Welcome to Scotland for the final act of the 2024 season, as the best puncheurs and time trialists in the world fight for the rainbow jersey. Taking place on the shores of Loch Ness we're expecting some monster performances (the first and last Loch Ness monster reference, I promise) while the final crowning of the race winners will take place at Urquhart Castle, once a summer home to Scottish kings.
The RR course can be seen above, while the TT is flatter as is standard. Alongside the senior and U23 versions of each, we have the TTT and B RR as in previous years, meaning there are 6 different gold medals to be handed out. It seems unlikely, but can any nation sweep all 5 they enter for the first time? The USA took 4/5 in 2011, but missed out in the TTT, and no one has come close since.
To work out who the favourites are for each race, we've consulted the data analysis department of an unnamed soon-to-be PCT team. Their analysis is based on results on each terrain over the course of the season, with a backwards looking accuracy rate of about 80%. That means that any predictions here may be a useful guide, but not necessarily accurate - read on to find out more...
B RR
First up, we have the B RR. Our friends at the analysis team think there is one clear favourite: Joseph Areruya. He'd be a favourite in almost any race he enters, but against weaker competition than usual he carries the weight of heavy expectations coming into the B RR.
Second favourite, and again with a slight margin over the rest of the field? Tomohiro Kinoshita. No longer the force he once was, he will benefit from being accompanied by last year's B RR winner, Takeaki Amezawa. Amezawa is considered third favourite by our analysis, but is definitely one to watch if the race proves harder than expected.
After the Japanese duo we have a group of riders who will hope to fight for the podium, or potentially more with a bit of luck. Toms Skujins won the B RR in 2020 and will hope for a repeat, while Ronnilan Quita, Caio Godoy and Jhonatan Narvaez will seek the first medals for their respective nations. Two other interesting long shots come in the form of Peter Sagan, 2nd in the B RR in 2020 and 3rd in the Elite RR in 2017, and Lucas Eriksson, hoping to become the third Swedish winner of this race.
History
B RR
1
2
3
2023
T. AMEZAWA
M.Z. AZMAN
O. AULAR
2022
K. NEILANDS
S. KUROEDA
H. PING HSU
2021
S. KEMBOI
M. MANNINEN
H. PING HSU
2020
T. SKUJINS
P. SAGAN
R. TAARAMÄE
2019
A. PLUCHKIN
C. DUNNE
N. A. MARZUKI
2018
J. AHLSTRAND
G. SMUKULIS
R. TAARAMÄE
2017
A. PLUCHKIN
E. SISKEVICIUS
C. JUUL-JENSEN
2016
L. SABER
M. POTTS
E. ZHUPA
2015
T. LÖVKVIST
J. JI
M. KWIATKOWSKI
2014
M. RICHEZE
D. VESELY
G. TZORTZAKIS
Startlist
Spoiler
Lucas Manuel Gaday
ARG
Benjamin Brkic
AUT
Daniel Paulus
AUT
Patrick Konrad
AUT
Felix Grossschartner
AUT
Michael Gogl
AUT
Sebastian Schönberger
AUT
Tobias Bayer
AUT
Georg Preidler
AUT
Caio Godoy
BRA
Leonardo Henrique Finkler
BRA
Murilo Affonso
BRA
Vinicius Rangel
BRA
Alex Malacarne
BRA
Jack Burke
CAN
Hugo Houle
CAN
Alexandor Cataford
CAN
Adam De Vos
CAN
Derek Gee
CAN
David Boily
CAN
Patrick Naud
CAN
Charles Matte
CAN
Yikui Niu
CHN
Xianjing Lyu
CHN
Chen Shikai
CHN
Mingrun Chen
CHN
Jiankun Liu
CHN
Jingbiao Zhao
CHN
Zhihui Jiang
