"I'm in a good space again after the Tour" - Can Oscar Onley fight his way into World Championship medals?

Oscar Onley is one of the revelations of the season, performing strongly all year long and proving himself as a Grand Tour contender directly with a fourth place in one of the most difficult Tour de France editions in modern history. The Scottish climber has since been building towards the World Championships where he will be an interesting outsider.

"I feel like I'm in a good space again after the Tour. Mentally, after the Tour, I was quite cooked to be honest, and I had to take some time off and have some time to myself," Onley said in words to CyclingWeekly. The British team will be led by himself and Tom Pidcock, who also comes in after a tremendous Vuelta a España where he finished on the podium.

Onley comes with different preparation, but well rested after a very busy summer. "There was a lot of attention around everything I was doing for three or four weeks. That was quite a lot, but I had a good time away, got back into training, back into normal routine, and the focus was on this weekend the whole time. I'm really looking forward to it".

He acknowledges that his position in the peloton has definitely changed, and he will no longer be underestimated. "The riders in the bunch look at me a bit differently now, maybe there's a bit more expectation and pressure from the outside, but I wouldn't say I feel any different. I always put pressure on myself and I always want to perform, so, I don't feel like anything has changed in that sense. Maybe I've gained a little bit more confidence after the Tour, and I know my place now. It gives me more motivation, I think."

Onley is a punchy climber, the ideal skillset for the course in Kigali which features climbing from start to finish, these being short efforts however. It will be an interesting mix, but what can't be denied is that form and endurance will be absolutely key for those who finish on top, due to the race's nature and 267 kilometers in distance. The 22-year old isn't certain if he can have his best level on the bike for that long.

"It's not specific to this race, but big one-day races in general, it's really important to keep riding, and to keep putting yourself in the position to be in the race. Things change so fast when it's over 230 or 240 kilometers. There's a big difference in the drop-off of riders. Last year I was probably on the wrong side of that," he admits. "I put myself in the position to get a result quite early in the race – that was the way I had to do it – but I didn't have the legs to hold on in the final couple of laps".

"An extra year of racing and training in the legs, I've shown that I can compete on these bigger days. I'm confident I'm stronger than last year, and I think with the team we have we can be in contention all day. It's a really hard route, we rode it a few days ago," the Briton adds. "It's a tricky one, because the climbs are really hard but the rest of the circuit is quite wide roads, nothing too technical":

However what the wide roads may compensate in lack of tension, the weather conditions will make up for. "You can really recover there, but it's more the conditions that will affect the race more. With the altitude and the heat, it's really important not to go over your limit too early, especially in a 270 kilometer race."

However he does not have the pressure on his shoulders to lead the British, with Tom Pidcock by his side as a quality teammate. "It's quite exciting with both of us being in contention on Sunday, because it's really important when you can play off different teammates, it makes a big difference. It's not something I get to experience much across the year, and I'm really excited for it. The stronger your team is, even if you have four or five leaders, the chances of you winning or getting a better result is better than if you're the sole leader."

"I go to every race believing I can win or do a really good result, and Sunday is no different. The overall goal of the team is to get a medal, whether that's myself, Tom [Pidcock], Joe [Blackmore] or anyone. It would be really nice to get a medal for myself and it would cap off a really good year. I think as long as I do a race I'm proud of, then I'll be satisfied."