GB see opening at Road World Championships in Montreal as Pogacar misses out
Great Britain faces an enhanced opportunity at the UCI Road World Championships in Montreal this weekend after Slovenian rider Tadej Pogacar is absent following crash injuries sustained during the Vuelta a Espana in August; the situation opens chances for British riders in both the men's and women's road races.
A new generation of British talent, combined with Pogacar's absence, has increased optimism that GB competitors could claim the elite rainbow jersey in Montreal this weekend. Twenty-one-year-old Matthew Brennan emerged from the Vuelta with five stage wins for Visma Lease a Bike, a record for a Grand Tour debutant. There are a record 49 British riders currently competing across the men's and women's WorldTour, and some of those riders will contest this World Championship weekend. The world road race runs like a one-day version of a Tour de France stage but with riders representing national squads rather than trade teams.
British cycling's recent era of success provides historical context for the optimism: Lizzie Deignan won the elite women's road race in 2015 and Mark Cavendish won the men's title in 2011. In total, British riders have seven elite road race victories, including Tom Simpson (1965), Beryl Burton (1960 and 1967), Mandy Jones (1982) and Nicole Cooke (2008). That background sits alongside current selections such as Elite Women: Zoe Backstedt, Lauren Dickson, Pfeiffer Georgi, Anna Henderson, Anna Morris, Flora Perkins and Alice Towers, and Elite Men: Mark Donovan, Ethan Hayter, Oscar Onley, Finlay Pickering, Tom Pidcock, James Shaw, Callum Thornley, Fred Wright and Adam Yates.
The women's field remains unpredictable with Tour de France Femmes winner Demi Vollering recognised as the strongest overall rider, while Zoe Backstedt, who placed second in Sunday's World Championships time trial in her first elite-level appearance, will contest Saturday's women's road race. Olympic mountain bike gold medallist and Tour de France stage winner Tom Pidcock is named in the men's squad for Sunday. Backstedt emphasised team cohesion ahead of the race: "You need a lot of faith in your team to be present at the front," Backstedt told BBC Sport. "You need to talk, hear, see and feel each other to know they are there, especially as there's no team radio. "Obviously it's about knowing the big names to follow. If Demi or Kasia [Niewiadoma] go off the front, you know it's a dangerous move and you need to be there. "But we've got a super strong team, and if any one of us was with them, we all could stand have a chance."
Race characteristics and tactics could shape the outcome: the women's road race covers 180.4km with eight laps of Montreal and 2,570m of climbing, while the men's race is 273.2km over 12 circuits with 3,803m of climbing. One common route to victory is a successful breakaway, which risks exhaustion for a small group riding into the wind against a peloton that can benefit from cooperative drafting. Norway's Sigrid Haugset described the demands of a long solo move and the value of communication: "Sometimes you are surprised when you hit the wall, but other times you can push harder and dig deeper," Norway's Sigrid Haugset told the BBC's More Than the Score podcast. "That's the good day - when you feel unstoppable. But I like it when there is plenty of noise [on the team radio from the car]. If it's too little, you get into your head, you feel a bit alone."
Former GB rider and Jayco Alula sporting director Steve Cummings spoke to the physical and tactical cost of committing to a breakaway: "It's like an underdog victory, and it kind of warms the heart. You have to go all-in. It becomes unpredictable and things can happen tactically and physically - say if a rider pushes too much on a climb. "That day [in 2015] I did the climb of my life. I was empty for two days after [the 2016 win] and I was in bed for two days after [a Dauphine stage win]. It takes a lot out of you."
Broadcasters will stream the events on iPlayer and the BBC Sport website and app, with the women's road race scheduled for 14:00-19:30 BST and the men's road race for 14:00-21:00 BST (19:00-21:00 on BBC Three). The women's road race on Saturday and the men's race on Sunday close the World Championships weekend in Montreal, where national squad tactics and individual form will determine whether Britain can convert the opportunity into an elite title.