CHN
Sun Changsheng
CHN
Jhonatan Narvaez
ECU
Santiago Montenegro
ECU
Richard Huera
ECU
Harold Martin Lopez
ECU
Bryan Raul Obando
ECU
Franklin Joel Revelo
ECU
Ki Ho Choi
HKG
Ho San Chiu
HKG
Ka Hoo Fung
HKG
Wan Yau Lau
HKG
Chun Wing Leung
HKG
King Lok Cheung
HKG
Teten Rohendi
INA
Muhammad Yudha
INA
Fikri Azka Mohammad
INA
Andreas Odie Purnama Setiawa
INA
Muhammad Abdurrahman
INA
Muhammad Imam Arifin
INA
Aiman Cahyadi
INA
Jamal Hibatullah
INA
Tomohiro Kinoshita
JPN
Takeaki Amezawa
JPN
Yamato Shirota
JPN
Shoi Matsuda
JPN
Atsushi Oka
JPN
Shiki Kuroeda
JPN
Sota Ikibe
JPN
Saya Kuroeda
JPN
Toms Skujins
LAT
Martins Blums
LAT
Kristaps Budenieks
LAT
Eriks Toms Gavars
LAT
Sandis Eislers
LAT
Andris Vosekalns
LAT
Armands Becis
LAT
Alekss Krasts
LAT
Mantas Januskevicius
LTU
Venantas Lasinis
LTU
Rokas Kmieliauskas
LTU
Rojus Adomaitis
LTU
Airidas Videika
LTU
Justas Beniusis
LTU
Gaetan Pons
LUX
Gilles Heymes
LUX
Max Losch
LUX
Muhamad Zawawi Azman
MAS
Nur Amirul Marzuki
MAS
Muhamma Afif Ahmad Zamri
MAS
Mushin Misbah
MAS
Muhammad Suhaimi Ghani
MAS
Nur Aiman Zariff
MAS
Dion Smith
NZL
James Fouche
NZL
George Bennett
NZL
Joel Yates
NZL
Hayden McCormick
NZL
Kees Duyvesteyn
NZL
Patrick Bevin
NZL
Corbin Strong
NZL
Ronnilan Quita
PHI
Jonel Carcueva
PHI
John Salazar
PHI
Nichol Blanca Pareja
PHI
Willie Smit
RSA
Johann Van Zyl
RSA
Kent Main
RSA
Shaun Nick Bester
RSA
Morne Van Niekerk
RSA
Ryan Gibbons
RSA
Ricardo Broxham
RSA
Joseph Areruya
RWA
Janvier Hadi
RWA
Samuel Mugisha
RWA
Jean Bosco Nsengimana
RWA
Aleksandar Roman
SER
Dusan Kalaba
SER
Milos Borisavljevic
SER
Veljko Stojnic
SER
Dusan Rajovic
SER
Dorde Duric
SER
Suranga Ranaweera
SRI
Nihal Silva
SRI
Kashyapa Siriwardena
SRI
Sachin Dulanjana
SRI
Tushantha Rajapakshage
SRI
Sameera Chatarunga
SRI
Amith Udaya Kumara
SRI
Peter Sagan
SVK
Matus Stocek
SVK
Michael Kolar
SVK
Juraj Bellan
SVK
Lucas Eriksson
SWD
Awet Gebremedhin
SWD
Marcus Faglum Karlsson
SWD
Fredrik Ludvigsson
SWD
Kim Magnusson
SWD
Hugo Forssell
SWD
Hannes Bergstrom Frisk
SWD
Edvin Lovidius
SWD
Thanakhan Chaiyasombat
THA
Yuttana Mano
THA
Sakchai Phodingam
THA
Nawuti Liphongyu
THA
Thanawut Sanikwathi
THA
Noppachai Klahan
THA
Denys Karnulin
UKR
Marlen Zmorka
UKR
Anatoliy Sosnitskiy
UKR
Pedro Sequera
VEN
Yonathan Monsalve
VEN
Jorge Abreu
VEN
TTT
The TTT promises to be fascinating this year, with no clear favourite by our numbers. France are considered to be the marginal favourites, whether looking at the whole team or just the top 5 riders, as they seek to build on their bronze medal from last year...
...but it is exceptionally close behind them. 2nd last year, Denmark have the best individual time trialist, and will be seeking to push France all the way in pursuit of a first world title, while Russia have a slightly weaker overall lineup but have a top 5 that should put them in contention for a repeat of their win from 2018.
There are then three other teams of similar strength, who could win gold without it being a huge surprise. Italy won in 2015 and will hope for a repeat, while reigning champions USA will be aiming to make it three wins in a row, and yet another world title for Phinney. Finally, a wildcard option who have never won a medal in this discipline in Norway could be a surprise package this time around.
