"Without Tadej, the race could go any number of ways" - Italian armada eye rainbow jersey after Pogacar's withdrawal
CyclingSaturday, 19 September 2026 at 12:37
The 2026 World Championships will come to a close with the men's elite road race and there, due to Tadej Pogacar's absence, there will be plenty contenders to win the rainbow jersey. Giulio Ciccone and Giulio Pellizzari, members of the Italian national team, have talked ahead of the race.
Giulio Pellizzari, despite the negative outcome to his Giro d'Italia GC run, has had a strong season. Podiums at the Volta a Comunitat Valenciana, Tirreno-Adriatico and Tour of Slovenia; stage and GC win at the Tour of the Alps; plus victories at the Vuelta a Burgos and Deutschland Tour's queen stages.
The Italian's latter part of the season has been focused around the stage-races he's taken part in already and the late-season one-day races. Amongst them Il Lombardia, but also the World Championships. Having been left out of the Vuelta, he admits that it ended up being the best path.
“I really thought about it. Before Burgos, the idea of doing the Vuelta lit something inside me again that I hadn’t felt for a while," Pellizzari admitted in an interview with Bici.Pro. However the decision was clear.
“I think it was the right decision. Looking at how the races have gone, it worked out well. I’m 100 percent happy with the choice.”
Giulio Pellizzari is of the most underated contenders for the 2026 World Championships
Recently, Pellizzari has used the Italian autumn classics to prepare for the worlds. He has won the Giro della Toscana, was sixth at the Coppa Sabatini and was second at the Memorial Marco Pantani. He has proven good form and will head to Canada with plenty confidence.
“We have a strong team and a lot of options. We’ll have to use them well. The good of the national team comes before the individual. If someone is stronger, I’ll work for him, as I’ve always done. We have to try to bring home a medal.”
The Italian team will also include Albeto Bettiol, Mattia Cattaneo, Lorenzo Finn, Davide Piganzoli, Christian Scaroni, Giulio Ciccone and Matteo Trentin.
“Everyone thinks they are Pogacar. But there is only one Pogacar.” And with the Slovenian's absence, the Italians suddenly have a lineup that can take them towards victory in what is expected to be a more tactical race.
“Being calm in what I do and giving things the right importance. You do everything possible to arrive in good shape, and after that, whatever happens happens. I think that serenity will be the secret to doing well.”
Tadej Pogacar's absence changes the race
"I don't feel any pressure or anything like that. I still remember the effort in Kigali well, but this year I see a national team with more attackers and riders in top form," Giulio Ciccone said to the Italian news outlet.
The Italian national team are a true powerhouse heading into Montréal, and the Lidl-Trek rider is eager for some chaos. "It wouldn't make sense to show up with just one leader, I envision a team with two or three leaders, partly because the course lends itself to various tactics. So, it’s better to have a more open national team setup."
With plenty classics specialists, Ciccone believes that the lineup choice is strong and that it allows the team to play cards in several different ways.
"This isn't a course where you can just push the pace and use the top riders to whittle down the field. It’s better to stay in the group and try to decide the race by playing out different scenarios. Without Tadej, the race could go any number of ways, so you have to be ready and have numerical strength."
Read also
Evenepoel the real danger, Ciccone warns
Ciccone has, this year, stopped aiming for the overall classification in the Grand Tours. His fall campaign has seen him finish on the podium of the Vuelta a Burgos and recently finishing second and seventh at the GP de Québec and GP de Montréal.
On the latter, he was assured that even in his best level, the competition proved mighty fierce. "The way Sunday's race unfolded showed that the level of competition in Montreal was very high. We started the final lap with seven riders, three of whom were from UAE, so the World Championship race will play out differently in tactical terms. National teams aren't as well-equipped as trade teams, so anything is possible".
In the former, he was second only to Evenepoel. But the Belgian proved the strongest, leading up the final ascent and then beating Ciccone in the final two-man sprint. He casts a special warning for Evenepoel, who may try to execute a tactic that has given him plenty success in the past.
"In Québec, he got away because the others made a mistake. If you give him a 50-meter gap, you know that once he stretches it to 100 and then 200 meters, it becomes very difficult to catch him. I think Remco will try to use his signature move: anticipating the moment in the race when you least expect it. And then it’s over—you won’t catch him. If he does that, he’ll finish you off".
Rúben SilvaEditor-in-Chief
A founding contributor to CyclingUpToDate since its launch in January 2022, Ruben Silva has played a central role in shaping the site’s editorial direction and long-term growth. Before joining the project, he built his experience through independent blogging at Echelons Hub and by producing race previews for Ciclismo Internacional, developing a strong analytical voice rooted in daily engagement with professional cycling.
Beyond editorial work, he has been closely involved in the expansion and coordination of CyclingUpToDate’s wider network, helping establish and support sister platforms across multiple languages. This includes ongoing collaboration with CiclismoAlDia (Spanish), CiclismoAtual (Portuguese), WielrennenUpToDate (Dutch), and RadsportAktuell (German), contributing to a shared editorial vision and consistent international coverage.
He also helps oversee editorial governance across the network, setting standards for accuracy and consistency and coordinating updates or corrections when needed.
Originally from the Porto metropolitan area in Portugal, he holds a bachelor’s degree in Geography. His path into cycling journalism was shaped not through formal media training, but through independent reporting, community engagement, and sustained on-the-ground involvement in the sport.
Over the course of his career, he has conducted approximately 100 interviews across road cycling and cyclocross, ranging from one-to-one conversations and online formats to press conferences and on-site pre- and post-race coverage. His interviews include leading riders, team managers, and prominent figures within cycling media: Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, Mathieu van der Poel, Primoz Roglic, Wout van Aert, Joao Almeida and Tom Pidcock; managers like Patrick Lefevere and Joxean Matxin; and YouTube personality Bryan Kennedy (BKXC)...
Within 18 months of launch, he helped grow CyclingUpToDate’s English-language platform into one of the most-read cycling news websites, built entirely from the ground up. As both a professional journalist and lifelong cycling enthusiast, his focus remains on delivering accurate, timely, and well-contextualized coverage.
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