Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) will race the individual time trial at the UCI Road World Championships in Rwanda in September, alongside defending his title as road race champion.
Pogačar's race plan, first reported by La Gazzetta dello Sport, will mean a crowded September for the four-time Tour de France champion.
He is set to attend the GP Québec and GP Montréal in Canada on September 12 and 14, respectively. He will then fly to Rwanda for the time trial, which takes place on September 21 – coinciding with Pogačar's 27th birthday – before tackling the road race a week later on September 28 as he bids to claim a double World title in 2025.
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Remco Evenepoel (Soudal–Quick-Step) was the last rider to secure a men's road race-time trial double title at the World Championships in Wollongong in 2022. He went on to also snatch an Olympic double title in 2024. The Belgian, who is currently racing the Tour of Britain, is the most obvious rival for both titles, in the absence of time trial juggernaut Filippo Ganna (Ineos Grenadiers).
A win in either discipline would mark an exceptional end of season for the Pogačar, who has dominated events across the season – including the Tour de France – and only failed to win three races that he has started.
The Slovenian's attendance in both events will be a boon for the Rwandan World Championships, the first ever to be held in Africa, in the wake of fears that major names may skip the championships.
It is also understood that Primož Roglič (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) will be part of the Slovenian contingent heading to Rwanda in support of Pogačar.
Despite some speculation to the contrary, the brutally mountainous route was not enough to lure Jonas Vingegaard (Team Visma–Lease a Bike). He will not race in Kigali but instead target the European Championships in France on October 5, where he will face Pogačar.
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