History
TTT
1
2
3
2023
United States
Denmark
France
2022
United States
Australia
Italy
2021
France
Portugal
United States
2020
Australia
France
Netherlands
2019
Spain
United States
Netherlands
2018
Russia
France
Netherlands
2017
Portugal
United States
Colombia
2016
Netherlands
Australia
Germany
2015
Italy
Spain
Colombia
2014
Netherlands
Russia
France
2013
Netherlands
Spain
Germany
2012
Netherlands
Spain
Belgium
2011
Spain
Netherlands
Russia
2010
Spain
Netherlands
United States
Startlist
Spoiler
Yoann Paillot
FRA
Emilien Viennet
FRA
Pierre-Henri Lecuisinier
FRA
Benoit Cosnefroy
FRA
Alexys Brunel
FRA
Benjamin Thomas
FRA
Aurelien Paret-Peintre
FRA
Bruno Armirail
FRA
Mads Würtz
DEN
Mikkel Bjerg
DEN
Mathias Norsgaard
DEN
Rasmus Sterobo
DEN
Morten Hulgaard
DEN
Rasmus Iversen
DEN
Mattias Skjelmose Jensen
DEN
Niklas Eg
DEN
Kiril Yatsevich
RUS
Nikita Razumov
RUS
Aydar Zakarin
RUS
Alexander Vlasov
RUS
Pavel Sivakov
RUS
Petr Rikunov
RUS
Ildar Arslanov
RUS
Anton Vorobev
RUS
Filippo Ganna
ITA
Nicola Conci
ITA
Edoardo Affini
ITA
Andrea Dal Col
ITA
Mattia Cattaneo
ITA
Jonathan Milan
ITA
Manuel Senni
ITA
Giovanni Aleotti
ITA
Taylor Phinney
USA
Daniel Eaton
USA
Gregory Daniel
USA
Brandon McNulty
USA
Lawson Craddock
USA
Matteo Jorgenson
USA
Ryan Eastman
USA
Nathan Brown
USA
Andreas Leknessund
NOR
Phan Age Haugard
NOR
Iver Johan Knotten
NOR
Andreas Vangstad
NOR
Truls Engen Korsaeth
NOR
Tobias Foss
NOR
Torjus Sleen
NOR
Sindre Skjostad Lunke
NOR
Brent Van Moer
BEL
Rune Herregodts
BEL
Frederik Frison
BEL
Victor Campenaerts
BEL
Yentl Vandevelde
BEL
Sasha Weemaes
BEL
Steff Cras
BEL
Nathan Van Hooydonck
BEL
Steven Lammertink
NED
Stef Krul
NED
Dylan Van Baarle
NED
Tom Dumoulin
NED
Sam Oomen
NED
Nils Eekhoff
NED
Tim Van Dijke
NED
Thymen Arensman
NED
Jasha Sütterlin
GER
Nils Politt
GER
Justin Wolf
GER
Kevin Predatsch
GER
Domenic Weinstein
GER
Nils Schomber
GER
Michel Hessmann
GER
Emanuel Buchmann
GER
Eddie Dunbar
IRL
Ryan Mullen
IRL
Michael O'Loughlin
IRL
Sean Downey
IRL
George Peden
IRL
Conor Dunne
IRL
Ben Healy
IRL
Felix English
IRL
Damien Howson
AUS
Jack Haig
AUS
Callum Scotson
AUS
Alex Wohler
AUS
Luke Plapp
AUS
Brendan Canty
AUS
Rohan Dennis
AUS
Miles Scotson
AUS
Mario Gonzalez Salas
ESP
Carlos Verona
ESP
Omar Fraile
ESP
Jaime Castrillo
ESP
Justo Tenorio
ESP
Marc Soler
ESP
Miguel Angel Benito
ESP
Inigo Elosegui
ESP
Szymon Rekita
POL
Szymon Sajnok
POL
Krzysztof Marchewka
POL
Jakub Kaczmarek
POL
Wojciech Pszczolarski
POL
Przemyslaw Kasperkiewicz
POL
Piotr Brozyna
POL
Kamil Malecki
POL
Stefan Bissegger
SWI
Stefan Kung
SWI
Silvan Dillier
SWI
Valentin Darbellay
SWI
Elia Blum
SWI
Martin Schäppi
SWI
Colin Stüssi
SWI
Christoph Janssen
SWI
Nikolaos Ioannidis
GRE
Pangiotis Christapopoulos
GRE
Ioannidis Kiriakidis
GRE
Georgios Stavrakakis
GRE
Miltiadis Giannoutsos
GRE
Alex Mengoulas
GRE
Ioannis Spanopoulos
GRE
Michail Mavrikakis
GRE
Egan Bernal
COL
Victor Alejandro Ocampo
COL
Julian Cardona
COL
Jhonatan Restrepo
COL
Miguel Angel Lopez
COL
Alejandro Osorio
COL
Dayer Quintana
COL
Nairo Quintana
COL
Tao Geoghegan Hart
GBR
Ethan Vernon
GBR
Owain Doull
GBR
Thomas Pidcock
GBR
Mark Christian
GBR
Adam Yates
GBR
Scott Davies
GBR
Tim Kennaugh
GBR
Justas Beniusis
LTU
Rokas Kmieliauskas
LTU
Venantas Lasinis
LTU
Mantas Januskevicius
LTU
Rojus Adomaitis
LTU
Airidas Videika
LTU
Paulius Siskevicius
LTU
Zydrunas Savickas
LTU
Chun Wing Leung
HKG
King Lok Cheung
HKG
