"He's the man to beat" - Pogacar main favourite for time-trial world championships according to absentee Filippo Ganna
Cycling
The World Championships are often the gathering of the world's best riders, in an attempt to fight for a rainbow jersey that would make the career of any rider. This year is somewhat of an exception, as multiple-time winner Filippo Ganna won't travel to Rwanda and try to surprise in a course made for the climbers. He has named Tadej Pogacar over Remco Evenepoel as the man to beat this Sunday.
"It's always nice to smell the blue (the colour of the Italian national jersey, ed.), but today I'm here to accompany Matteo [Sobrero] and to offer my moral support to the guys. I won't be at the World Championships for obvious reasons, but I'm working hard to prepare for the European Championships," Ganna said in words to TuttoBiciWeb, confirming his absence in an event that announced the names present at the race.
Ganna has opted out of the race taking into consideration its very difficult route, featuring four climbs and a course that takes place at around 1500 meters of altitude with heat being a factor at play too. It is not realistic that Ganna could battle the likes of Tadej Pogacar and Remco Evenepoel who are set to fight for the gold medal. Even a bronze medal would be a tough ask for the Italian, whilst the road race in no way fits his abilities.
However Ganna surprisingly doesn't point at Remco Evenepoel to be the man to beat in Kigali, a rider who has defeated Ganna on many occasions. "The national team for the World Championships can count on many riders who have competed in a very tough Vuelta, so they'll certainly be in ideal condition for the challenge. A prediction? Pogacar has proven to be in great shape; he's the man to beat, but there will certainly be plenty of opponents, and we hope there will also be some Italians to put up a fight..."
Pogacar was second behind Remco Evenepoel at the Tour de France's flat time-trial. @Imago
Rúben SilvaEditor-in-Chief
A founding contributor to CyclingUpToDate since its launch in January 2022, Ruben Silva has played a central role in shaping the site’s editorial direction and long-term growth. Before joining the project, he built his experience through independent blogging at Echelons Hub and by producing race previews for Ciclismo Internacional, developing a strong analytical voice rooted in daily engagement with professional cycling.
Beyond editorial work, he has been closely involved in the expansion and coordination of CyclingUpToDate’s wider network, helping establish and support sister platforms across multiple languages. This includes ongoing collaboration with CiclismoAlDia (Spanish), CiclismoAtual (Portuguese), WielrennenUpToDate (Dutch), and RadsportAktuell (German), contributing to a shared editorial vision and consistent international coverage.
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Originally from the Porto metropolitan area in Portugal, he holds a bachelor’s degree in Geography. His path into cycling journalism was shaped not through formal media training, but through independent reporting, community engagement, and sustained on-the-ground involvement in the sport.
Over the course of his career, he has conducted approximately 100 interviews across road cycling and cyclocross, ranging from one-to-one conversations and online formats to press conferences and on-site pre- and post-race coverage. His interviews include leading riders, team managers, and prominent figures within cycling media: Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, Mathieu van der Poel, Primoz Roglic, Wout van Aert, Joao Almeida and Tom Pidcock; managers like Patrick Lefevere and Joxean Matxin; and YouTube personality Bryan Kennedy (BKXC)...
Within 18 months of launch, he helped grow CyclingUpToDate’s English-language platform into one of the most-read cycling news websites, built entirely from the ground up. As both a professional journalist and lifelong cycling enthusiast, his focus remains on delivering accurate, timely, and well-contextualized coverage.
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- for what?frieders311-11-2026
- Blah blah blah!frieders311-11-2026
- Where Merckx just rode every single race he could and won all the time, Hinault won less often (percentage wise) because he was more judicious in what he raced. His palmares are nuts. He had amazing rivals, one to start his career and another to end it in the grand tours. His classics were solid. What sets him apart from Merckx and Pogačar are that he basically dabbled in the classics while the other two love(d) them. I used to compare Pogačar to Hinault for his grand tour record and occasional classics win, until I realized that the comparison was wrong. Pogačar loves the classics - ah, the memory of his reaction to finishing fourth in a 2 person sprint in Flanders in ‘22: utter domination in any one day race since then, even when he doesn’t win. Hinault lived for the grand tours and I don’t think anyone else will ever reach his record. 10 wins in 13 attempts? Good lord. An amazing rider. Wish there was more footage to watch.RidesHills11-11-2026
- I had no idea about that either.
santiagobenites10-11-2026 - great analysis thanks! appreciate you posting this. I didn't realize CX had a different standard for deviation. this is even more egregious it seems.mij10-11-2026
- As he isn't currently with Red Bull, I guess if he want to race for one more year he needs to find a team. He's 37 so this will be his last year I would guess, unless he wants to race for almost nothing like Froome did.awp10-11-2026
- I think some are making much ado about nothing. Even though Jonas is getting older, before his crash in the Tour, he looked like a solid 2nd all the way home. No one can really climb with Tadej until this year, Eric Mas showed himself which I think was a one off year for him and Paul Seixas has been able to be pretty close to him. Whatever stage race Jonas enters as long as Tadej is not there he is a favorite to win.awp10-11-2026
- Giro or not Giro, he won't win the Tour!MajorPayne10-11-2026
- Very true.awp10-11-2026
- Ciccone had a very strong end of season. Consistently attacking and livening up races. Hope he makes that last leap in progress and starts notching some significant wins. Great rider to watch.Occam10-11-2026
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