Italy have a dark horse contender for the Montreal World Championships, and he thinks he’s got Evenepoel figured out

Let’s run through them: Alberto Bettiol, Giulio Pellizzari, Lorenzo Finn, Christian Scaroni, and… Giulio Ciccone. The 31-year-old Italian from Lidl-Trek appears to be one of the key riders on the Italian team, as he already demonstrated with a second-place finish at the GP Québec. But with such a large roster, the climber knows he won’t be on his own.

"I don't feel any pressure or anything like that," Ciccone tells Bici.Pro. "I still remember the effort in Kigali well, but this year I see a national team with more attackers and riders who are in top form. It wouldn’t make sense to show up with just one team leader: I envision a team with two or three leaders, partly because the course lends itself to different tactics. So it’s better to have a more open national team.”

With quite a few strong contenders, as well as support riders like Mattia Cattaneo, Davide Piganzoli, and Matteo Trentin, the Italians have a good chance. And while the Belgians are counting on their team leaders Wout van Aert and Remco Evenepoel, the blue-jerseyed riders will take a very different approach. They’ll ride less for each other, but more as a team.

"This isn't a course where you can push the pace and use the strong riders to create a breakaway," Ciccone explains. "It’s better to stay in the peloton and try to decide the race by coming up with different strategies. Without Tadej, the race could go any way, so you have to be ready and have a strong numbers advantage."

It’s reminiscent of the tactics Italy employed when it clinched its last world title. In 2008—on home soil, no less—they had Damiano Cunego, Davide Rebellin, and Alessandro Ballan all in a 13-rider breakaway. They capitalized on that perfectly: after yet another Italian attack, it was Ballan who surprised everyone by claiming the rainbow jersey.

Of course, it won’t be easy. Some consider Isaac Del Toro the strongest rider in the race, but Ciccone sees his team as a weakness. “The way the race unfolded on Sunday showed that the level of competition in Montreal was very high. We started the final lap with seven riders, three of whom were from UAE, so the World Championship race will also be different from a tactical standpoint. National teams aren’t as well-equipped as brand teams, so anything is possible.”

While the Mexican won in Montreal, Evenepoel had come out on top in Montreal a few days earlier. The Belgian beat Ciccone in a two-man sprint, and he also has perhaps the strongest team behind him. That’s why the “Kogel van Schepdaal” is considered the top favorite for the world title, but his Italian challenger already knows what to watch out for.

"In Québec, he got away because the others made a mistake," he says. "If you give him a 50-meter lead, you already know that once he extends it to 100, and then 200 meters, it'll be hard to catch up to him. I think Remco will try to use his weapon—that is, anticipating the moment in the race when you least expect it. And then it’s over; you won’t be able to catch him anymore. If he does that, he’ll finish you off.”