World Championships - men's road race

This ends our live coverage for today. We will be back on Wednesday with either the Tour de l'Eurometropole prologue or Tre Valli Varesine.

Sagan: I think it is the biggest victory. I did a lot of sacrifice after the Vuelta. It is unbelievable for me. I am very happy. I found motivation in the difficuit situation for the world. I really wanted to win today. The population in the world has to change. In the next years, everything can be different. Sport is nice for the people. I hope we do sport also in the future because the situation is very serious. The world has to change. 

The race was very strange. Today I was just waiting and waiting. I had my brother and Kolar with me. In the last two laps, I had a crisis. Everybody has to be tired. I ate everything I had. I hoped for the final cobbled climb. From there, it was just full gas. If the group had caught me, I would have been too tired. I just made one big attack.

I have read that I am not good for long races but now I have this jersey.

1. Peter Sagan 6.14.37

2. Michael Matthews +0.03

3. Ramunas Navardauskas

4. Alexander Kristoff

5. Alejandro Valverde

6. Simon Gerrans

7. Tony Gallopin

8. Michal Kwiatkowski

9. Rui Costa

10. Philippe Gilbert

11. Tom Dumoulin

12. Alex Howes

13. Niki Terpstra

14. Rein Taaramae

15. Viacheslav Kuznetsov

16. Nelson Oliveira

17. Yukiya Arashiro

18. Giacomo Nizzolo

19. Brent Bookwalter

20. Edvald Boasson Hagen

That was a great move by Sagan. He was invisible all day until he made his move on 23rd Street. Van Avermaet and Boasson Hagen were agonizingly close to joining him but they failed. He used his exceptional technical skills to extend his advantage on the descent and then went full gas on Governor Street. At that point, it was clear that no one was going to catch him. Spain led the chase but never made it and it was Matthews winning the sprint for second. Navarduaskas takes a surprise medal for Lithuania.

Sagan is the new world champion.

Matthews wins te sprint for second. Then Navardduaskas, Kristoff.

Sagan does it! No one is agoing to catch him.

Uran, Boasson lead the peloton. Then Van AVermaet, Dumoulin.

The chasers are caught. Sagan has reached the top.

This looks good for Sagan.

The chasers are about to be caught as Uran attacks.

Boasson is not contrbuting to the work. Spain leads the chase in the peloton.

Sagan has hit Governor Street.

Boasson and Van Avermaet are still the nearest chasers. Then a big peloton.

Sagan extends his advanatge!

Sagan has a small gap. Van Avermaey and Boasson are next.

Van Avmeraet and Sagan attack on 23rd Street. Then Boasson, Degenkolb, Bouahnni.

Terpstra rides on the front of the fairly big peloton.

The quartet is caught. Terpstra attacks. Degenkolb shuts it down.

Stybar attacks with Degenkolb on his whee. Then Van Avermaey, Boasson Hagen. Those four rider have a gao. Sagan leads the chase.

The Frenchmen have hit the front as we hit Libby Hilll.

Vanmarcke and Felline are next to each other on the front.

Bennati sets the pace for Italy. Now Belgium take over with Vanmarcke

Farrar tries one final desperate move. No success.

Nizzolo is at the back of the 5-rider Italian train. The front duo is caught.

The Italians are back on the front of the 60-ridet peloton.

8 seconds for Farrar and Siutsou.

Farrar and Siutsou are working well together but they don't have much of an advantage. The Australians have hit the front with Hayman and Hansen.

Farrar and Siutsou have a very small advantage as we enter the final 10km. Surprisingly, the Swiss lead the chase.

Siutsou takes off again! Farrar joins him.

Felline is riding on the front for Italy. Do they believe in Nizzolo for a sprint? The Trek rider is at the back of the train.

The break is caught. It is all bacl together with 12km to go.

Oliveira, Taaramae and Brutt are the only surviving memebers of the break. Italy still lead the chase.

Italy lead the chase while Van Avermaet refuses to work in the front group.

Oliveira, Amador, Taarame, Van Avermaet and Brutt form a front quintet.

