The World Championships’ biggest underdog threat? With all eyes on Evenepoel, Del Toro & Van der Poel, could Italy’s dark horse turn career-best form into Rainbow Jersey?
Cycling
Remco Evenepoel, Isaac Del Toro, Mathieu van der Poel and Paul Seixas head into Sunday’s World Championships surrounded by expectations of the rainbow jersey. Italy arrive in Montreal with a considerably less heralded name enjoying perhaps the strongest form of his career.
Christian Scaroni has quietly accumulated results throughout 2026 before hitting another level in his final races ahead of the Worlds. His last major Italian block produced second at GP Industria & Artigianato, third at the Giro della Toscana and fourth at Coppa Sabatini in the space of five days.
The 28-year-old is also Italy’s highest-ranked rider, and his coach Maurizio Mazzoleni believes Scaroni’s standing has changed considerably over the past two seasons.
“Christian has entered the dimension of a solid rider who wins races,” Mazzoleni told Bici.Pro. “The UCI ranking helps to say that too. He is the first Italian.”
Could Scaroni prove to be a dark-horse Rainbow Jersey threat on Sunday?
Scaroni has already come close on the championship stage
Scaroni finished fourth at last year’s European Championships after remaining in the medal fight deep into the race. “Scaro has grown a lot,” said Mazzoleni. “But it is not simply a numerical component. We know our numbers and at the same time we know how strong the others are."
“Take last year’s European Championships. Christian was fighting for a podium and finished fourth. He was very close to Seixas. If Remco, in that five-man move, had managed things differently, they probably could have arrived as five to fight for the medals," he continued. “Those are race dynamics, beyond the individual values the riders might have. Christian has now shown that he can stay with the big riders.”
This season, Scaroni finished inside the top five at the Clasica San Sebastian before another altitude block and his run of three consecutive top-four finishes in Italy. After that demanding block, he recovered before completing his final intensity sessions at home in Brescia and travelling to Canada.
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Could Montreal give Italy’s outsider his chance?
Sunday brings 273.7 kilometres and 3,803 metres of climbing, with 12 laps of the Mount Royal circuit after the opening section from Brossard. Del Toro won on many of the same roads at the GP Montreal earlier this month, beating Seixas, while Evenepoel finished fifth before claiming his fourth consecutive world time trial title a week later.
“If you move at the wrong moment, perhaps going too early, you risk paying heavily,” Mazzoleni said of the circuit. “It is a route that can become extremely selective if raced in a certain way, but it can also not become that selective and allow ten or fifteen riders to reach the final phases and fight in a reduced sprint.”
Scaroni will form part of an Italian squad that also contains Giulio Ciccone and Giulio Pellizzari, with national coach Marco Amadio responsible for deciding how the different cards are used on Sunday.
“If you compare yourself with Remco, as we saw with Ganna in the recent time trial, most riders see themselves in second position,” Mazzoleni said. “But nothing prevents situations developing in a road race that allow riders who are less strong, but still strong, to fight for a medal. That is also the beauty of cycling.”
Scaroni reaches Montreal in form
Evenepoel arrives with another rainbow jersey already secured from the time trial. Del Toro and Seixas finished first and second at GP Montreal. Van der Poel produced an extraordinary long-range victory on the final day of the Tour de Luxembourg.
Scaroni arrives after second, fourth and third in his final three major Italian one-day races, plus fourth at last year’s European Championships. Whether Italy use him as a protected option, an attacking card or in support of another leader will be decided once the race develops around Mount Royal.
Kieran WoodDeputy Editor-in-Chief
Kieran Wood is a sports journalist based in Wales and has been active in journalism since 2022. He regularly contributes to DartsNews.com and CyclingUpToDate.com, where he covers professional cycling and darts. In cycling, his work includes liveblogs from major races, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España, alongside race reports and analysis. He has also conducted interviews with professional riders.
His reporting spans the full racing calendar, from one-day classics to stage races, with a focus on accurate, real-time coverage and clear contextual analysis. For statistics, results, and historical context, he regularly uses resources such as ProCyclingStats. To support reporting on rider activity and training context where relevant, he also references Strava.
In his work, Kieran places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles as new, verified information becomes available.
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