'A perfect Tadej climb' - Pidcock compares Côte de Kigali to Oude Kwaremont

Fresh off his maiden Grand Tour podium at the Vuelta a España, Tom Pidcock has arrived in Kigali, Rwanda, ahead of the first UCI road world championships to take place on African soil.

It’s a quick turnaround for the 26-year-old, with the Spanish Grand Tour finishing just ten days ago, but Pidcock looked to be in good spirits speaking to Cycling Pro Netwhen asked if he has recovered from his recent exertions.

"Pretty okay, I think, a few days tired, sleeping and yeah, then not bad last week," Pidcock said. "I think it's come around pretty fast, feels like a long time since the Vuelta, but yeah, also difficult to balance. I haven't really done full, proper training yet, so how I feel, I'm not completely sure."

Having surveyed the challenging Kigali circuit that features over 5,500 metres of elevation gain across 267.5km, including the Côte de Kigali that riders will tackle multiple times, Pidcock gave his thoughts on the course.

"I think the climbs are hard, that's for sure, but the roads are super fast and wide, so I think it will be a while until the bunch thins out where it will make more of a difference," said Pidcock after a training ride on the short lap.

A particular stern test is the Côte de Kigali, which is 800 metres in length, averaging 8.1% with gradients reaching 12%, which the riders will tackle multiple times. Pidcock drew comparisons to one of the most famous climbs in all of cycling and assessed that it suits one obvious rider in particular.

"With this cobbled climb, it's like the Kwaremont, a perfect Tadej climb," he said, referencing the Oude Kwaremont, prominent in the Tour of Flanders, where Pogacar has won two editions, including the most recent. “I think with this amount of climbing, it suits me,” Pidcock added.

While altitude has been discussed as a potential factor for the first World Championships to be held in Africa, Pidcock dismissed concerns about the impact.

"It's not really altitude, I think maybe there's a bit of air pollution, but I don't think it's too bad," he explained.