Pidcock surprisingly fresh after Vuelta: 'Maybe even a little too fresh'

"Honestly, I feel well recovered," Pidcock said at a press conference in Rwanda. "Maybe I even feel a little too fresh," he admitted, surprisingly.

The Q36.5 rider took a few days off after the Vuelta finished in Madrid before completing a lengthy seven-hour training session last week. His recovery has been so good that it's presented a new challenge for the multi-discipline world champion.

"I've never finished a Grand Tour in such good shape. That's something new for me, and it's difficult to find a balance between recovery and sufficient training," Pidcock explained.

Since arriving in Kigali on Tuesday morning, Pidcock has been adapting to the local conditions, which present their own unique challenges for the competitors.

"The travel is a bit of a nuisance, but I've been able to train well here. It's true, though, that you really feel the altitude and the smog," he said.

Despite his good form, Pidcock doesn't consider himself among the favourites, partly because his focus had been elsewhere until very recently at the Vuelta.

"I wasn't really focused on this World Championships. I was only thinking about the Vuelta, not about what would come afterward," Pidcock revealed. "When I got home, I was also a bit nervous, because I had a thousand things to do. So I didn't think much about it."

The World Championships represent a chance for Pidcock to race without the constraints he faced as a general classification contender in Spain, allowing him to race more freely in the one-day format.

While not openly declaring himself a favourite, the British rider made it clear he hasn't travelled to Africa without ambition.

"I'm here to perform," stated Pidcock, who already holds world championship titles in cyclocross and mountain biking. "I wouldn't have travelled to Africa if I wasn't convinced I could perform here. At a World Championship, anything can happen."

Should Pidcock triumph in Rwanda, he would add a road world championship to his impressive collection of rainbow jerseys across multiple disciplines.