Evenepoel vs Pogačar vs the world; disagreements over the impact of altitude; and is this really the hardest World Champs ever?
Kristof Ramon, Cor Vos
There’s only one race left of the UCI Road World Championships in Kigali, Rwanda, with the elite men set to get underway at 0945 local time on Sunday morning. The time trials, age group events, and the elite women’s race have inspired all sorts of different outcomes, offering hope of a dramatic men’s race to wrap it all up.
Many of the favourites and threats to Tadej Pogačar’s rainbow jersey have been previewing what’s expected to be a brutally hard World Championship road race – 267.5 km with over 6,000 metres of climbing – so here’s a selection of thoughts from the expected protagonists and aggressors, including assessments of form, the course and whether this really is the hardest World Champs in modern cycling history.
N.B. You’ll notice some big names are absent, including Isaac Del Toro and Jay Vine, but their quotes were either a repetition of others or simply nonexistent!
Reigning champ Pogačar rides a course reconnaissance alongside trade teammate Isaac Del Toro who is among the top-three favourites to win.Pogačar prepares for his defence
Tadej Pogačar’s glowing arrival at the World Championships in Rwanda was slightly dimmed by his bracing result in the opening weekend’s time trial, but the reigning world champion remains the odds-on favourite successfully defend his 2024 title. And the Slovenian is feeling good.
“My expectations are high, and I expect a lot from my own legs. I’m aiming for the very best,” Pogačar said in the pre-race press conference. “The time trial was something else altogether; I came here for the road race.”
12 months ago, Pogačar soared to his first world title after an extraordinary 100 kilometres off the front, something he’s unlikely to try again this year, or so he says.
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