"I understand why Mathieu van der Poel is not coming" - Belgian national coach talks Rwanda World Championship recon

For the first time ever, the Cycling World Championships are poised to travel to Africa in 2025. At least this is still the official line from the UCI, despite speculation hinting otherwise. Given Rwanda is still viewed officially as the centre of the fight for the Rainbow Jersey though, Belgian national coach Serge Pauwels recently travelled there for reconnaissance.

The proposed course for the 2025 World Championships is packed with tough ascents and is likely to give the pure climbers a rare chance at securing a Rainbow Jersey. It's the climb of the ominous Mount Kigali that stand out most on the parcours though. “On paper a climb of 6 kilometres at seven percent. But actually it is more like three separate climbs," notes Pauwels to Het Nieuwsblad, explaining his first-hand findings from the trip to Africa. "That last kilometre is almost fifteen percent on average. There it is more scrambling than climbing. And then there is the fact that you are already at an altitude of 1,800 metres.”

Partly because of this, some big names and perennial contenders for the Rainbow Jersey have already taken a step back from the fight in 2025, chiefly among them the 2023 World Championship winner Mathieu van der Poel. "I understand why Van der Poel is not coming," Pauwels admits, perhaps giving some insight also into the plans of one of his nation's stars, Wout van Aert. "After that Mount Kigali, you also have the Wall of Kigali. That is 500 meters of climbing at eleven percent, on cobblestones. A pure climber is not going to ride away from a classic rider there. But of course on that Mount Kigali he is."

And so it is that the much could depend on the performance of the main favourites on the aforementioned ascent. "Everything stands or falls with how the race will be on Mount Kigali and what will happen afterwards," Pauwels concludes. "But suppose Tadej Pogacar rides away again and he is all alone, then there is a chance that you will catch him with a good chase."

If, as seems likely given Pauwels comments, that Van Aert doesn't travel to Rwanda, Remco Evenepoel is expected to gain sole leadership of the Belgian lineup. The 2022 World Championship road race winner is among the leading contenders and most realistic potential challengers to Pogacar's crown.

As touched upon though, whether or not the World Championships will even be held in Rwanda by the time the event rolls around is very uncertain as conflict between the proposed host nation and neighbours Congo is ongoing, with even the European Parliament recently raising the prospect of moving the Rainbow Jersey fight to safer roads.