Ka Hoo Fung
HKG
Ki Ho Choi
HKG
Wan Yau Lau
HKG
Ka Leung
HKG
Ho San Chiu
HKG
Hiu Choy
HKG
Michal Kukrle
CZE
Daniel Turek
CZE
Jan Hirt
CZE
Petr Vakoc
CZE
Jakub Otruba
CZE
Josef Cerny
CZE
Dominik Neuman
CZE
Michal Schlegel
CZE
Morne Van Niekerk
RSA
Kent Main
RSA
Johann Van Zyl
RSA
Shaun Nick Bester
RSA
Ricardo Broxham
RSA
Willie Smit
RSA
Ryan Gibbons
RSA
Eddie Van Heerden
RSA
Alexandor Cataford
CAN
Lewis Stroll
CAN
Derek Gee
CAN
Charles Matte
CAN
Jack Burke
CAN
Hugo Houle
CAN
Antoine Duchesne
CAN
David Boily
CAN
Yuttana Mano
THA
Nawuti Liphongyu
THA
Thanakhan Chaiyasombat
THA
Thanawut Sanikwathi
THA
Noppachai Klahan
THA
Nattapol Jumchat
THA
Sakchai Phodingam
THA
Chaloemphon Klahan
THA
Marlen Zmorka
UKR
Denys Karnulin
UKR
Oleksandr Shevchenko
UKR
Vadim Ratiy
UKR
Kostyantyn Rybaruk
UKR
Anatoliy Sosnitskiy
UKR
Maksym Vasilyev
UKR
Artem Topchanyuk
UKR
U23 ITT
Only the B RR has a bigger favourite than the U23 ITT according to our analysts, with Tristan Jussaume predicted to repeat the achievement of his countryman Alexandor Cataford in 2016 and take the title. He'll be particularly keen for the organising committee to include any small bumps if they can to aid him in his mission.
The same is not true of our second favourite, Logan Currie, nor our third favourite Prasetyo Firdaus. Our numbers put those two riders as relatively comfortable favourites for 2nd and 3rd respectively, but there are others who may fancy their chances of fighting for bronze at a minimum. Martinos Moutsious, Jenno Berckmoes, Leo Hayter and Aleksandr Bereznyak are the key names to watch in this regard.
History
U23 ITT
1
2
3
2023
R. KMIELIAUSKAS
R. EVENEPOEL
E. VERNON
2022
R. KMIELIAUSKAS
H. FORSSELL
X.M. AZPARREN
2021
B. MUNTON
E. HAYTER
T. POGACAR
2020
Y. MANO
B. ERDENEBAT
S. SAJNOK
2019
T. WIRTGEN
F. GANNA
E. BERNAL
2018
A. E. MACCAGLI
T. WIRTGEN
N. POWLESS
2017
S. HERKLOTZ
D. PER
R. MULLEN
2016
A. CATAFORD
J. HAIG
M. WÃœRTZ
2015
J. HAIG
P-H. LECUISINIER
M. ZMORKA
2014
P. A. HAUGARD
M. ZMORKA
B. JUNGELS
2013
K. YATSEVICH
L. DURBRIDGE
B. JUNGELS
2012
R. EASTMAN
J. SÃœTTERLIN
L. DURBRIDGE
2011
T. PHINNEY
J. TENORIO
L. SCHÄDLICH
2010
M. KITTEL
M. KEIZER
T. PHINNEY
2009
M. BOUET
A. PLUCHKIN
T. DE GENDT
2008
M. OLMAN
S. DAMROW
J. ARAMENDIA
Startlist
Spoiler
Welay Hagos Berhe
Africa
Dillon Geary
Africa
Fausto Agustin Gomez
America
Cesar David Guavita
America
Yoshiki Terada
Asia
Kantaphon Kunkumpai
Asia
Brady Gilmore
AUS
Dylan Hopkins
AUS
Jenno Berckmoes
BEL
Warre Vangheluwe
BEL
Tristan Jussaume
CAN
Riley Pickrell
CAN
Mathias Vacek
CZE
Karel Camrda
CZE
Carlos Rodriguez
ESP
Mikel Agirrebeitia
ESP
Kevin Vauquelin
FRA
Enzo Paleni
FRA
Leo Hayter
GBR
Robert Donaldson
GBR
Martinos Moutsios
GRE
Ioannis Varotsos
GRE
Norbert Hrenko
HUN
Levente Vasko
HUN
Prasetyo Firdaus
INA
Adhithia Alung Nugraha
INA
Lorenzo Milesi
ITA
Edoardo Sandri
ITA
Gustas Raugala
LTU
Aivaras Mikutis
LTU
Martin Tjotta
NOR
Johannes Staune-Mittet
NOR
Logan Currie
NZL
Laurence Pithie
NZL
Aleksandr Bereznyak
RUS
Viacheslav Ivanov
RUS
Antonio Tiberi
SMR
Gianmarco Garofoli
SMR
Magnus Sheffield
USA
Matthew Riccitello
USA
Elite ITT
In the absence of Tom Wirtgen, Mads Würtz is the big favourite to make it back-to-back individual time trial world titles. He's the favourite by enough of a margin for anything other than the win to feel like a disappointment, but there is a strong field here behind him.
