"Does not fully align with his abilities" - Pogacar domestique a surprise withdrawal from World Championships

The 2025 World Championships are taking place at high altitude in Kigali, Rwanda, where that and the heat will be limiting factors. Hence for the riders coming from South and Central America, there could actually be potential to surprise in the road races that are set to be very difficult and climber-friendly. Hence, Jhonatan Narváez is a last-minute withdrawal from the worlds, although it can't be said for certain if it's the course that has led to this decision.

Until this week the Ecuadorian had been listed to race in Rwanda, a logical decision taking into consideration his season where he trained for the spring classics, then the Tour de France, and is now in the middle of a third form peak. An announcement confirmed the 28-year old's absence from the race. “Jhonatan Narváez has, in consultation with his team, decided not to participate in the World Championships. The decision is based on the nature of the course, which is designed for climbers and does not fully align with his abilities.”

However it can equally be argued that this is not quite the case, as Narváez showed his best ever climbing level only months ago at the Tour where he even finished close to the final Top10, and the course in Rwanda does not feature long climbs, but instead explosive ones that fit him well on paper.

This season Narváez won the Tour Down Under and the national championships, and after the Tour he won a stage and finished second at the Deutschland Tour. Recently, he rode to 20th and 11th at the GP de Québec and Montreal respectively, having been given the freedom to perform on both. Past disputes with the national team and Richard Carapaz (Narváez' choice over Carapaz for the 2024 Olympic Games, where Carapaz was the defending champion) could be behind this choice, as even if Narváez wouldn't be a medal contender, Carapaz certainly is and a partnership would be key for a result as a team. Harold Martín López and Jonathan Caicedo will be providing the EF Education-EasyPost rider with support during the race.