Evenepoel braced for Pogacar 'battle' at Rwanda Worlds
The World Championships in Rwanda looks set to be the scene of two duels between Remco Evenepoel and Tadej Pogacar, as last year's world champions defend their respective titles in the time trial and road race.
Remco Evenepoel will be in the air for much of Thursday as he travels to Rwanda for the World Championships. The Belgian is chasing a third successive rainbow jersey in the individual time trial, and he is also seeking to regain the road race title he won in Wollongong three years ago.
In each event, his chief rival looks set to be Tadej Pogačar, who won the road race in Zurich last year. Pogačar has enjoyed a remarkable campaign in the rainbow jersey, and he recently confirmed that he would line out in both the time trial and road race in Kigali.
The hilly time trial parcours has dissuaded a number of specialists from making the trip, most notably Filippo Ganna, but Pogačar clearly believes the 680m of elevation gain on the 40km course gives him a real chance of beating Evenepoel.
“When Pogačar sets his mind on something, it’s a sign that he feels ready for it,” Evenepoel told VRT. “I’m looking forward to the battle. Hopefully, it won’t be a close one, but he’s a nice extra challenger. There are other strong men, of course. Jay Vine, for example, is in good shape. But it’s up to me to defend my rainbow jersey.”
Evenepoel set out from Zaventem airport on Thursday for a two-week trip that will see him target four separate titles. He will travel directly from Rwanda to the European Championships in the Drôme-Ardêche, where he will also line out in both the time trial and road race.
“I’m just going to try to give my best in every race and hopefully come home with as many jerseys as possible,” said Evenepoel. “Of course, there may be the occasional bad day, but I have prepared well enough to be ready for two weeks of competition.”
Evenepoel abandoned the Tour de France in July while lying third overall, but he made a successful return to competition at the Tour of Britain, winning atop the Tumble en route to second overall.
The Belgian, who will leave Soudal-QuickStep for Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe in 2026, spent the intervening period training in Calpe, where he hoped the warm weather would help him adapt to the temperatures he will face in Rwanda. The temperature is forecast to be 26°C during Sunday’s time trial.
“I was able to do everything I needed to do perfectly. It was a relaxing ten days. I trained well and have a good feeling about it. I’m ready to go,” said Evenepoel, who downplayed the impact of his day of travel on Thursday.
“We knew the itinerary well in advance, so we could adjust accordingly. We can use today as a recovery day and then fit in two more good training days. Then we should be fine.”
