2018 UCI Road World Championships - The Big Preview
The road races
After the close of the time trial competition, attention moves towards the road races. The junior women start things off again on Thursday, September 27. After the time trial, Guazzini and Ludwig are among the favourites for this race too. The route follows the same format as the other road races, with a loop out towards Igls that includes a climb past the Olympia bobsleigh track. The junior women will take on the climb just once.
Traditionally taking place on the Saturday before the élite women’s race, the junior men’s road race has been moved to Thursday afternoon. The route is much the same, but it starts slightly further out in Kufstein and is almost twice the length as the junior women's race with two laps of the Olympia circuit. Once again, many of the key performers from last year’s race have graduated, leaving the door open for a new title holder. Remco Evenepoel, who will skip the under-23 ranks to move straight to the World Tour with Quick-Step in 2019, is among the favourites: the Belgian won the European Championships in Zlin by almost 10 minutes.
The under-23 men race the following day and take on a route that brings them around the Olympia circuit no fewer than four times. This will be a hotly contested affair, but the Colombian Ivan Sosa will be a major favourite. Watch out for Tour de l’Avenir winner Tadej Pogacar and Switzerland's Gino Mader. Ireland’s Eddie Dunbar is set to step up to World Tour level next year and could well be among the top riders in this race.
The final weekend
The final weekend will feature the two headline events, the élite men’s and women’s road races. With the junior men moving to Thursday, the women have Saturday all to themselves. Much has been said about the women’s course, which will take on the Olympia circuit three times, with the so-called Hell Climb absent from it. Nevertheless, it should entice some aggressive racing with the climbers coming to the fore.
You cannot look past the Dutch, who come with a formidable line-up, as the big favourites to take the title for the second year running. However, there will be plenty of competition across the board with the likes of Amanda Spratt, Ashleigh Moolman-Pasio, Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig, Elisa Longo Borghini and more looking to take away the title.
The men’s race the following day is likely to be a much cagier affair, with the Hell Climb looking set to define the race. First, they will complete the Olympia route six times before heading off to the brutally steep residential road in the Innsbruck suburbs.
Sagan will ride in Innsbruck with the hope that he can defend his title, but the Hell climb is likely to be his undoing. There is a long line of riders ready and waiting to take the rainbow jersey off his hands, including Porte, Miguel Angel Lopez, Sergio Henao, Julian Alaphilippe, Romain Bardet, Simon Yates, Dan Martin, Vincenzo Nibali, Tom Dumoulin and many more. This could well be the best chance ever for some of these riders to take a world title.
Friday September 28
Men Under 23 Road Race
Kufstein - Innsbruck
12:10 - 16:50
Saturday September 29
Women Elite Road Race
Kufstein - Innsbruck
12:00 - 17:00
Sunday September 30
Men Elite Road Race
Kufstein - Innsbruck
09:40 - 16:40
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