Could Marc Hirschi be a challenger for Pogacar at home World Championships? "I have been in top form for quite a long time"

Marc Hirschi is on the form of his life. Used by UAE Team Emirates to gather UCI points over the past two years, he found his confidence back in an incredible winning streak recently. His form is so strong heading into the World Championships, in his home country of Switzerland, that he is a realistic contender for the rainbow jersey in a field that includes Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard and Mathieu van der Poel.

"We know Marc is a great champion, but now he is back. Often in cycling, you give a hundred percent, but nothing comes your way. Now Marc has been doing very well for a few months, we are happy with that," UAE Team Emirates DS Andrej Hauptman said in words to In de Leiderstrui. "It's little things. Marc has always given everything, but then something was always against him. From the spring, he has now become more powerful".

There has been a change; he won the Czech Tour alongside a stage win and then consecutively won the Clásica San Sebastián and Bretagne Classic at World Tour level; and the GP Industria & Artigianato, Coppa Sabatini and Memorial Marco Pantani. Although he was not able to take a win at last week's Tour de Luxembourg he looked to be as strong as Mathieu van der Poel on the climbs and appears ready for Zurich.

This will be a course that suits him very well, with lots of small climbs. "I've had some setbacks in recent years, but now I'm enjoying it again," the 26-year old said it himself. "Also, in the upcoming races, I hope to show good form because I have been in top form for quite a long time,"

"The plan was to do the Vuelta, but I chose not to because preparing well for the World Championship would be challenging. In this team, you have no freedom in a big tour if someone is in a leader's jersey," he laments. "The risk was that I had to work too hard for others, so I opted for solid training."