Ireland have won two B RR silvers and an ITT silver in the past decade, but Eddie Dunbar would dearly love to add a gold medal to their trophy cabinet. He's forecast by our analysis team to be fighting with Marlen Zmorka for 2nd, in a repeat of the battle for bronze last year, though Zmorka would love to improve on his 2nd place in 2018 as well.
Behind the three biggest favourites, seven-time winner Taylor Phinney will want to add another world championships medal to his impressive haul, while Filippo Ganna will be aiming for his first podium in the elite event. The Polar duo of Ryan Mullen and Egan Bernal also can't be discounted, with the latter in particular hoping for a harder parcours.
History
ITT
1
2
3
2023
M. WÃœRTZ
T. PHINNEY
M. ZMORKA
2022
T. PHINNEY
R. MULLEN
P. VLATOS
2021
T. PHINNEY
J. TENORIO
M. WÃœRTZ
2020
T. PHINNEY
M. WÃœRTZ
J. FIEDLER
2019
A. PLUCHKIN
S. SPILAK
J. TENORIO
2018
J. COPPEL
M. ZMORKA
J. FIEDLER
2017
R. GESINK
T. PHINNEY
R. TAARAMÄE
2016
T. PHINNEY
S. SPILAK
P. VLATOS
2015
A. PLUCHKIN
S. SPILAK
R. GESINK
2014
T. PHINNEY
M. ROGERS
J. COPPEL
2013
T. PHINNEY
F. CANCELLARA
J. COPPEL
2012
M. ROGERS
F. CANCELLARA
T. PHINNEY
2011
T. PHINNEY
D. ZABRISKIE
R. GESINK
2010
D. ZABRISKIE
M. ROGERS
J. COPPEL
2009
D. ZABRISKIE
D. MILLAR
F. CANCELLARA
2008
F. CANCELLARA
D. ZABRISKIE
T. DEKKER
Startlist
Spoiler
Damien Howson
AUS
Jack Haig
AUS
Brent Van Moer
BEL
Rune Herregodts
BEL
Alexandor Cataford
CAN
Lewis Stroll
CAN
Nicolas Alejandro Cabrera
CHL
Guillermo Andres Beltran
CHL
Egan Bernal
COL
Victor Alejandro Ocampo
COL
Mads Würtz
DEN
Mikkel Bjerg
DEN
Mario Gonzalez Salas
ESP
Omar Fraile
ESP
Yoann Paillot
FRA
Benoit Cosnefroy
FRA
Tao Geoghegan Hart
GBR
Ethan Vernon
GBR
Jasha Sütterlin
GER
Nils Politt
GER
Nikolaos Ioannidis
GRE
Pangiotis Christapopoulos
GRE
Eddie Dunbar
IRL
Ryan Mullen
IRL
Roy Goldstein
ISR
Omer Goldstein
ISR
Filippo Ganna
ITA
Nicola Conci
ITA
Justas Beniusis
LTU
Rokas Kmieliauskas
LTU
Steven Lammertink
NED
Dylan Van Baarle
NED
Andreas Leknessund
NOR
Tobias Foss
NOR
Szymon Rekita
POL
Szymon Sajnok
POL
Morne Van Niekerk
RSA
Kent Main
RSA
Nikita Razumov
RUS
Pavel Sivakov
RUS
Stefan Bissegger
SWI
Stefan Kung
SWI
Yuttana Mano
THA
Thanakhan Chaiyasombat
THA
Marlen Zmorka
UKR
Denys Karnulin
UKR
Taylor Phinney
USA
Brandon McNulty
USA
U23 RR
The U23 RR promises to be truly unpredictable. When we saw our team's projections, we did wonder whether we'd run the numbers correctly, with three of the assumed big favourites in Sossa, Wandahl and Laurance low on our list.
Instead, our model suggests a fight for gold between Quinn Simmons and neo-pro Laurence Pithie, both stronger all-rounders rather than pure puncheurs. The last three editions have been won by riders from nations that had never won this event before, could that be a good sign for Pithie?
Behind our two favourites come a group of similarly matched riders, though all of slightly different types. This could end up being a race for the climbers, in which case the British duo of Thomas Gloag and Leo Hayter, or the likes of Panagiotis Karatsivis and Carlos Rodriguez will fancy their chances. Alternatively, we might see a race suiting more rounded riders such as Thibau Nys and Aivaras Mikutis. And that's before we even get to the names we mentioned at the start, who on paper look underrated by our prediction - let's see if they prove us wrong!
