World Championship 2025: Men’s ITT, September 21

[Berniece]

The UCI Road World Championships kick off in Rwanda on Sunday, 21 September, with the Men’s Elite Individual Time Trial, the first event of a week that will mark history. This is the first time the Worlds are being staged in Africa, with all races centred in the Rwandan capital, Kigali.

🇷🇼 Rwanda & Kigali: A First for Africa
At an altitude of 1,500 metres, Kigali offers a very different dynamic for a world championship race than usual.

The city is built on hills, so while distances aren’t huge, every route features repeated climbing.

Hosting the Worlds is a landmark moment for African cycling, but not without controversy. Rwanda under President Paul Kagame has been widely criticised for human rights abuses and authoritarian politics. Critics warn of “sportswashing,” while the UCI frames it as a global expansion of the sport.


Map

Route

Top competitors - Evenepoel vs Pogačar
This course sets up what could be the ITT duel of the year:

Remco Evenepoel as the defending world TT champion and one of the most consistent against the clock. Thrives on rolling, punchy terrain and has the raw watts to sustain long efforts. Versus Tadej Pogačar, fresh off dominant seasons and made a goal of challenging Evenepoel on a course that should suite him.

Others (Ganna, Tarling, Ayuso, Küng) may podium, but it feels like everyone is racing for third unless either Evenepoel or Pogačar cracks pacing or preparation.

 

[Devil's Elbow]

Bit of a shame Vingegaard isn't here, this TT would probably have been his single best chance of getting a WC medal in his career.

 

[Red Rick]

Evenepoel and Pogacar in a great battle for silver behind Jay Vine.

 

[Red Rick]

Bit of a shame Vingegaard isn't here, this TT would probably have been his single best chance of getting a WC medal in his career.

Roglic is a bigger shame. Riders very rarely do a great WC ITT a week after racing a GT for GC, especially longer ones.

 

[Devil's Elbow]

Roglic is a bigger shame. Riders very rarely do a great WC ITT a week after racing a GT for GC, especially longer ones.

Evenepoel did pretty decent at the Olympics one week after finishing third at the Tour.

 

[King Of The Wolds]

Not a fan of the course. I like my TTs to have some flat in them.

 

[Berniece]

Evenepoel did pretty decent at the Olympics one week after finishing third at the Tour.

Same for WC 2022. He could've won the ITT if he had proper cornering skills.

 

[Red Rick]

Evenepoel did pretty decent at the Olympics one week after finishing third at the Tour.

Hence the "rarely" and emphasis on longer ones. Also there were 2 weeks between the final Tour stage and the Olympic ITT.

In 2022 he had a week between winning the Vuelta and the WC ITT and he lost it to Tobias bloody Foss.

 

[Devil's Elbow]

Hence the "rarely" and emphasis on longer ones. Also there were 2 weeks between the final Tour stage and the Olympic ITT.

In 2022 he had a week between winning the Vuelta and the WC ITT and he lost it to Tobias bloody Foss.

2022 was the most technical TT route I've ever seen in a WC, Olympics or GT (prologues aside), plus it was on the other side of the world. That was about the least representative Vuelta-WCTT combination ever.

 

[Devil's Elbow]

Kigali sits at +1.500 metres altitude, making this the highest-elevation Worlds in history.

Duitama 1995 was way higher up. The TTs were in Tunja, but that's still at almost 2700 metres above sea level.

 

[Berniece]

Duitama 1995 was way higher up. The TTs were in Tunja, but that's still at almost 2700 metres above sea level.

Hahaha, good catch, you can see since when I started watching cycling... Not until 2003

 

[King Of The Wolds]

Evenepoel did pretty decent at the Olympics one week after finishing third at the Tour.

Brad got yellow and gold

 

[Red Rick]

2022 was the most technical TT route I've ever seen in a WC, Olympics or GT (prologues aside), plus it was on the other side of the world. That was about the least representative Vuelta-WCTT combination ever.

Winner still did 51 average, not much less than Paris, and that's despite having 200m extra altitude meters in about the same distance.

Time between the Vuelta and WC ITT matters far more.

I'm also hard pressed to believe jetlag matters that much if we're gonna take Pogacar's TT bid seriously

 

[Berniece]

I'm also hard pressed to believe jetlag matters that much if we're gonna take Pogacar's TT bid seriously

I wouldn't be surprised if he leaves tonight in Canada, and arrives tomorrow morning in Europe already. He won't have a jetlag.

 

[Krzysztof_O]

I agree with the OP that this should be a duel between two cyclists. None will be able to prevent Pogacar or Evenepoel from winning the title.

Evenepoel is a monster TT rider and altitude training may help him a bit on this high-elevation course. OTOH 600 vertical meters (most of it at around 6%) is significant and gives Pog much better chances than typical WC routes. It could go both ways but I'm putting my money on Pog this time.

 

[Logic-is-your-friend]

Not a fan of the course. I like my TTs to have some flat in them.

Lucky you that you don't have to ride it. Sounds like you really dodged a bullet there.

Remco is easily the best best time trialist in the world over the past few years, he's absolutely mastered the technique and art to perfection

No he hasn't. On a technical course or part of a course, he still regularly loses time to slower TT'ers. A more skilled version of Evenepoel would still put significant time into him.

 

[Brullnux]

The Cote de Peage up + down tips it from Remco to Pogacar imo.

 

[houtdffan]

however, let's remember that in the Dauphine and TDF TTs the last 2 years, Remco has gained time over Pog on the uphill sections of those TTs

Wonder if that is due to Pog's TT position that he does not generate the same power in the TT that he does on the road?

 

[VayaVayaVaya]

I’m going with Pogacar because he has been in such good form so year whereas Remco has beef in relatively poor form; however, Remco is always good in ITTs, so I won’t be surprised if he wins.

 

[Logic-is-your-friend]

however, let's remember that in the Dauphine and TDF TTs the last 2 years, Remco has gained time over Pog on the uphill sections of those TTs

Wonder if that is due to Pog's TT position that he does not generate the same power in the TT that he does on the road?

Trade off. Extra effort on the flat means worse result on the climbs.

 

[dazaau]

Pogi gets the rare chance to add a new achievement to his palmares, on his birthday, he is going to fly.

 

[HashRouge]

I wouldn't be surprised if he leaves tonight in Canada, and arrives tomorrow morning in Europe already. He won't have a jetlag.

I think this too. There's no time difference between Rwanda and Europe, so as long as he leaves Canada pretty quickly he should be fine.

 

[Dazed and Confused]

Vine is ready to take this on, but I'll be rooting for Rein and Kagimu.

 

[Krzysztof_O]

Trade off. Extra effort on the flat means worse result on the climbs.

Yeah, especially at the Tour one year ago it seemed to me that Pog went too hard on the first flat section (he was very close to Evenepoel) and started losing time later on that hill. He needs to manage his efforts on the first flattish section well, not try to match Evenepoel at all costs. Same goes for climbs actually (not to overkill it).

 

[Berniece]

I think this too. There's no time difference between Rwanda and Europe, so as long as he leaves Canada pretty quickly he should be fine.

As expected he already left yesterday evening. Gave an interview at the airport