Mauro Gianetti, manager of UAE Team Emirates, sat in the back of the conference room as Tadej Pogachar spoke of his hopes and ambitions for the road world championships in Zurich, Slovenia, quietly confident that the team leader would win the rainbow jersey on Sunday He was.

Gianetti signed Pogachar when he was still a teenager and has developed him into the generational talent he is today. The veteran Swiss team manager was instrumental in planning and preparing Pogachar for a great season in 2024 and a double victory in the Giro d'Italia and Tour de France.

Now the Triple Crown of Cycling is within reach.

“If Taddej wins the Triple Crown, that would be great, but the first goal is to win the race,” Gianni warned Cycling News and the Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf.

“He's been in the hunt for the world title for a long time, but this will be the first year that the course suits him. Taddei is in very good shape.” Taddei is in very good shape. After the Tour he worked very hard.

“He sacrificed a lot this year. He spent the spring at altitude, rode the Giro, won it, and went back to the altitude. He won the Tour, but only had a few days off. Then he went back to training with incredible passion and determination to do his best at the World Championships.”

Gianetti came close to the world title in Lugano in 1996, losing to Belgian Johan Museeuw in a two-man sprint match. While Pogachar would probably prefer to win alone and avoid the risk of losing in a sprint finish in Zurich on Sunday, Janetti is confident that victory from a small group is also possible.

“Taddei is fast in sprints. Taddei can win a sprint against anyone after 273 km of hard racing.”

Pogachar's chances of becoming world champion will be decided in a race of five laps of a 27-km circuit winding through the hills of Zurich.

“Theoretically, many riders can make it to the top, but how they race will determine how many riders will be in contention for victory,” Gianetti warns.

“Mathieu van der Pol could be up there if he's in good shape, and then there's Remco Evenpole, and then there's someone like Michael Matthews.

UAE Team Emirates will field several athletes in Sunday's race, but since they will be racing as part of the national team, they will theoretically be up against Pogachar, whose main teammates on the Slovenian team are Primos Roglic and Jan Tratnik

The team will be facing a team of two Slovenian teammates.

Marc Hirsch will lead the Swiss team. He is with UAE team Emirates and will move to Tudor in 2025. Janetti is torn between supporting Pogachar and his countryman Hirschi, both of whom could bring a world title to UAE Team Emirates.

“I would have preferred Marc to stay with us [UAE Team Emirates], but I understand that he wanted to team up with his good friend and mentor Fabian Cancellara in Tudor. But I would honestly be happy if Marc wins the world title. He will ride for us this year and win the rainbow jersey for us. [Unlimited access to all of the 2024 UCI Road World Championships, including breaking news and analysis from local journalists, including junior, under-23 and elite time trials and road races. Details.