History
RR
1
2
3
2023
M. GOVEKAR
C. STRONG
L. HAYTER
2022
D. ROSSI
M. SCHMID
M. STOCEK
2021
A. DAINESE
I. SIRIC
A. ROJUS
2020
E. BERNAL
S. HIGUITA
T. POGACAR
2019
A. VAN NIEKERK
H. ANDERBERG
F. ROCCHETTI
2018
A. NYCH
S. KEMBOI
R. CAVAGNA
2017
S. HERKLOTZ
M. KUDUS
M. MOHORIC
2016
P. KASPERKIEWICZ
C. EWAN
L. SPENGLER
2015
D. OLIVIER
L. MORTON
P-H. LECUISINIER
2014
F. FRISON
N. KULIMBETOV
A. MANFREDI
2013
W. KELDERMAN
N. ARNDT
N. VAN DER LIJKE
2012
K. EECKHOUT
R. ZEPUNKTE
A. KAMYSHEV
2011
T. PHINNEY
J. TENORIO
T. ZAINI
2010
S. L. HENAO MONTOYA
A. MADRAZO
T. PHINNEY
2009
M. GOSS
W. SULZBERGER
T. DE GENDT
2008
E. BOASSON HAGEN
J. BELLUS
A. PLUCHKIN
Startlist
Spoiler
Welay Hagos Berhe
Africa
Lameck Marco Kulindwa
Africa
Aurelien De Comarmond
Africa
Ivan Kipruto
Africa
Hatem Ben Ameur
Africa
Emmanuel Iradukunda
Africa
Yared Beharu
Africa
Dillon Geary
Africa
Andy Alihonay Diaz Suarez
America 1
Riley Pickrell
America 1
Tristan Jussaume
America 1
Jeremias Arenas Rodriguez
America 1
Jeremie La Grenade
America 1
Thomas Silva
America 2
Juan Sossa
America 2
Edgar Andres Pinzon
America 2
Fausto Agustin Gomez
America 2
Pedro Figueiredo Leme
America 2
Erik Daniel Caiza
America 2
Cesar David Guavita
America 2
Ilham Sultansyah Hefnar
Asia
Kantaphon Kunkumpai
Asia
Esow Alben
Asia
Prasetyo Firdaus
Asia
Ronaldo Laitonjam Singh
Asia
Yoshiki Terada
Asia
Adhithia Alung Nugraha
Asia
Thibau Nys
BEL
Arnaud De Lie
BEL
Warre Vangheluwe
BEL
Milan Fretin
BEL
Simon Dehairs
BEL
Gil Gelders
BEL
Robin Orins
BEL
William Junior Lecerf
BEL
Frederik Wandahl
DEN
Robin Juel Skivild
DEN
Kasper Andersen
DEN
Victor Grue Enggaard
DEN
Rasmus Sojberg Pedersen
DEN
Tobias Lund Andresen
DEN
Adam Holm Jorgensen
DEN
Carlos Rodriguez
ESP
Juan Ayuso
ESP
Javier Serrano
ESP
Carlos Canal
ESP
Alejandro Franco
ESP
Mikel Agirrebeitia
ESP
Aivaras Mikutis
Europe 1
Leo Hayter
Europe 1
Stavros Theorpanous
Europe 1
Pedro Silva
Europe 1
Mats Wenzel
Europe 1
Gal Glivar
Europe 1
Maximilian Kabas
Europe 1
Darren Van Bekkum
Europe 1
Panagiotis Karatsivis
Europe 2
Thomas Gloag
Europe 2
Husein Selimovic
Europe 2
Karel Camrda
Europe 2
Lewis Askey
Europe 2
Antonio Tiberi
Europe 2
Indy Van Vliet
Europe 2
Konstantinos Pavlides
Europe 2
Ewen Costiou
FRA
Axel Laurance
FRA
Kevin Vauquelin
FRA
Mathis Le Berre
FRA
Hugo Page
FRA
Antoine Huby
FRA
Alex Baudin
FRA
Valentin Paret-Peintre
FRA
Marco Brenner
GER
Luca Dressler
GER
Pierre-Pascal Keup
GER
Nicolas Heinrich
GER
Georg Steinhauser
GER
Tobias Buck-Gramcko
GER
Ole Theiler
GER
Archie Ryan
IRL
Liam Crowley
IRL
Aaron Wade
IRL
Kevin McCambridge
IRL
Daniel Yon Hin
IRL
Edoardo Zambanini
ITA
Andrea Piccolo
ITA
Walter Calzoni
ITA
Edoardo Sandri
ITA
Francesco Della Lunga
ITA
Lorenzo Milesi
ITA
Embret Svestad-Bardseng
NOR
Cedric Bakke Christophersen
NOR
Martin Tjotta
NOR
Henrik Teslo Fjellheim
NOR
Johannes Staune-Mittet
NOR
Sakarias Koller Loland
NOR
Tord Gudmestad
NOR
Erik Nygaard Madsen
NOR
Laurence Pithie
NZL
Reuben Thompson
NZL
Logan Currie
NZL
Josh Kench
NZL
Kiaan Watts
NZL
Finn Fisher-Black
NZL
Guy Yarrell
NZL
Dylan Hopkins
Oceania
Declan Trezise
Oceania
Brady Gilmore
Oceania
Quinn Simmons
USA
Magnus Sheffield
USA
Luke Lamperti
USA
Cooper Johnson
USA
Lucas Bourgoyne
USA
Matthew Riccitello
USA
Elite RR
Finally, the biggest event of the world championships week - the Elite Road Race. Whether we have one big favourite or two will depend upon the result of the B Road Race, as if Areruya doesn't make it to the main event then Miguel Angel Lopez will fancy his chances of a first rainbow jersey.
