To close out this year's World Championships, an explosive circuit in Wollongong will determine the next world champion in the elite men's category. It will be a tough race. Can Julian Alaphilippe pull off a treble of world titles like
They are vital data: 267.5 kilometers in the day and 4,100 meters of elevation gain. This is a race not for sprinters and hardly for those who are fast but can climb. This challenging route is suitable for classics specialists and climbers with that bit of explosiveness they can take advantage of later in the day.
Resistance will also be essential, aside from the apparent tactics where a route like this can be severely influenced.
In the beginning, the cyclists will tackle Mount Keira, which is 7.5 kilometers at 5.7%. However, this will be too far from the finish to have any significant influence on the race, but it may make the difference at the end of the day in favor of climbers who may have felt more comfortable during this first hour of racing.
However, after 61 kilometers of racing, the runners enter the final circuit. More than 200 kilometers of racing on the streets of Wollongong will be an exhausting task, a course with an explicit characteristic.
The runners will complete 11 laps of this circuit, with Mount Pleasant as the day's protagonist, with its 1.1 kilometers at 8.6%. Most riders will save their legs for this as it will be the only selective section of the circuit. Before reaching it, a slight uphill section will be played in the 700-meter time t slopes bite more at the bottom at 16%. It lightens up a bit before reaching 14% near the top. However, it is a concise and robust effort, culminating with 8 kilometers.
This will be a crucial section of the route, where the candidates for victory will be clear. However, from this point on, tactics become critical as the riders will descend to sea level shortly and have six kilometers of accessible flat roads to the finish line in Wollongong.
It's long enough to stage a chase or stop working and see bikers coming up from behind. It will be a quick end, and the winning attack can come anytime. It will be back to the center where the new World Champion will be crowned.
The previous days have had quite a bit of rain, making some roads slippery. However, on race day, it must be dry. An easterly wind may influence the race, a tailwind at Mount Pleasant, a headwind going down, and probably some crosswind in the final miles.
Aert to run without pressure while making it very difficult to bring him back if he is capable of surprising. Otherwise, Belgium should ally themselves with other teams, keep everything compact until the last promotion, and hope that the WVA can keep up with the best. If they are successful, it will not be easy to beat them.
your shoulders personally. Matthews is sure to have great legs, considering the form he has shown in Canada and has competed in the Tour de France. His sprint is strong but probably not enough to beat van Aert or Hayter. However, having a good combination will make you a prime candidate for a medal.
Van der Poel won the recent Wallonie GP. However, he may not have shown his absolute best form. He is a bit of an unknown; on a good day, he will be in contention for the win, but he will have to overcome the distance and rack up a lot of climbs before he wants to contend for the win.
Aert, not to mention the possibility of van der Poel, Hayter, or Girmay, for example, will be much more difficult. He will have to attack uphill, but his strong sprint can trigger good group cooperation if no sprinter exists.
Julian Alaphilippe enters as the defending champion, but probably without his best form. Continue to be the most marked man in France, which may help his teammates.
Christophe Laporte is a short length but a possibility for a possibly small group sprint. However, the real threat will lie with Benoit Cosnefroy and Valentin Madras.
Italy Andrea Bagnoli And Alberto Bettiol
Two great outsiders. Wright has shown great form and spoken great form at Worlds; his Vuelta an España saw him second in the points standings, thriving in the hilly stages and sprints. His rouleur attributes of him also make him a late attack threat. Ethan Hayter is similar. However, he is more likely thinking of a sprint. However, he will have to improve on positioning as in a one-day race, all movement matters, and he cannot afford to waste energy as he has in many races this year.
The race can be wide open if the top favorites watch the final climb and allow a few riders to get in before the top guys. Although you can't take much of the element of surprise on this circuit, climbers like Sergio Higuita, Joao Almeida, and Alexey Lutsenko will make good outsiders on a good day. They'll find the likes of Jakob Fuglsang and new world-time trial champion Tobias Foss as potential hopefuls.
However, we will have some rouleurs that can be even more dangerous. Early moves need to be countered immediately against Stefan Küng and Magnus Sheffield, who seem to be coming in great form and would be extremely difficult to hit if found alone.
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