The trio is brought back but Oliveira goes again. Amador is chasing.

Oliveira has joined Dumoulin and Kuznetsov.

As they start the final lap, Dumoulin and Kuznetsov attack.

Kuznetov and Terpsta are the final riders i the front group. Oliveira has bridged the gap on Governor Street. Van Avermaet has also made the junction.

Hayman leads the chase for Australia.

Benoot, Haller,  Dumoulin and another Dutchman have joined the break.

With Degenkolb in the group, the Germans won't chase.

Haller's attack was further back. Trentin, Boasson Hagne, Gilbert, Gallopin, Degenkolb aee among a few riders to have joined the front group.

Haller attacks from the peloton as they go up the climb.

The front septet have hit Libby Hill for the penulimate climb. Boonen sets the pace.

It's a big fight for position. Nizzolo, Terpstra, Bookwalter, Boom are among the captains that are visible near the front.

Greipel has blown up. Martens, Siebegr, Clarke and King have brought the gap down to 20 seconds.

Boonen and Viviani are obviously the fastest in this group. Are the Spaniards confident in Moreno? And do the Dutchmen believe in Mollema?

The gap is 30 seconds

The gap is stable at 30 seconds. Sieberg, Martens, Greipel, Clarke and King set the pace.

Greipel is doing a lot of work. King lends a hand for the USA and Clarke works for Australia.

Surprisingly, Boonen and Viviani are not waiting for the sprint. They are committed to this move and the group works well together. The gap is 30 seconds.

t's Greipel and Voss doing the work. The gap is 18 seconds.

Mollema, Kwiatkowski, Boonen, Amador, Viviani, Stannard, Moreno have a solid gap as they hit the finishing straight.

The Germans lead the chase.

Moreni has broght Mollema back.

The Italian rider is Viviani. That's a surprise.

Mollema has attacked from the front sextet. An Italian has joined them.

Stannard, Mollema, Boonen, Kwiatkowski, Moreno and Amador have a gap.

Boonen is surprisingly aggressive. He has brought the two attackers back.

Stannard and Mollema have a small gap.

Stannard attacks hard on 23rd Street. Mollema joins him.

Stannard, Swift set the pace on the climb. Kristoff is still VERY far back in the group.

The break is caught as we hit the climb. The Brits have led the group onto the ascent with Rowe setting the pace.

The Danes have taken control with Juul and Mørkøv.

THe pace is very fast at the moment. Kreuziger and Gesink really go full gas. The gap is only 15 seconds.

Kreuziger also contributes to the pace-setting. Stybar wants a hard race!

It is now Gesink setting a hard pace for the Dutchmen. The gap is only 35 seconds.

Alaphilippe has abandoned the race.

The Valverde group is caught.

Kreuziger, Gesink and Martin attack.

Valverde is in this group! The Spaniards are riding hard with Sanchez and Izagirre.

Kreuziger, Boonen, Oliveura, Martin, Chernetskii, Gesink, Stybar, Sanchez, Gilbert, Geschje, Degenkolb, Trentin, Geschke, Valgren, Juul, Hayman, Matthews are among the riders in a small group that has caught Rodrguez. They are 50 seconds behind the leaders. The peloton is 15 seconds furher back.

Rodriguez, Kreuziger and Gesink attack on Governor Street. The Spaniard goes clear!

Oliveira seems to have been brought back as has Bagdonas.

Vanmarcke is accelerating on 23rd Street.

Kristoff is back in the bunch but is riding in the rear end.

The gap is 1.10.

Benoot, Oliveira, Martin, Matthews and Breschel led the peloton over the top.

Now Oliveira takes off.

Bennot accelerates har don Libby Hill. Oliveira in second.

The Danes have now hit the front as we approach Libby Hill. The gap is 1.50. Bagdonas is 15 seconds ahead.

CRASH! Kiryienka, Erviti, Plaza, Nordhaug, Cano, Majka are involved. And Kristoff! The Katusha rider was not really down but it will  cost some energy to get back.

The Dutchmen have again taken control with van Baarke.

The Germans have again taken control of the situation.

