Tadej Pogačar said his focus was on resting after the Tour de France, where the two-time winner was unable to keep up with Jonas Vingegaard over the final week in the mountains and finished a distant second to his biggest rival in Paris.
Turns out the break didn't last long.
Pogačar confirmed this week that he will line up for Slovenia in the men's road race at the UCI world championships, which begins Thursday in Scotland with the first track events and continues for the next 10 days. It will be the first time that cycling's world governing body holds nearly all of its championships at one time and in one place, which UCI President David Lappartient hopes will build some momentum for the sport heading into next year's Paris Olympics.
The course for the men's road race hardly suits Pogačar's climbing ability, but the 24-year-old will nonetheless join seven of his countrymen in contesting Sunday's race. It will begin in Edinburgh and head toward Glasgow, where most of the events are to be conducted, and features the kind of punchy climbs that favor the stars of the one-day classics.
That means names such as Remco Evenepoel, Wout van Aert and Jasper Philipsen figure to be near the front, though a U.S. team fresh off plenty of Tour success will try to animate the race and perhaps catch the more powerful teams off guard.
“We have three leaders, with Wout and Jasper, who are more for the sprint, and there’s me, who is capable of attacking from distance like last year,” said Evenepoel, the reigning champion, after his recent victory at Clasica San Sebastian.
“It’s just proof that my form is there,” Evenepoel said of the win, "that I have the legs to be in front next week.”
The men's road race, featuring many of the stars of last month's Tour, will surely be a centerpiece of the world championships. Here are some of the other key events, which will take place through August 13:
ROAD RACING
The Dutch team will be heavy favorites again in the women's road race and time trial, led by reigning world champion Annemiek van Vleuten, Demi Vollering and Marianne Vos. But the team was similarly favored at the Tokyo Olympics, only to lose track of an unheralded Austrian rider who dashed ahead of everyone to win the gold medal.
The Americans have a strong contingent for the women's road race, and keep a close eye on Chloe Dygert in the time trial, where the former world champ is once again a legitimate threat after a long comeback from a career-threatening crash.
TRACK CYCLING
Olympic champion Harrie Lavreysen will be going for a fifth straight world title in Scotland, and the Dutch speedster will join Jeffrey Hoogland and Roy van den Berg in trying to win back the team sprint title from Australia. Filippo Ganna of Italy will also be worth watching on the track in the individual pursuit before he heads outside to contest the time trial.
Dygert is also competing on the track in the endurance portion of events. One of her team pursuit teammates, Jennifer Valente, will be in the mix for the omnium world title after the American won a surprising gold medal at the Tokyo Games.
BMX
Hannah Roberts, who took silver in the inaugural Olympic freestyle event in Tokyo, will be go for a fifth world title, while U.S. teammate Justin Dowell will be among the favorites after the 2018 world champ finished second a year ago in Abu Dhabi.
The U.S. should be just as strong in BMX racing with reigning champion Felicia Stancil and two-time champ Alise Willoughby.
MOUNTAIN BIKING
The only Olympic mountain bike event is cross country racing, but the world championships expands to include a marathon cross country race, a short-track race, an electric mountain bike race, a team relay and downhill championships.
The usual names — mostly Swiss teammates Nino Schurter and Mathias Fluckiger — will set the pace in the men's cross country race, while the women's race is wide open. Puck Pieterse of the Netherlands won the most recent World Cup race, but veterans such as Jolanda Neff, Jenny Rissveds and Pauline Ferrand Prevot have experience on their side.
THE REST OF WORLDS
While the Olympic disciplines will draw most of the attention, worlds also will crown champions in several para-cycling events, junior and under-23 events, and lesser known competitions such as artistic cycling and cycle ball. The UCI estimates that 2,600 athletes will compete during the week-plus event; another 8,000 amateurs are expected to ride in a Gran Fondo.
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AP Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/2024-paris-olympic-games
