Cycling World Championships: What time and on which channel to follow the road race

Tadej Pogacar will aim for a historic triple on Sunday: Tour de France-Giro-World Championships ANP – VINCENT JANNINK

Who will succeed the Dutchman Mathieu van der Poel, winner last year in Glasgow ?

The World Road Cycling Championships began on Saturday for nine days of competition in Zurich with also on the program the para-cycling races in the wake of the Paris Olympics.

On Sunday, Remco Evenepoel magnificently defended his title in the time trial. The Belgian dreams of achieving the same double in Switzerland as at the Paris Olympics, where he won gold in the time trial and the road race. In Zurich, the latter will take place as the closing event on Sunday, September 29 on a very demanding 273 km course that suits him perfectly.

Pagacar in the footsteps of Merckx and Stephen Roche

But Evenepoel will have a formidable competitor in his wake with Tadej Pogacar. Absent in Paris, the Slovenian dreams of becoming only the third rider to win the triple crown, which consists of winning the Tour de France, the Giro d'Italia and the World Championships in the same year, after Eddy Merckx in 1974 and Stephen Roche in 1987.

The World Championships program

Tuesday, September 24:

8:30-10:30: Junior women's time trial
11:00-17:30: Women's C1-3, H 1-2, H3-5, T1-2 and Men's C1-3, H1-5, T1-2 time trials

Wednesday, September 25:

10:45-13:15: Men's B and Women's B road race
14:00-17:30: Mixed relay

Thursday September 26:

9 a.m.-2:45 p.m.: men's road race H1-2, C4-5 and C3 and women's H1-5
10 a.m.-12 p.m.: women's junior road race
2:15 p.m.-5:15 p.m.: junior men's road race

Friday September 27:

8:30-12:00: Men's C1-2, T1-2 and Women's T1-2 Road Race
12:45-16:45: Men's U23 Road Race

Saturday, September 28:

8:15-12:45: Men's H3 and Women's C1-3 and C4-5 Road Race
12:45-16:45: Men's U23 Road Race

Saturday, September 28:

8:15-12:45: Men's H3 and Women's C1-3 and C4-5 Road Race
12:45-16:45: women

Sunday 29 September:

9:45-11:30: men's road race H4 and H5
10:30-17:00: men's road race

He will be the leader of a strong Slovenian team that also includes recent Vuelta winner Primoz Roglic. Crowned last year in Glasgow, the Dutchman Mathieu van der Poel intends to join the fight and has even lost a little weight recently to better cope with the 4,470 meters of elevation gain that await the peloton in Switzerland.

The day before, the Belgian Lotte Kopecky will defend her title in the women's race in a race that marks the big return to the road of the Frenchwoman Pauline Ferrand-Prévot, Olympic mountain bike champion, ten years after her world title. In addition to the para-cyclists, who will want to ride the momentum of the Paralympics, the World Championships will also host the junior and espoir races, as well as the mixed relay where Switzerland will defend its title on Wednesday.

To follow every day on France 2 and Eurosport.