Road World Champions: Junior men’s time trial contenders – who will take rainbow on a course for the specialists?

(Image credit: Soudal-QuickStep)

With Van Kerckhove out of this year’s championships after being hit by a driver while training in Montreal, Belgium’s hopes fall on Vic De Smet.

You may like

De Smet joined the Soudal-QuickStep Under 19 team for this year and has already tasted success with a consistent stream of top 10 finishes in what has been a busy season for the 17-year-old.

Importantly, some of that success has been against the clock, with victory at stage 2a of the Boucles de l’Oise over a pan flat 15km course and a number stop five places. He was second behind Van Kerckhove at the Junior Nationals in May as well, so is well equipped for Montreal.

The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox!

(Image credit: Getty Images)

Multi-discipline rider Patrik Pezzo Rosola already has a championship medal to his name, taking silver at the European Cyclo-cross Championships last autumn, but since then he’s been going well on the road.

He’s worked hard on his time trialing skills, starting the year with a national level race victory, but more importantly tasting success in the Nations Cup, winning stage 2a of Lago Le Bandie-Pieve Del Grappa. Decent uphill, he’ll cope well with the finish.

(Image credit: Getty Images)

The current Danish junior time trial champion, Julius Løvstrup Birkedal is a specialist against the clock and lines up for Tuesday’s race after some solid preparation.

What to read next

Denmark didn’t send a junior men’s team to the Road World Championships last year, but at the Europeans Birkedal finished third, just 27 seconds behind rainbow jersey winner Michiel Mouris.

This year he’s kicked on with a series of top performances against the clock including in the Junior Nations Cup.

He completed his Worlds prep at the Green Mountains Stage Race in the US, winning the opening day TT as well as the final road stage.