2021 UCI ROAD WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS EXPERT PREVIEW: SIR BRADLEY WIGGINS

Who will win the 2021 UCI Road World Championship title?

“For me, there has to be one clear favourite and that is Belgium’s very own Wout Van Aert – the man who made history this year by winning incredibly a mountain stage at the Tour de France which took in the historical climb of the Mont Ventoux, a spectacular time trial win on the penultimate day and a very impressive sprint stage in Paris on the Champs-Élysées to round off a truly remarkable Tour de France achievement. For me it almost feels like it’s meant to be – a win for Wout Van Aert in Flanders as the Belgian champion.”

Assessing the 2021 World Championship course: 

“For me Flanders is the capital of cycling, steeped in nostalgia, historical race moments and home to some iconic names of the sport of the last 100 years. A Flanders World Championships will guarantee amazing fans along the road, cobblestones, wind, the chance of rain and plenty of beer. Me personally, I can’t think of a better place to have a World Championship and it will guarantee to go down as one of the greatest World Championships due to its location.”

What does it take to win a UCI Road World Championship title?

“You need a rider capable of winning a one-day race that takes place once a year over a distance of 250km plus with in excess of 200 riders all trying to do the same thing. Once you’ve got that you need a team strong enough to support that rider. Nations qualify places throughout the season based on their world ranking and from that qualification process, some teams can qualify up to nine riders on the start sheet.”

Memories of being part of a World Championship winning team in 2011 

“In 2011, I was very fortunate to be part of a World Championships winning team which was amazingly ten years ago now. The World Road Race Championship in Copenhagen Denmark where Britain’s own Mark Cavendish won a historic men’s race and I lined up with some of Britain’s best riders, a real golden generation of riders which included three Tour de France winners looking back. It was a real privilege to be part of that squad. The course in Copenhagen was announced two years previously and it was expected to be on to suit the sprinters. A relatively flat course starting in the centre of Copenhagen and finishing with on the outskirts of the city. Team Manager Rod Ellingworth titled the whole project, Project Rainbow. 

“The key to success was based a team around Mark who could control 200 plus riders from various nations throughout the day to make sure the race finished together, all to unleash the sprint for the world’s fastest sprinter. The race tactics were executed to perfection with myself and my teammates taking up the riding soon after the start and nullifying any attacks from other nations whose goal was simply to disrupt the race just so it didn’t end up in a bunch sprint as Mark was the clear favourite of the day. Looking back, it was my proudest moment in a GB jersey in what was an incredible team effort both on and off the bike for Mark to become Britain’s second World Road Race champion since the great Tommy Simpson.”

Sir Bradley Wiggins was speaking exclusively for Eurosport x GCN's The Cycling Show.

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