Evenepoel or Pogacar? Tom Dumoulin has little doubt ahead of Kigali
Who will take the rainbow jersey in the men’s time trial at the World Championships in Kigali? Defending champion Remco Evenepoel faces Tadej Pogačar on a demanding 40.6km route with 680 metres of climbing. Former world champion Tom Dumoulin believes the outcome is clear.
“Remco will just win again,” Dumoulin told Het Nieuwsblad. “Well, let’s put quotation marks above ‘just,’ because it never comes easy. He is the true specialist, while Pogačar is a climber who can time trial.”
The Dutchman, who became world champion in 2017, stressed how brutal the final section will be. “You can make yourself as rich as you like until the finish line, but in the penultimate kilometre you still face the Côte de Kimihurura, a cobbled climb of more than a kilometre at 6.3 percent. That is brutal. Those cobbles are so thin, typical time trial tyres can barely handle them.”
Dumoulin praised the overall layout of the course. “It is a super beautiful parcours,” he said. “If I were still racing, I would be happy with such a route. The roads are all nicely paved, wide, with hardly any U-turns. Technically it is not very difficult, but still very challenging.”
He also acknowledged Pogačar’s presence cannot be ignored. “Let me start by saying that Pogačar is not on the start line for nothing. Last year he skipped the time trial, so maybe now he thinks he has a chance to win. If he wants to become world champion, he will not get many more opportunities. On top of that, Evenepoel has had a slightly less consistent year.”
Still, Dumoulin points to the contrast between the Belgian’s reliability and the Slovenian’s inconsistency. “It is true that Pogačar rode very well against the clock in the Tour, but before that in the Dauphiné he was not good. Pogačar is a bit hit and miss in time trials.”
He also underlined the difference between a one-off race and a time trial deep into a Grand Tour. “A time trial that stands on its own is a totally different matter than one that comes after a week or two of racing in a Grand Tour. You cannot compare the two.”
For Dumoulin, the verdict remains simple. Evenepoel is the favorite, Pogačar the main challenger. If there is to be a surprise, Jay Vine could be the rider to spring it, but the Dutchman still expects the rainbow jersey to stay with Evenepoel.
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