Bagdonas attacks from the peloton.

As always, the peloton has slowed down a bit as we exit the hilly zone. The gap has gone out to 1.15.

Durbridge rides very fast in the peloton which is single-file. As they pass the finish line, they have brought the Vanmarcke group and Pantano back.

The gap is 30 seconds.

Bennati, Geschke and Stannard have joined Vanmarcke.

Vanmarcke has dropped Geschek and is now in lone pursuit. Then we have a trio with Stannard, Bennati and Geschke.

Pantano has been dropped from the front group

Vanmarcke attacks hard on Libby Hill. Geschke joins him. They have passed Smukulis.

Smukulis has attacked and has got an immediate advantage.

Unfortunately, Oss and Drucker are out of the race after their crash.

The Germans are in complete control with Knees but they are not going fast at the moment.

The Germans are leading the chase with Knees. The Poles and Belgians are also near the front.

The gap is 30 seconds.

The Belarusians also want to be part of the action. Siutsou has joined Boivin and Pantano. And now Phinney also makes the junction.

As the peloton slows down, Boivin and Pantano attack. They get an immediate gap.

Gesink got an advantage of a few seconds but Maes has brought him back as we cross the line with 5 laps to go.

Gilbert, Boonen, Swift, Oliveira, Nordhaug, Albasini feature prominently near the front.

Lot so riders have been dropped, including Bystrøm and Juraj Sagan.

Gesik attacks on the climb! No one responds.

Maes, Boonen, Kwiatkowski, Vanmarcke, Boom, HAussler ar lined out on the front as we hit Governor Street.

Maes continues to ride hard on the front followed by Martin and Boonen. The peloton is splitting!

Maes has led the peloton onto Libby Hill. The Belgians are in control.

That move didn't work either. An attack from a Canadian rider is being neutralized by the Belgians as Keisse is now riding hard on the front.

Mas is brought back as the Asutraians are now on the frony. Now Dowsett and Goncalves try to get clear.

Mas has exploited a calm moment to make a solo attack.

The Dutchmen definitely don't want to slow down. Gesink takes some huge turn on the front and the peloton is single-file.

The Germans have brought the break back. Goncalves and Mas try to accelerate again but they fail to get clear.

The Dutchmen, Spaniards and Belgians want a hard race. Plaza, Vanmarcke, Keukeleire and Gesink are dong a lot of work in the break.

The Germans have misssed the break and are chasing hard with Knees. They are about to bring the group back.

Gesink, Vanmarcke, Keukeleire, Mollema, Majka, Goncalves, Mas, Quintero, Juul, Chernsetkii, Taaramae, Clarke, Boom, Rodriguez, Paterski, Breschel, Nibali, Zakarin, Bookwalter, Plaza, Alzate, Vanmarcke, Costa, Gilbert, King, Sergent, Tvetcov and Dunne are the riders in the break. They have a 20-second advantage.

The front quartet is caught by the very strong  Nibali group.

A group with the likes of Zakarin, Plaza, Juul, Mollema, Majka, Goncalces, MAs, Quintero, Keukelire, Chernetskii, Clarke, Boom, Nibali, Breschel, Gesink, Vanmarcke have gone clear as they start the next lap. The four-rider break is almost caught.

CRASH! Oss and Drucker have gone down. Drucker is an outsider for today.

Meanwhile, Alzate is dropped from the break.

The front group is back together as they go up Governor Street. The peloton has again slowed down.

King and Dunne are clearly the strongest and have dropped their companions on 23rd street.

Boonen leads the peloton up the climb.

Majka and Kiwatkowski have led the peloton onto Libby Hill. Then Bystrøm, Boonen, Gesink.

Martin has rejoined the peloton. Rojas has been brought back.

The fight for position has started again. Meanwhile, Martin has had a mechanical.

The Poles have gathered their troops behind van Emden.

Guess who is again riding on the front. He rides for LottoNL-Jumbo and won the Eneco Tour TT earlier this year. His name is Jos van Emden.

Stevic has decided to abandon even before he was brought back.

