The 2024 World Championships in Zurich next Sunday will feature the men’s elite road race, and the pre-race front-runner for the rainbow jersey is Slovenia’s Tour de France and Giro d’Italia champion, Tadej Pogacar.
No one knows just how much of a threat Pogacar will be next weekend than the Slovenian’s UAE Team Emirates team-mate Tim Wellens. The pair worked closely together at the Tour de France earlier this summer and although the Belgian has gone from teammates to rivals, he is full of praise for Pogacar.
“When Tadei is there, the team always looks different. Not only the riders but also the staff feel it. Everyone knows that Tadei is the best rider in the world. When he races, everyone feels that they are not giving 100% but 120%,” the 33-year-old said in conversation with Cycling News. “For me, it’s very nice, but it’s also nice for all my teammates, because with Tadei, everything is clear. Not that the other races are not clear, but when there are two or three leaders you don’t know what will happen. But with Tadei, everyone knows he is the leader. Everyone knows what their job is. It’s also nice that most of the time Tadei is able to ride to the end.”
“He’s exactly how you’d imagine him to be – he doesn’t take cycling 200% seriously and he really enjoys it,” Wellens continues, revealing more about the person behind the superstar rider and the training rides the pair take together. “I mean, he’s not afraid to stop for a coffee or a piece of chocolate cake.”
But it’s unlikely that Pogacar will have it all his way in Switzerland, as Wellens’ compatriot Remco Evenepoel has already won two Olympic gold medals this year and defended his world time trial title last weekend.