Slovenian coach predicts Belgian leadership clash at Worlds as Pogacar heads to Canada

The biggest World Championship story is, of course, the absence of Tadej Pogačar. The Slovenian will not be able to defend his rainbow jersey after his heavy crash at the Vuelta a España brought his season to a premature end, leaving Slovenia without its biggest star. National coach Uroš Murn believes that could actually work in his team's favor. And there is another twist: the best cyclist in the world will still be in Canada.

No Pogačar, no chance of a medal? Murn does not see it that way. "From what I have seen in the media, they have written us off a little now, which definitely plays into our hands," Murn told POP TV. "The riders coming out of the Vuelta will be in excellent shape, and we have to take advantage of that. The whole context surrounding our team will change, so we will have to adjust our tactics as well."

The biggest change is that Primož Roglič will now become Slovenia's leader. "Before the Vuelta, he was not yet certain whether he would go to the World Championships. We agreed that we would meet on the second rest day. At that point, he was happy to confirm his participation because he could see for himself that he was in excellent shape and that there was something to be gained. There were no conditions regarding the role of team leader."

But the current number two at the Vuelta a España is not Slovenia's only card to play. Stage winner Jakob Omrzel is also in line for a place in the squad. "He surprised everyone, including his employers, with that explosive performance. But we have to wait until the final days of the Vuelta to make sure nothing goes wrong and that he does not come out of the race completely exhausted. If everything goes according to plan, he will also be with us in Canada."

Without Pogačar, there will certainly be far less pressure on Slovenian shoulders. Rivals such as Mathieu van der Poel, Mads Pedersen, Paul Seixas, Isaac Del Toro and Tom Pidcock can all sense an opportunity, but Murn believes Belgium in particular will now be expected to take responsibility for controlling the race. With Remco Evenepoel and Wout van Aert, the Belgians have two of the leading candidates to become world champion.

"I think the Belgians will try to keep the race under control for as long as possible," Murn said. However, he expects their two-leader approach to create a potential complication. "Their problem is that they have two riders who want to win, so it will be interesting to see how they come to an agreement. On the other hand, the other national teams also see an opportunity now."

Even so, the Slovenian coach views Evenepoel as the new outright favorite for the rainbow jersey. "We will definitely see him in the finale. He is the number one favorite, but quite a few riders will come out of the Vuelta in very good form. They have faced extremely tough conditions there, and provided they are not completely exhausted, they will have enough time to recover before the World Championships."

And Pogačar? He will still be there in Canada. "Tadej said he will come to Canada on Tuesday, during the week of the road races, and he will stay until the end of the event," Murn explained. Urška Žigart, Pogačar's fiancée, will lead the Slovenian women's team. That makes it likely that the UAE Team Emirates-XRG rider's trip to Montréal is also connected to supporting Žigart while Slovenia competes for the rainbow jerseys.