From Sunday, men’s cycling will be in the strange position of knowing that the best rider in the world does not in fact wear the jersey of the best rider in the world. The absent and injured two-time defending world champion Tadej Pogacar will be back in standard-edition UAE kit for the next season and watching the race to determine his successor from the sofa, or more likely the indoor trainer, following surgery on injuries sustained in a crash at the Vuelta a Espana. That leaves Montreal as an unexpected free-for-all.
British rider Callum Thornley, who will support Tom Pidcock and Adam Yates, summed it up when he told Cyclingnews last week: “I think it’s kind of like an unspoken thing. All those big guys who would usually be fighting for the podium are now fighting for the win, and I'm sure it makes it even more at stake than normal.”
