Evenepoel, the first rider to win four consecutive world time trial titles, is hoping to become the first rider to hold all four world and Olympic road and time trial titles simultaneously.<\/p>\n
The Belgian called his preparation to the week in Montreal \u201cProject Canada\u201d and knows that in Pogacar\u2019s absence it represents a career-defining opportunity.<\/p>\n
Over a gruelling 273.7km course that includes almost 4,000m of climbing, Pidcock, second to Pogacar in the similarly lengthy Milan-Sanremo in March<\/a>, is expected to shine.<\/p>\n Buoyed by a recent win in the world mountain bike championships and success in Italian race, GP Industria & Artigianato, the double Olympic gold medalist hopes to become the third British rider, after Tom Simpson and Mark Cavendish<\/a>, to win the rainbow jersey.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m not the top favourite,\u201d Pidcock said. \u201cI think it\u2019s quite an open race, but it\u2019s my best shot so far.\u201d<\/p>\n Pidcock has credited the upsurge in his career fortunes, including this summer\u2019s best-ever ninth place finish in the Tour de France, with his departure from Ineos Grenadiers \u2014 now, as Netcompany Ineos, home to Onley \u2014 in late 2024.<\/p>\n \u201cI can say with confidence that it was probably the best decision I\u2019ve ever made in my career,\u201d he said this week.<\/p>\n Onley, meanwhile, has been backed to perform by the 2018 Tour de France winner Geraint Thomas, who is now Netcompany Ineos\u2019s director of racing.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s a great rider,\u201d Thomas said of the Scot. \u201cHe\u2019s a super talent, with an attitude that I can relate to. He\u2019s mentally strong, he wants to perform and he\u2019s desperate to do that. He puts a lot of pressure on himself. I just don\u2019t want to see him suffering from putting extra pressure on himself.\u201d \u00a0<\/p>\n Onley finished fourth in the 2025 Tour de France and won the best young rider classification at this year\u2019s Vuelta, but fell out of the overall top five after losing ground on the final mountain stage.<\/p>\n British hopes in the women\u2019s road race will be led by Zoe Backstedt, a silver medallist in the elite women\u2019s time trial last weekend. The Welsh rider\u2019s career was founded, like Thomas, on her time with Cardiff cycling club the Maindy Flyers. Fifth in this year\u2019s Tour of Flanders and a key protagonist in the final decisive stage of this year\u2019s Tour de France Femmes<\/a>, that featured repeated climbs of the Col d\u2019Eze, the 22-year-old has proven her ability to step up.<\/p>\n
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