Tadej Pogachar and his Slovenian team promised to maximize their chances of taking the rainbow jersey by challenging Wout Van Aert and Mathieu Van Der Pol in Sunday's elite men's road race at the UCI Road World Championships.

After running Sunday's time trial, Pogachar suggested that it would be impossible to drop the classics or the fast finishers, but he was more upbeat after running a few laps around the Wollongong circuit on Thursday's official practice day.

"I think this track suits them very well. For these kind of racers, their power at the end of the race is extraordinary. But it's a long, hard race, so it's a war of attrition at the end and their legs get tired. Let's see what happens in the race," Pogachar warned.

"The course is super hard, and it's hard even before you get around in Wollongong. There's a big climb [ed. Mount Keeler] and it's really hard, and after 50 kilometers your legs are already tired. And once you get to the circuit, there is no time to rest on the last lap.

"So after 250 km your legs are tired and the steep climb at the end of the circuit is very hard. It will be a long race and the number of people in the peloton will decrease one by one."

"I'm thinking about winning. A perfect result comes with a perfect day. I think we will have a good result."

Pogachal said he overcame jet lag issues and used Sunday's time trial as a chance to test his legs. He finished sixth between Stefan Bissegger and Filippo Ganna, keeping up the form that won him the Montreal GP by defeating Van Aert.

Pogachar made his World Tour debut with UAE Team Emirates in the 2019 Tour Down Under and his special relationship with Alan Piper made him a fan of Australia. He also learned the importance and significance of the World Championships, which he said "is the most important event in the world.

"It was a big deal when I was a junior and under 23, but I didn't realize how important it was. When I competed in my first Elite World Championships in Yorkshire, I knew that the World Championships were something special. Since then I have participated every year and have wanted to achieve something," Pogachar explained.

Slovenia had a six-man lineup with Primoš Roglic and Matej Mohoric out due to illness and crash injuries. Jan Tratnik, Domen Novak, Jan Polancic, Jaka Primojic, and David Parr will do what they can to help Pogachar, but are unlikely to be there on the final lap.

As is often the case in Pogachar's career, Pogachar will have to challenge his rivals alone on the last lap of the Wollongong circuit.

He did not seem too concerned. He is no stranger to Monument Classic races, having already experienced Il Lombardia and Liège-Bastogne-Liège.

"I think we are still one of the strongest teams here, so we can fight for medals with the big countries," he said, defending Slovenia's hopes.

"I don't know if we are feeling pressure. Belgium, France, Italy, and Great Britain have more people and stronger teams than us, so maybe they are under pressure."

Pogachar lost to Jumbo Visma in the Tour de France when Jonas Vingegaard and Primoš Roglic took turns attacking on the stage to the Granon Pass. He declined to say whether he had learned any lessons from this defeat, but seemed confident in his abilities.

"We have to wait for Sunday to see what we will do," Pogachar said, declining to say how he would race if he were outnumbered.

"It's a race, we have to do it ourselves. It's a race, so we have to do it ourselves. We're going to focus on ourselves and do our own race, rather than thinking about others. I'm very motivated and I'll give it my best on Sunday."