"A World Championship is always different" - Despite Pogacar domination in Liège, Belgian national coach does not discard van der Poel and van Aert from World Championship victory

Liège-Bastogne-Liège featured over 250 kilometers and 4000 meters of climbing. One of the few races that also features that this year are the World Championships; but Belgian national coach Sven Vanthourenhout doesn't believe this will give Tadej Pogacar an automatic edge over Mathieu van der Poel as we've seen this weekend.

“The distance and the number of elevation meters may be comparable, but a World Championship is always different. Also because you have to deal with local rounds. That is different from, for example, Liège-Bastogne-Liège," Vanthourenhout said in words to Het Nieuwsblad. "Racing is often different on a local circuit. And just because Van der Poel falls just a little short in Liège does not mean that this will also be the case at the World Championship. I still remember seeing riders at the World Championships in Imola in 2020 who rode a strong classification in a Grand Tour two weeks earlier. While at that time Flemish classic riders such as Oliver Naesen and Wout van Aert were still at the front of the race.”

The 276-kilometer route will feature climbing from start to finish in Zurich, but smaller ascents. They will make for explosive racing, but it lacks long or overly steep ascents where serious differences can be made as they were in Liège. However, Vanthourenhout focuses on the technical aspect of the course, which will favour the classics riders and specially great bike handlers like the two cyclocross specialists. “At a World Championship, the racing is different, the race is organized differently. Then the result can also be completely different," he argues.

"Again: in that respect I always find a World Championship a very special competition. There are riders who come out of a Grand Tour well and who can win at a World Championship and there are riders who come out of a Grand Tour less well or who have ridden a classification and therefore fall somewhat short.”