2020 World Championships RR Race Preview
The details of this year's 2020 World Championships RR are falling into place. Find the latest route profiles and maps below, followed by our strategic preview of the race.
The road to Imola promises to be one of attrition rather than pure sprinting glory, with the Italian circuit set to punish any rider who dares to take the parcours lightly. The organisers have crafted a course that winds through the Emilian hills, finishing on a circuit that repeatedly tackles the Mazzolano and Cima Gallisterna climbs, short punchy ascents that will slowly grind the peloton into fragments over the course of a gruelling day in the saddle.
With the Tour de France having finished just a couple of weeks prior, the condition of the riders will be a fascinating subplot. Those who rode deep into the Pyrenees and Alps carry the accumulated fatigue of three weeks of racing, yet also the form sharpened by that brutal competition. Tadej Pogacar arrives as perhaps the most talked about name following his stunning Tour victory, though a world championship just weeks later represents an enormous ask for a young rider who has already given so much.
Wout van Aert will be among the most dangerous men on the start line. The Belgian is a phenomenal talent capable of winning on almost any terrain, and a course that blends climbing with a technical finish suits his particular set of abilities. His compatriot Julian Alaphilippe is another rider the peloton will be watching closely, explosive and unpredictable, with the kind of punching power that could devastate a thinned out group on the final ascents.
Marc Hirschi showed during the Tour that he belongs among the elite one day classics riders in the world. The young Swiss climber demonstrated an ability to read a race beautifully and attack with devastating timing. Representing a strong Swiss team, he could be a dark horse capable of upsetting the established favourites.
The Slovenian pair of Pogacar and Primoz Roglic could theoretically work in tandem, though managing team dynamics between two riders of such calibre and ambition rarely proves straightforward. Roglic himself is a dangerous proposition, his time trial ability making him formidable in any scenario where a small group goes to the line.
France will look to Alaphilippe to carry their hopes, while the Italians riding on home roads will have the crowd and a deep knowledge of every corner and cobble in their favour. Matteo Trentin and others provide coverage, but Alaphilippe looks like the man most likely to produce something spectacular.
Weather conditions in northern Italy in late September can be unpredictable, and rain would completely alter the dynamic of the race, favouring the more technically gifted descenders and potentially preventing any group from holding together on the slippery climbs.
With the circuit requiring multiple passes over the same climbs in the final kilometres, tactics will be absolutely crucial. Teams with numerical superiority will attempt to control the front and manage repeated attacks, while the smaller nations will rely on individual brilliance to manufacture opportunities. Expect the race to be blown apart on the penultimate or final ascent, with a small and elite group contesting what should be a breathless finish on a course that has delivered exactly the kind of challenging terrain a world championship deserves.
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