However, even if Areruya doesn't make it the Colombian can't expect to have it all his own way. Yevgeniy Gidich would love nothing more than to become the first Kazakh wearer of the rainbow jersey, and in Alexey Lutsenko has a teammate who will expect to fight for the medals himself.
As well as the aforementioned riders, the next generation will want to make their presence felt. The likes of Mauri Vansevenant, Thomas Pidcock, Robert Stannard and Attila Valter already have impressive performances to their name and would surely like to add the worlds to that list. Or perhaps Sean De Bie can make up for a disappointing season, or even a GC rider like Pierre-Henri Lecuisinier can surprise?
Probably shouldnt have nominated Krasts to let him race the U23 but its a pretty pointless race anyway and he wouldnt have been amongst the very top favourites no matter what
With no Herklotz in attendance I really hope Areruya makes it through the (stupid unfair obstacle ) B Race fine as he should to set up the showdown with Lopez. If it does end up as a battle between them it will really be a highlight of their rivalry, probably the peak of it for their careers, even if they stay racing each other for years to come. The skills and B Race pedigree of Team Japan and also Skujins worry me a lot, as does the memory of times he found defeat against worse competition in the PCT by them tiring him out and isolating him.
Of course you can't overlook the Kazakh duo in particular, but I also have a sneaky feeling Vansevenant is going to cap his breakout year with rainbow-striped glory. While he seems to be locked in mortal rivalry with Pidcock (who I hope but don't expect to have the Team GB leadership) and would also be potentially denying Areruya a title, I do still like the idea of that for some reason. Cool rider and cool manager I guess
Thanks for a great preview of the events jph, enjoyed it and looking forward to the reports! First time ever really I'm this nervous for it
24/02/21 - kandesbunzler said “I don't drink famous people."
15/08/22 - SotD said "Your [jandal's] humour is overrated"
11/06/24 - knockout said "Winning is fine I guess. Truth be told this felt completely unimportant." [PT] Xero Racing
The race would be perfect for Schmid in (hopefully) some years, but he should already gain some valuable experience co-leading the Swiss team alongside Hirschi.
Otherwise, maybe Errazkin could get something out of a mid-range attack, otherwise the race would have to be really lame for Groves or Bol to have a shot.
Not really anything at stake for us in the other races, even though I hope that Switzerland's pretty well-balanced TTT team can get a solid result. And maybe Brunel even becomes our first World Champion in that race?
Just wonder how teams with only 3 nominated riders (or even just 1 for ARG) managed to keep their spots in the B race, given that min number of participants in all other races is 6... But Areruya will win anyway, no matter the competition Unless Japan play their numbers well, maybe.
Thanks for a great preview jph, really awesome to drop back down memory lane!
Personally we don't have a lot of hope with out current crop of riders on this parcours. I would however love to see Kaspa in the early break and Meurisse with a masterclass somewhere along the way although I do think Xandro is too bound to be a helper in his final outing as a maxed rider.
Would love to see Arerurya go all the way and claim the title here but I fear that he will be stopped in the B-race!
This should be great for the Elite race! That MAL vs. Areruya duel is obviously incoming, but it should also be possible for others to join the conversation. It would be super cool if Valter is amongst those challenging them, and Vansevenant will also be a good bet seeing how the season played out. I just really hope Valter gets enough support from his team. Filutas and Dina will be absolutely key for him.
Exciting to see Simmons on the U23 favorites, hadn't thought about that but makes some sense. Other than that will be routing for Phinney in the TTs to see if he can add another medal.
