"Theoretically, he is the only man who could become world champion" - Dutch pundit continues to see Tadej Pogacar as the sole favourite for World Championships

Tadej Pogacar is not the man of the moment at the Kigali World Championships but he is the one that everyone has their eyes on. Will he be able to revalidate his title from last year, or suffer an unexpected defeat? Bobbie Traksel weighs in on the interesting debate.

“I think that if you want to be at your best in that time trial, you just need a lot more time trial kilometers, and you have to focus less on those Canadian races. In Canada, the travel and jet lag throw you off your rhythm. Apparently, you can't compete with that," the former pro said in the Kop over Kop podcast. “Even if he had done everything right, it's not certain that he would have become world champion. He would have finished second.”  

However this was ultimately not Pogacar's main goal of the week, and might not have delivered much of a psychological blow if his numbers in training remained high. However, his strong defeat and Primoz Roglic's uncertain tactics do open space for many to wonder if they can surprise on Sunday.

"There will be a few teams that think 'hey, because Pogacar was relegated to fourth place last Sunday...' But theoretically, he is the only man who could become world champion, even on a course like this."

And at the same time, it's less likely that Pogacar will want to take big risks with a long-range attack as was the case last year, even if the route is potentially better suited for such a move. “With that 100-kilometer climb from the start, it will break open faster than usual. Now, there are also riders like Evenepoel, but certainly Pogacar too, who prefer to come to the front in small groups with fewer teammates".

"All things considered, you can expect it to be a long final. One of the few options is to really dare to lose. Then you have to think ‘hey, Pidcock is going, I'm not going after him. Let Pogacar sort it out.’ That's the only real way. If he rides himself past, like in Zurich? Then you still have to close that gap with three or four riders."

And on Roglic, Traksel is not convinced that there aren't individual ambitions behind the veteran, and that the two are unlikely to be in a domestique-leader situation. “He sees his chance to become world champion on the back of Pogacar. That's the trick they're trying to play there: the way Vingegaard won the Tour in 2023 is how they want to play it now.”