Van der Poel: Even as a favourite chances of winning World Championships are slim

Mathieu van der Poel (R) pre-riding the 2023 UCI Road World Championships route in Glasgow, Scotland on Friday, August 4
Mathieu van der Poel (R) pre-riding the 2023 UCI Road World Championships route in Glasgow, Scotland on Friday, August 4 (Image credit: Getty Images Sport)

Mathieu van der Poel was part of a group previewing the course for the elite men's road race at the UCI Cycling World Championships in Glasgow and came away feeling that even as a favourite, the chance of winning the rainbow jersey "is still small".

The Dutchman is a main favourite for Sunday's elite men's road race after winning Paris-Roubaix and Milan-San Remo this season but predicts that challenges in maintaining position in the peloton and ample opportunities to attack as reasons the race will be difficult in effort and tactics.

Laura Weislo
Managing Editor

Laura Weislo has been with Cyclingnews since 2006 after making a switch from a career in science. As Managing Editor, she coordinates coverage for North American events and global news. As former elite-level road racer who dabbled in cyclo-cross and track, Laura has a passion for all three disciplines. When not working she likes to go camping and explore lesser traveled roads, paths and gravel tracks. Laura specialises in covering doping, anti-doping, UCI governance and performing data analysis.