At the passage of the line, Rojas is 1.21 behind. Stevic is about to be brought back by the peloton which has slowed down and is 2.16 behind.

Rojas is still chasing the five leaders but he is not really getting any closer.

Park and Khrupta have been brought back. Maes is still riding on the front. This is the first time that the Belgians show themselves.

Maes has led the peloton onto Libby Hill. Geschke,  Boasson Hagen, Rodriguez, Paterski, Bodnar are next.

As they got up Libby Hill, Stevic is dropped from the break.

Rojas is still in lone pursuit.

CRASH! Kuznetsov and Mihaylov have hit the deck in a turn. However, they are riding again.

Th Dutchmen have again disappeared from the front and the pace has gone down. The Norwegian feature prominently, keeping Kristoff in a good position.

The gap is 2.10.

It's the familiar sight of the Dutchmen on the front. Van Emden is followed by Mollema, Ligthart and van Baarle.

This is impressive. Van Emden is back on the front of the peloton.

At the passage of the line, the gap is 1.55.

The six escapees know that they can't slow down. They are going full gas as they cross the line with 8 laps to go.

The peloton has slowed down and Juan Carlos Rojas (Costa Rica) has taken the chance to try to brdige across to the break.

A few riders tangled on 23rd Street but no one really went down. Zakarin was one of the riders involved.

Tvetcov has rejoined the break and instead Khrupta is losing contact. Only six riders hace survived.

Martin still sets the pace in the peloton.

As the break is about to be caught, King goes full gas on Libby Hill. Tvetcov and Park are losing contact.

Meanwhile, Tony Martin has led the peloton onto Libby Hill.

There's a big fiht for position. The Dutch and German teams form trains on the front.

The Dutchmen brought the gap down to 50 seconds but have now stepped off the gas a bit. Van Emden is back on the front. However, the tension is cearly rising.

This time the Dutchmen didn't slow down after the cobbled climbs. It seems like they have entered the next phase of the race as van Baarle and Gesink are now trading pulls on the front. The gap is only 1.18!

Van Barrle, Gesink, Boom, Geipel, Durbridge were in a small group that got a gap. However, they are back as we go up 23rd Street.

Mechanical for Smukulis. He is riding again.

The riders have hit Libby Hill again. Van Emden has again drifted backwards and it is now van Baarle riding pretty hard on the front.

It is still van Emden riding on the front for the Dutchmen. He is followed by all six riders from the Polish team. Last year they dominated the early part of the race and this year they again need a hard race. They will be ready to take over from the Dutchman.

The peloyon has slowed significantly down as the Dutchmen have stopped their hard work. The Poles are constantly near the front but they are not working.

And just as we write this, van Emden goes back to the front. At the passage of the line, the gap is 3.24.

Three riders have left the race: Cesar Rojas Villegas who crashed earlier, Atonio Garnero and Joon Yong Seo. Jaco Venter didn't take the start due to visa problems.

Is the day over for van Emden. Now it is van Baarle riding on the front as we go up Libby Hill again. Keisse, Van Avermaet, Bodnar, Kwiatkowski and Majka are next.

We are close to the next passage of the climbs and the fight for position has again started. The Poles and the Danes are lined out next to the Dutch train.

With 11 laps to go, the gap is 3.41.

Van Emden is back on the front. He dropped back when the Poles upped the pace but has now recovered.

After the cobbled climbs, the peloton has slowed significantly down. It seems that the Dutchmen have stopped their work.

Now it is time for the Poles to apply the pressure. Bodnar and Kwiatkowski have hit the front on Libby Hill. Gesink takes over. It is time to up the pace a further notch.

Sung Baek Park is a sprinter who has done really well in the Asian races. He won a stage in the Tour of Thailand earlier this year.

Conor Dunne is a talented Irishman who rode aggressively in the recent Tour of Britain. He was 12th in his home race, An Post Ras, this year.

Andriy Khripta is largely unknown but has had a very strong season in Eastern Europe, culminating with a win in GP ISD.

Ivan Stevic has been the best Serbien rider for years. He is a sprrinter and has been in the top 10 numerous times this year. He won a stage in the Tour Bulgaria a few weeks ago.

