Two hundred riders will line up at the start line in Winterthur on Sunday morning, but the elite men's road race at the Road World Championships is revving up around two names. Neither Remco Evenpohl nor Tadej Pogachar will win the rainbow jersey at Zurich's Sekseloitenplatz on Sunday afternoon.

Evenpoel won his second straight time trial last weekend and has already wrapped the rainbow band during his stay in Switzerland. Pogachar, who only arrived in Switzerland midweek, said nonchalantly on Thursday evening that the road race would be a “different game” than the time trial, which Evenpoel insists will be a “different game.

These comments inevitably reached Evenpoel, and on Friday morning Evenpoel went to a press conference. Rather than seeing it as a provocation, Evenpoel chose to interpret Pogachal's statement as a simple statement of fact.

“The bikes are different, the races are different, and there are more riders. We all know what bike racing is like, so it's nothing new.”

Still, the World Championships is a bike race like no other, an event that always produces something new and unseen. Pogachal's record with the national team is “only” a bronze medal at the Tokyo Olympics and last year's Glasgow World Championships, which pales in comparison to his dominance at other events.

In contrast, Evenpoel has shined many times in the iconic light blue jersey of the Belgian national team, most notably at Wollongong two years ago, where he single-handedly won the title.

Evenpole had the Belgian national team's Wout Van Aert, whose sharp speed served as the perfect foil to the young man's blunt strength. Van Aert's absence due to injury has simplified the Belgian leadership, but the task of winning this race is undoubtedly more complex.

“Of course, it's always good to have Wout here, as he proved at the Olympics. You never know what can happen on a course like this, but for a rider like Lemko, it's always good to have a fast rider behind him.”

Pogachar, of course, has better finishing speed than Evenpole.

“If I had no other choice but to sprint with him, Taddei is a very fast rider. In a 280-km race, sprinting might be a little different.”

As the Tour de France showed, Pogachar is a grade above Evenpoel in a three-week race, but the Belgian's one-day record is imposing. The fact that Evenpoel and Pogachar have split the last four Liège-Bastogne-Liège races without facing each other directly in the finale makes this World Cup intriguing.

“It's not for me to agree with that,” said Evenepoel, when asked if he agreed with the opinion that he and Pogachar were the favorites to win, admitting that the responsibility for policing the race would lie with their respective teams.

“If I have to believe the newspapers and stuff, I think those two teams have to control the race because there are two big contenders. It's always a special race and you have to be open to multiple race situations.”

Evenepaul and his teammates were scheduled to scout the 27-km finish circuit on Friday morning ahead of the under-23 men's road race at the Road World Championships. But time trial world champion Even Poel was confident that the terrain was better suited to his talents than last year's Glasgow circuit.

“Last week at the Tour of Luxembourg, Dutchman Mathieu van der Poel seemed to be improving rapidly, but ...

“He wasn't very good in the last training session I did with him three weeks ago, but I think he got better in Luxembourg.

“I think he's ready to go, but it's obvious he's heavier than me and Tadej, so he's going to have to add weight every lap and that might take its toll on him.”

Even Paul dismissed the idea that he and van der Pol might be on the same side of the situation against a Slovenian team that includes Pogachar and Primoz Roglic.

“No, it's easy: I'm here with Team Belgium, not Team Netherlands. I have to race in the way that is best for me, not for Taddei, Hirschi, or anyone else. It's clear that I won't make a deal with any other team.”

Evenepoel also made it clear that he will not be leaving Südal-Quick Step, despite the reported move to Red Bull-Borla-Hansgrohe at the end of the summer. 'I will stay where I am. There will be no transfer."

Still, Evenpoel has his sights set on wearing a different jersey next season. He joked, “I think I'm still obligated to wear the rainbow jersey for three months because of the early World Championships last year.”

While Pogachar is on the verge of winning the Triple Crown of Cycling, Evenpoel is getting closer to a medal sweep at the Olympics and World Championships. When asked if he and his friend Van der Pol were planning a victory celebration, he replied.

“Maybe. 'But I don't want to awaken the beast of Taddei. But I think that beast is already awake. ......”

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