Worlds 2024: Our Predictions

Ready for the most prestigious week in cycling? Our predictions are here! Find out our picks for the men’s and women’s ITT and road events — and why we know who will take home the rainbow jerseys.

The UCI Road World Championships are one of the most prestigious events in the cycling calendar. Often referred to as the “Worlds,” this annual event determines the world champions in various road cycling disciplines. Winning earns a cyclist the right to wear the coveted rainbow jersey for the following year in that discipline. The Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) organizes these championships, which are usually held in September or October. They traditionally mark the end of the professional road cycling season. The main events include a road race and individual time trial for both men and women. There are races for different age groups, including elite (professional level), under-23 (U23), and junior (17-18 years old).

What about the course? The host location changes each year, offering varied parcours that favor different types of riders. Unlike most professional races where cyclists compete for trade teams, the World Championships see riders competing for their countries, where nations qualify for a certain number of starting spots based on their UCI rankings. This team format can introduce unusual team dynamics into the race.

Winning a World Championship is considered one of the highest achievements in professional cycling, alongside victories in Grand Tours and Monuments. The iconic rainbow-striped jersey awarded to winners is one of the most recognizable symbols in cycling!

Who are the defending champs from 2023?

The 2023 UCI Road World Champions were held in Glasgow, Scotland in August 2023.

The men’s road race was won by Mathieu van der Poel of the Netherlands, a versatile cyclist known for excelling in multiple disciplines including road, cyclo-cross, and mountain biking. He comes from a family of champion cyclists — his grandfather was the legendary Raymond Poulidor. The men’s time trial was won by Belgian cyclist Remco Evenepoel. Remco is something of a prodigy. He turned professional at just 18 and is known for his exceptional time trialing skills and stage race abilities. In fact, this was his second consecutive world time trial title.

The women’s road race was also won by a Belgian rider, Lotte Kopecky. This multi-talented superstar competes both on the road and track! She’s known for her sprinting abilities and has won multiple national titles across different cycling disciplines. The women’s time trial was won by American rider Chloe Dygert. She’s a time trial specialist coming back from a serious crash in 2020, and a multiple-time world champion on both track and road.

Who will win in 2024? Our predictions are a mix of old and new, some familiar faces defending and some new names rising to the forefront. Let’s tell!

Our predictions for the 2024 cycling world championships:

Women’s time trial

Grace Brown is our favorite for the women’s TT title this year. The parcours is a great suit for her strengths. She’s also been having a fantastic season, taking home the gold medal for TT in the Paris Olympics! Her biggest competitor will likely be the American rider Chloe Dygert. A minor mechanical or any other mistake could cost either Brown or Dygert the chance to wear the rainbow next year! Outside contenders include Lotte Kopecky and Demi Vollering.

Men’s time trial

Remco Evenepoel is the overwhelming favorite for the men’s time trial. His dominant performance in Paris snagged him the gold medal, so he is in fantastic form. He won the world championship last year in Scotland, and we think he will do it again in Zurich and defend his rainbow jersey for 2024!

Other bulky time trialists such as Filippo Ganna and Joshua Tarling have a chance at the win if Evenepoel makes a critical error during his ride. A dark-horse favorite is Primoz Roglic, although the course may be too flat for his riding style to have much impact against the clock this year.

Women’s road race

Lotte Kopecky has a likely chance of repeating her win this year and holding onto the rainbow jersey for 2024. However, it’s not a done deal. One of the stronger teams comes from Australia, with Grace Brown and Amanda Spratt supported by an impressive cadre of riders. American Kristen Faulkner won the gold medal in Paris, and her team including Lauren Stephens and Ruth Winder will have the chance to disrupt the favorites. Another outsider is Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig supported by Team Denmark.

Men’s road race

Remco Evenepoel is our favorite for the men’s road race. He will be the sole leader of Team Belgium after Wout van Aert crashed in La Vuelta earlier this month. However, his riding at the past two world championships have shown that he has what it takes to win, and we want to see him snag the double just like he did in the Olympics!

His main competitor is Tadej Pogacar, who will be supported by powerful countrymen Primoz Roglic and Matej Mohoric. However, with Mohoric suffering a crash recently and Roglic potentially refusing to work for Pogacar during the race, there may be some trouble at home for the Slovenian superteam. Expect a close battle between Evenepoel and “Pogi” to take home the rainbow! The United States boasts a strong lineup this year with Matteo Jorgenson, Magnus Sheffield, and Neilson Powless. Our friends north of the border in Canada will be bringing Mike Woods and Derek Gee to compete for the title as well, nearly guaranteeing a little North American action will take place during the race! Mathieu van der Poel may be the defending champion, but he admits he’s not the top favorite this year. Other potential winners include Michael Matthews from Australia and Biniam Girmay from Eritrea.

Finally, Marc Hirschi has an opportunity to make a big splash racing on home roads this year. The Swiss rider has won the last five races he’s contested and is in the form of his life… why shouldn’t he be? He’s just signed a new contract and ready for new beginnings in the 2025 season. We’re rooting for you, too, Marc!

When is each event held?

The events of 2024 Worlds are spread across the coming week. Here’s a quick schedule for this year’s key world championships events. All times are given in Eastern Standard Time (EST).

Sunday, September 22

• 6:00 – 8:45 am — Women Elite Individual Time Trial
• 8:45 am – 12:00 pm — Men Elite Individual Time Trial

Monday, September 23

• 3:15 – 6:00 am — Men Junior Individual Time Trial
• 8:45 am – 12:00 pm — Men Under 23 Individual Time Trial

Tuesday, September 24

• 2:30 – 5:00 am — Women Junior Individual Time Trial

Thursday, September 26

• 4:00 – 6:30 am — Women Junior Road Race
• 8:15 – 11:45 am — Men Junior Road Race

Friday, September 27

• 6:45 – 11:15 am — Men Under 23 Road Race

Saturday, September 28

• 6:45 – 11:15 am — Women Elite Road Race

Sunday, September 29

• 4:30 – 11:30 am — Men Elite Road Race

How can I watch all the action?

In the U.S., the events will be broadcast on FloBikes.

If you’re outside the States, you can check out the broadcast info for your country in this guide from the UCI.

Who’s your pick to win at 2024 Worlds? Let us know in the comments or on social media! ★