"It will be the most important race of my career" - Marc Hirschi heads to Zurich World Championships in form of his life

With four wins in his last four race days, Marc Hirschi could well be in the form of his life at the moment. With a home World Championships on the horizon in Zurich, the stars might be aligning for the 26-year-old Swiss rider.

This Thursday afternoon, Hirschi took the latest of his recent successes at the 2024 Coppa Sabatini, taking victory at the Italian one day race for the second year in a row, doing so with a 36 kilometre solo. "There were no more difficult climbs in these last kilometres, that's why I had to attack early," Hirschi reflects in his post-race interview. "Then I saw that I was alone. There was a group behind me. I went full throttle and had to hope that they wouldn't work together. In the end, I was happy to be able to arrive on the line with a 30-second lead."

As mentioned though, an even bigger success is potentially on the cards for the one day specialist. "I'm preparing for it here. It will be the most important race of my career, because it's at home," previews the UAE Team Emirates rider, who will face competition from his own teammate, Tadej Pogacar among others in the men's elite road race.

"Other great riders are participating, like Remco Evenepoel and Tadej Pogacar," he notes himself honestly. "And of course other riders who are not here. So it will be another level and I hope to be able to follow them," Hirschi concludes optimistically.

Despite the incredible form Hirschi has shown over the past few months, he and Pogacar won't be teammates for much longer as the Swiss rider moves to the Swiss-based Tudor Pro Cycling Team for 2025. Before he leaves however, Hirschi is keen to ensure he leaves UAE Team Emirates on a high.