Let's take a look at the escapees:

The biggest name in the group is definitely Sergent. The Kiwi is a TT specialist and decorated track rider but has had a bad year after he was knocked down by a motorbike while riding in the break at the Tour of Flanders. He will leave Trek next year but has not confirmed his new team.

Ben King is the other WorldTour rider. The Cannondale rider is mostly a domestqiue but is also a former American champion and took a surprise win in the first stage of this year's Criterium International.

Sergei Tvetcov is a huge talent. He finished third behind van Garderen and Danielson in last year's USA Pro Challenge and signed a contract with Androni for 2015. However, he has had a very bad first year in Europe.

Carlos Alzate is Colombian but he is not a climber. In fact, he is a sprinter who is part of the famous Unitedhealthcare blue train which dominates the American criterium circuit.

With 12 laps to go, the gap is 3.26 and so the escapees gained 10 seconds during theis lap. Van Emden has led teammates Ligthart, Van Baarle, Langeveld and Gesink across the line. The Poles are also gathered near the front. They did a lot of work last year and also want a hard race to set Kiwatkowski up for his title defence. The future Sky rider will hope for some rain

Impressively, Boonen has already rejoined the peloton.

As we again approach Libby Hill, it is another big fight for position. Van Emden is still on the front though.

Puncture for one of the favourites: Boonen. That will cost some energy.

CRASG! Martens and Pantano have gone down but both are unhurt.

Stevic has managed to rejoin the break as we enter the final 200km.

Stevic who is in the break, has had a puncture. It will be hard to get back as the fast pace by the Dutchmen forces the break to ride hard.

Unfortunately, it seems that Rojas Villegas is out of the race.

Robet Gesink has had to stop in the feed zone to get his bike checked. Meanwhile, we have had a crash as Costa Rican Cesar Rojas Villegas has hit the deck. He is clearly in pain.

At the end of the lap, van Emden has single-handedly brought the gap down to 3.16. The peloton is almost single-file.

Taylor Phinney has dropped back to his team car. The American is the joker in the American team as he has just come back from a bad leg fracture and is still in comeback mode.

Van Emden has led the peloton onto LIbby Hill.

As the riders hit Libby Hill again, it is King setting the pace in the break. Meanwhile, van Emden, Ligthart and Mollema are lined out on the front of the peloton where there is a small fight for position.

The Dutchmen are now hiding a bit further back but van Emden still sets the pace. The Spaniards and Geramsn Knees, Martin and Fröhlinger are also featuring prominently near the front.

Van Emden continues to make good use of his TT power. As they cross the line for the second time, he has single-haendedly reduced the gap to 4.13.

Going up Libby Hill for the second time, the Germans have hit the front with Marcel Sieberg. However, now van Emden is back on the front.

As the break hits the Libby Hill for the second time, King accelerates hard. He even gets a small gap.

The Dutchmen are riding fast! The peloton is almost single-file. Now only Dumoulin is not with his compatriots in the front end of the group.

The peloton is back together.

The peloton has apparently split in two. The second group is chasing hard.

There is no doubt that the Dutchmen want to make this race as hard as possible. They decided the leave sprinter Moreno Hofland at home so they want to ride an aggressive race with their three leaders Terpstra, Boom and Dumoulin. Van Emden sets the early pace.

At the passage of the line, the gap is just below the five-minute mark.

The Dutchmen have really taken the initiative. Van Emden leads six of his eight teammates as they hit the finishing straight. Only Dumoulin and Langeveld are a little further back.

The Dutchmen don't want a bunch sprint and are the first to take the initiative. Van Emden has upped the pace as they hit Libby hill, followed by compatriots Ligthart, Gesink and Langeveld. And the Sagan who is very attentive.

Meanwhile, King, Alzate, Stevic, Sergent, Dunne, Park, Tvetcov and Khriphta have rached the finish for the first time.

The gap has gone out to more than 5 minutes. Rowe, Stannard and Sieberg are among the riders in the front row of the peloton.