8th is a bit of a "meh"-result for Greece here, but it was always going to be difficult, when the best TT'er (Vlatos) wasn't nominated to ride here. It's a shame IMO as a top 5 was definately possible on a good day, and by swapping a 71TT rider our with a 79TT rider.
On paper teams like Norway and Netherlands should be possible to tie if we had a really good day. Oh well - "We" will be back stronger next season with a much more well-rounded setup, ready to challenge for a top 5.
Very nice report to follow, nice overview of the TTT! Thought that Russia had it for a second but in the end it was 2 that meant they didn't Also Ukraine did not seem like a well oiled machine out there.
Congrats to the American managers on another TTT win, will be interesting to see if they can maintain their dominance going forward with Phinney getting worse every year.
Pretty disappointed by the results... Really thought France had a pretty well-balanced team, so a 7th place has to be considered a bad result. Guess there was just one big TT powerhouse missing in the lineup. Switzerland doesn't have enough depth anyway, time to change that - I mean, getting beaten by Greece shouldn't be our standard
Congrats to Phinney (and his colleagues) on getting yet another gold medal, most likely his final one.
I'm annoyed with myself that I missed nominations, would've liked to support Areruya, and Van Eetvelt might have had chances for a decent result in the U23 race. But it is what it is, and I'm still looking forward to following the races. Great start with that TTT report, Imladrik! And congrats to Team USA!
Congrats jandal, although I have to say imo having the top 3 individual rankings rider in the B race kind of defeats the purpose of it. Areruya was not gonna lose this. Maybe in the future it would also make sense to look a bit at the stats here for the start lists like we also do with the TTs.
Very happy with the silver medal for Quita. He was clearly able to conserve his great late season form for this race. Chaiyasombat also in the top 10 is also nice to see.
Anyways McNulty already gave us a gold medal together with his team here in the TTT, so very nice start for my riders. I also noticed Thailand and Hong Kong in the last spots there with some of my riders contributing
Joseph Areruya. He'd be a favourite in almost any race he enters, but against weaker competition than usual he carries the weight of heavy expectations coming into the B RR. 
Tomohiro Kinoshita. No longer the force he once was, he will benefit from being accompanied by last year's B RR winner, 
Toms Skujins won the B RR in 2020 and will hope for a repeat, while 
Ronnilan Quita, 
Caio Godoy and 
Jhonatan Narvaez will seek the first medals for their respective nations. Two other interesting long shots come in the form of 
Peter Sagan, 2nd in the B RR in 2020 and 3rd in the Elite RR in 2017, and 
Lucas Eriksson, hoping to become the third Swedish winner of this race.
M.Z. AZMAN
O. AULAR
H. PING HSU
S. KEMBOI
M. MANNINEN
R. TAARAMÄE
A. PLUCHKIN
C. DUNNE
E. SISKEVICIUS 
C. JUUL-JENSEN
L. SABER
E. ZHUPA
J. JI
M. KWIATKOWSKI
M. RICHEZE
D. VESELY
G. TZORTZAKIS
France are considered to be the marginal favourites, whether looking at the whole team or just the top 5 riders, as they seek to build on their bronze medal from last year...
Russia have a slightly weaker overall lineup but have a top 5 that should put them in contention for a repeat of their win from 2018.
Italy won in 2015 and will hope for a repeat, while reigning champions 
USA will be aiming to make it three wins in a row, and yet another world title for Phinney. Finally, a wildcard option who have never won a medal in this discipline in 
Norway could be a surprise package this time around.
Australia
Portugal
Netherlands
Spain
Colombia
Germany
Belgium
Tristan Jussaume predicted to repeat the achievement of his countryman Alexandor Cataford in 2016 and take the title. He'll be particularly keen for the organising committee to include any small bumps if they can to aid him in his mission.
Logan Currie, nor our third favourite 
Prasetyo Firdaus. Our numbers put those two riders as relatively comfortable favourites for 2nd and 3rd respectively, but there are others who may fancy their chances of fighting for bronze at a minimum. 
Leo Hayter and 
B. MUNTON
T. POGACAR
Y. MANO
B. ERDENEBAT
T. WIRTGEN
A. E. MACCAGLI 
M. ZMORKA
F. CANCELLARA
I. SIRIC
M. KUDUS 
N. KULIMBETOV
Attila Valter already have impressive performances to their name and would surely like to add the worlds to that list. Or perhaps 
) B Race fine as he should to set up the showdown with Lopez. If it does end up as a battle between them it will really be a highlight of their rivalry, probably the peak of it for their careers, even if they stay racing each other for years to come. The skills and B Race pedigree of Team Japan and also Skujins worry me a lot, as does the memory of times he found defeat against worse competition in the PCT by them tiring him out and isolating him.
Also Ukraine did not seem like a well oiled machine out there. 
