Tadej Pogachal is one of the favorites to win the elite men's road race at next weekend's UCI Road World Championships in Wollongong, Australia, but he was off the pace in the time trial Sunday. He finished sixth behind gold medalist Tobias Foss of Norway. Pogachar is keeping a close eye on the skies as bad weather could hamper his midweek training as he focuses on the road race.

"It looks like really bad weather is coming," Pogachar said in an interview with CyclingPronet in the mixed zone after the time trial, when asked about his preparation plans for the road race.

According to the weather forecast, heavy rain is expected on Wednesday and Thursday, with up to 35 mm of rain expected on the day of the mixed relay, in which Slovenia will not compete. There is no race on Thursday, but the circuit portion of the course will be open for training for three hours in the morning, which could affect the riders' plans. The rain is expected to lift for the weekend's elite road races.

Pogachar, winner of last week's Grand Prix de Montréal, is the road race favorite along with Belgians Wout van Aert, Mathieu van der Pol (Netherlands), and Julien Alaphilippe (France), but in the time trial he finished 48 He finished 6th, 48 seconds slower than Foss, and said there was room for improvement.

"I'm happy with my performance today," he said. It was a good time trial. I gave it my all, but there were a few things I need to improve on. But there are definitely areas for improvement. Every year these things get better and I am happy with sixth place." [Pacing, cornering, flat out, and preparation. I didn't make any mistakes, but I could have done better. It motivates me for the next one."

Pogachar, who has only had a few days to get over the jet lag since Montreal, said jet lag was not an issue.

"I certainly didn't feel jet lag today. I was so focused on the race that I forgot about jet lag."

"It's a bit strange because on other days I was already asleep in the afternoon, but when you come to a race you forget everything. The adrenaline is pumping, so my body adapts quickly."

The next week will be "long training" and "recovery and full preparation for Sunday's race."

The 266.9 km race includes one long climb (Mount Keira, 473 m) on the run out from Helensburgh and 12 exhausting laps around the punchy and technical Wollongong circuit. I am looking forward to being on the start line with a strong Slovenian team."

The team will be without key riders such as Primoš Roglic and Matej Mohoric, but Pogaczar is confident in the team of Jan Tratnik, Jan Polanc, Domen Novec, David Per and Jaka Primojic. He said, "We may not start with a full team, but we still have six good riders. We expect good results."