Tadej Pogacar challenge delights Remco Evenepoel for Rwanda World Championships
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Belgian rider Remco Evenepoel at the Tour of Britain cycling race, at the Velodrome in Newport, Wales, on Sept 7.
PHOTO: AFP
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PARIS – Double Olympic champion Remco Evenepoel is expecting a tough challenge from Tour de France winner Tadej Pogacar, when the cycling Road World Championships begin in Kigali on Sept 21 with the men and women’s individual time trials.
Belgian Evenepoel, 25, is the two-time defending champion in the discipline.
And while time trialling is not Pogacar’s main strength, he has been crowned Slovenian national champion three times and has won time-trial stages at both the Tour de France and Giro d’Italia.
Evenepoel expects Pogacar, 26, to provide his main competition.
“I welcome that challenge, so much the better,” he said on his way to Rwanda earlier this week for what will be the first world cycling championships in Africa.
Reigning road race world champion Pogacar most notably claimed a time-trial win on the penultimate stage of the 2020 Tour de France
But that was a mountain time trial and Evenepoel is the man to beat against the clock on flatter courses, having never finished lower than third at five world championships.
He also beat Pogacar in a time trial at the Tour de France in July and is confident of keeping hold of the world champion’s rainbow jersey.
“I want to win as many different jerseys as possible and I have done everything I could possibly have done,” Evenepoel added. “I’ve trained well, feel well, have good legs and a good vibe. I’m ready.”
The men’s 40.6km individual time trial climbs four hills, one of which is cobbled, but otherwise runs largely on newly laid roads around Kigali.
“It will be unique,” said Evenepoel. “I can’t wait to see the place and the people.”
The route is shorter than the usual 50km or so, but the roads are technically challenging – often narrow, winding and with changing surface quality – requiring skilful bike handling.
Defending champion Australian Grace Brown is absent from the women’s time trial, having retired after winning Paris Olympic gold and the world title in 2024.
But gutsy American Chloe Dygert, who first won the world time trial title in 2019 and overcame a serious leg break to triumph again in 2023, is in Rwanda.
Third in 2024 in Zurich, the 28-year-old faces a tough field featuring two talented bike handlers in Dutch duo Demi Vollering and Anna van der Breggen.
Swiss all-rounder Marlen Reusser should also be in the mix while Slovenia’s Urska Zigart, who is Pogacar’s girlfriend, will be on the starting line of the 31.2km course, which is similar to the men’s, minus the cobbled hill.
The championships last just over a week, culminating with the women and men’s road races on Sept 27 and 28 respectively. AFP
