FAVOURITES SET TO THRIVE

Conditions of road races suitable for Ferrand-Prevot and Pogacar to triumph

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Cyclists training on Sept 24 on Kigali's demanding hills, where the weekend races of the road cycling world championships will be held.

(PHOTO: REUTERS)

The epic length and difficulty of the road cycling world championship races in the hills around Kigali this weekend favour Tadej Pogacar for the men and Pauline Ferrand-Prevot in the women's event.

The pair are the reigning Tour de France champions and should thrive on the 1,500m altitude and the relentless short but steep climbs on the one-day race.

The men's race on Sept 28 is extremely long at 267.5km and includes 33 climbs, over 15 loops and one longer, even harder loop with an extra cobbled climb.

Pogacar said the humidity and altitude were potentially decisive factors.

"We're quite high here and you can feel it, not so much walking around, but on the bike. Also, the air quality here in the city is not the best," he said. "You feel the difference."

The humiliation of being overtaken on the same roads on the 40.6km time trial by Remco Evenepoel a week ago adds extra motivation for Pogacar, but also begs questions over his form.