‘There are no race radios, because any kind of organisation would be too normal’: The World Championships road races are joyously anarchic, that’s why we love them
It feels trite to say anyone could win them, but they are open races
Imagine the pitch meeting for the Road World Championships. Once a year, we get the best bike riders to come to a city somewhere in the world, one they may never have been to before – let alone to ride a bike in anger – and we get them to race over an extraordinarily long distance. They won’t be riding for their normal trade teams , of course, that would be silly. They’ll race in national teams, creating some odd mashups and squads with wildly different strengths. The peloton is huge, too, with different countries allowed different numbers of riders. Oh, and of course, there are no race radios, because any kind of organisation would be too normal.
It creates a kind of anarchy wherever the Worlds lands. This year, it’s the turn of Montréal in Canada, which is perhaps a bit more familiar due to the men’s WorldTour race the Grand Prix de Montréal, which takes place on a similar circuit. But nothing can be assumed when the UCI’s flagship event rolls into town. The route this year is hard, but not the extreme brutality of Rwanda last season; as a result, the ‘riders that could win it’ category is pretty wide open, from Isaac del Toro to Wout van Aert for the men, Demi Vollering to Cédrine Kerbaol for the women. There could also be someone no-one has thought of yet in the rainbows by the end.
News editor at Cycling Weekly, Adam brings his weekly opinion on the goings on at the upper echelons of our sport. This piece is part of The Leadout, a newsletter series from Cycling Weekly and Cyclingnews. To get this in your inbox, subscribe here. As ever, email adam.becket@futurenet.com - should you wish to add anything, or suggest a topic.
The stage is set for chaotic things to happen, whether that’s Magdeleine Vallieres’ unexpected victory in Canada last year, or Mathieu van der Poel’s win after he crashed and broke his shoe in Glasgow in 2023. With the junior and under-23 races to come before the elites, too, there’s a chance to discover the stars of now and the future, on a grander scale than usual. We might be familiar with the ‘Mont Royal Circuit’, but the race really could go any which way, especially as the women will ride 180km, and the men 273km.
The men’s race this year will be made different by the absence of Tadej Pogačar, and while the world’s best cyclist will be missed, it creates a much more open race. With the Slovenian not able to solo from incredibly far out, will someone try and ape him? Or will there be a group of favourites deep into the race? Will there be a final sprint? Again, until the kilometres are tackled, we won’t know.
The best women in the world, meanwhile, will be itching to make up for missed opportunities. There is a whole tranche of big names who have never pulled on the rainbow bands: Demi Vollering, Elisa Longo Borghini and Kasia Niewiadoma to name three, who have finished in the top 10 four, seven and six times, respectively. There are only so many chances to win the Worlds, and it would be career-defining for whoever wins it.
I’m looking forward to all of the road races, and my secret hope is that both the elite men’s and women’s events produce new winners – I like seeing someone different in the rainbow bands. And, whatever happens, the anarchy should make for excellent entertainment.
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If you want to get in touch with Adam, email adam.becket@futurenet.com.
