Foundation Scholarship.

In 2018, Brown went on to make her Australian team debut at the UCI Road World Championships and would contest a host of Women's World Tour events with pro team Mitchelton-SCOTT.

In 2019, she claimed the Australian time trial title and a stage of the Santos Tour Down Under but was forced out of the 2019 world championships due to injury.

At this year's Cycling Australia Road National Championships she claimed dual medals with silver in the time trial and bronze in the road race.

Brown will ride next in Saturday's women's road race.

She will ride alongside Tiffany Cromwell (Canyon-SRAM), Brodie Chapman (FDJ Nouvelle Aquitaine Futuroscope), Lucy Kennedy (Mitchelton-Scott), Shara Marche (FDJ Nouvelle Aquitaine Futuroscope), Rachel Neylan (Cronos Casa Dorada Women Cycling) and Sarah Roy (Mitchelton-Scott).

Australia's favourite for victory, Amanda Spratt (Mitchelton-Scott), was forced out of the titles due to injuries she sustained in a crash in the Giro Rosa last week.

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