"Tadej Pogacar's the favourite, but I'm not thinking about 2nd or 3rd" - Egan Bernal hoping to use high-altitude expertise to his advantage in Kigali Worlds road race

The 2025 World Championships in Kigali mark a milestone for global cycling: the first time the men’s elite road race will be contested on African soil. For Egan Bernal, the symbolism runs deeper. The 2019 Tour de France winner is set to line up for his first ever Worlds, and he believes both the setting and the altitude could play into his hands.

“This is the first Worlds in Africa, so it has something special,” Bernal explained in conversation with FloBikes during the recent Vuelta a Espana. “I’m really looking forward to going there and enjoying my first Worlds, actually. Many years ago, we had one in Colombia, and you can just imagine the effect this will have in Rwanda for future cyclists.”

The Colombian knows first-hand how hosting a major international race can energise an emerging cycling culture. The 1995 Worlds in Duitama remain a reference point in Colombian cycling history, and Bernal sees similar potential for Rwanda and the wider continent. “It’s going to be super important for future cyclists in Rwanda and in Africa in general. I just hope to see more people from around the country in the peloton,” he said.

The course in Kigali is expected to be brutal, with repeated climbs and racing taking place at around 1,500 metres above sea level. For Bernal, who grew up riding in Zipaquirá at 2,600 metres, that presents an opportunity. “Because it’s going to be at altitude, I’m feeling good and I’m really focusing on it,” he said. “I think I can perform well. There will be a lot of climbing too, so I just hope I can do something good with the altitude.”

Asked how much of an impact the thin air might have on rivals more accustomed to sea level, Bernal was cautious. “It’s difficult to guess now — it’s all speculation. We’ll see if that altitude is enough to make a difference against people who live at sea level. But yes, we will see there.”

No preview of Kigali can bypass Tadej Pogacar. He arrives off the back of another Tour de France victory — his fourth — continuing a run that reinforces his status as the benchmark. But the 2025 season hasn’t been infallible. In the Worlds time trial last weekend, Pogacar cracked: Remco Evenepoel overhauled him en route, relegating him to fourth. That fragility — however rare — is the sliver of daylight his rivals will be watching. Bernal, for one, isn’t going to play it safe by default: “Of course, he’s the favourite, the number one,” Bernal admitted. “But from my side, I have to think about myself, focus on my race, and try to do my best. It’s not about just going there thinking about 2nd or 3rd. There are a lot of riders who can do a good race.”

Bernal won’t be alone in Kigali. Team Colombia will field a tight squad featuring Harold Tejada and Brandon Rivera, both trusted riders from his circles. “We’ll have Harold, a super good rider, and also Brandon,” Bernal said. “It’s going to be a fun team. For sure we’ll enjoy it, but also we really want to go there and do something cool — not just to show up, but to actually achieve something good.”

For a rider whose career was nearly derailed by a life-threatening crash in 2022, the chance to target a rainbow jersey is already a sign of progress. But Bernal is not travelling to Kigali for sentiment. With high-altitude roads, climbing stacked into every lap, and the chance to make history on a new continent, the Colombian is daring to believe he can be more than just part of the peloton. “I’m not thinking about 2nd or 3rd,” he says. “I want to see what I can do myself.”