Mathieu van der Pol (NL), who is aiming for the rainbow jersey on the road, said earlier this year that he wants to be in top shape for the UCI Road World Championships in Australia.

Asked if he is at his best now, van der Pol replied: "Maybe not my best, but I think I am ready to fight for the world champion jersey." [The 27-year-old Dutchman will start Sunday's 266.9km road race as one of the favorites to win.

"It's always nice to win a race. It wasn't at the level we saw on Sunday, but it wasn't easy to win," he said of his victory in the Wallonie GP.

"It's never easy, but I felt pretty good in that race. We did everything we wanted to do and now we just have to wait for Sunday."

Van der Pol will be the longest race since Paris-Roubaix in April. He won the Tour de Flanders and the Doire de Flenderen, and was third in Milan-San Remo.

Van der Pol's lead to the world championships followed a similar path to last season, when he lined up three Belgian races ahead of Ruben, but "overshadowed himself" in the Tour de France in July. It was a far cry from his memorable debut 12 months earlier, when he won a stage at the Tour and wore the yellow jersey for six days.

Capable of sprinting to victory or attacking for a solo win, Van der Pol has a few aces up his sleeve heading into Sunday. Mount Pleasant is marked as the place to win on the final circuit, but van der Pol suggested that this is one of the more dangerous launch pads.

"That's usually what happens when you concentrate too much on a climb like this. The rest of the course is pretty hard. ...... It will be difficult to predict."

"It's still quite a long way to the finish and there are some big roads to the finish. If you can make a difference on this climb on the last lap, you are one of the stronger riders. It's possible, but I don't know if I can make it to the finish."

The rivalry with Wout van Aert has been described as a clash of titans, but van der Pol believes that he and the Belgian are not the only two to watch. He names Australia's Michael Matthews as a rider to watch.

"I think there are a couple of guys. Van Aat is one of the favorites to win that everyone knows about, but I'm also thinking about Matthews. 'He's Australian and he's highly motivated. He's Australian and I think he's highly motivated.

Another strong contender is two-time Tour de France winner Tadej Pogachar of Slovenia, and Van der Pol is not to be underestimated.

"He can win on any course, and he can win on this course," she said of Pogachar, a two-time Tour de France winner.

"It's a straightforward course and a strong rider will come out on top." Pogachar also proved he could beat Wout in the sprint.

The wet weather in Wollongong was reminiscent of the Italian World Championships, where Van der Pol won the junior road world title, although it did not reach the heavy rain levels of Florence in 2013. He has won the elite men's cyclocross world championship four times.

On Sunday afternoon, nine years after Florence, Van der Poel may be his best self. Dressed in a rainbow jersey, a gold medal around his neck, a bouquet of flowers in his hand, he is a man of his word, a man of his word, a man of his word.