The escapees are working well together while no one has taken the initiative in the peloton. The escaoees have hit Libby Hill for the first time. It is still dry so the cobbles aren't too bad.

He did it! It was King trying to bridge the gap and he has made the junction alongside Colombian Carlos Alzate and Romanian Tvetcov.

The gap is already 2.30.

Greipel has dropped back to the team car. This is the perfect scenario for the Germans as the break got clear almost straight from the gun.

At one point, it looked like one of the Americans tried to bridge the gap but apparently he didn't make the junction.

It seems that the peloton is content with the situation. The bunch has slowed completely down and it seems that we have our breakaway of the day.

Dunne has been joined by Khripta (Ukraine), Sergent (New Zealand), Park (South Korea) and Stevic (Serbia) to form a five-ridr break with a small advantage. More riders are trying to bridge across.

And we're off. The flag has been waved to signal the official star. Connor Dunne (Ireland) has launched the first attack.

It's no surprise that we have had no attacks yet. Apparently, the race is still neutralized. However, Christian Knees is riding very attentively in the front row as the Germans want to make sure that the race does not get out of control. They know that they will have to do a lot of work today.

There are lots of smaller natioans for whom the main goal is to join the early breakaway. However, so far we have had no attacks as we roll towards the circuit. Ben King is riding in the front row and there is no doubt that the local team from the USA will do their utmost to join the move.

And we are off! The 2015 World Championships are underway. Plaza rolls along on the front to set the early pace for Spain.

The waiting time is almost over. The riders are currently lined up for the start with the Spaniards in the front row.

***** Alexander Kristoff

**** John Degenkolb, Peter Sagan

*** Michael Matthews, Zdenek Stybar, Alejandro Valverde, Greg Van Avermaet, Nacer Bouhanni

** Tom Boonen, André Greipel, Juan Jose Lobato, Simon Gerrans, Matti Breschel, Elia Viviani, Niki Terpstra, Tom Dumoulin, Lars Boom

* Giacomo Nizzolo, Tony Gallopin, Michal Kwiatkowski, Philippe Gilbert, Daryl Impey, Rui Costa, Arnaud Demare, Luka Mezgec, Ben Swift, Rigoberto Uran, Michael Albasini, Tiesj Benoot, Sep Vanmarcke, Fabio Felline, Matteo Trentin, Diego Ulissi, Vincenzo Nibali, Julian Alaphilippe, Jempy Drucker, Ramunas Navardauskas, Edvald Boasson Hagen, Grega Bole

The fact that the course for the World Championships varies from year to year means that it is usually discussed and scrutinized a lot in the final 12 months before the event. While the national coaches check it out, lots of riders are usually busy proclaiming that this year’s route is tailor-made for them. The classics all have a pretty fixed format but for the World Championships, you may see sprinters, classics riders and climbers all claiming that they can prevail.

This year it has been no different. With the race offering just 1648m of climbing, the climbers and stage race specialists have quickly abandoned all ambitions of becoming world champion in Richmond and most of them have not put their hand up for selection, with many staying in Europe to prepare for what seems to be an unusually hard edition of Il Lombardia. Riders that specialize in the Ardennes classics have also generally admitted that this race is too easy for them.

Instead, the attention has been focused on two categories of riders: the strong sprinters and the riders who excel in the cobbled classics. An almost all-inclusive list of riders from these two groups have made the Worlds a huge target and have specifically prepared for the event. With most of them apparently close to their best condition, the scene is set for an exciting race.

However, the toughness of the course is still heavily debated. It is a general perception that it is too hard for the pure sprinters, especially as the climbs come very close to the finish, so there will be no Marcel Kittel, Matteo Pelucchi or Andrea Guardini at the start. However, no one really knows how much damage the relatively short climbs will do at the end of a 260km race. Will it be too hard for sprinters like André Greipel and Elia Viviani? Will it come down to a reduced bunch sprint for riders like Alexander Kristoff and John Degenkolb? Or will it be possible for classics riders like Greg Van Avermaet, Philippe Gilbert, Zdenek Stybar, Niki Terpstra and Michal Kwiatkowski to make a difference in the finale?

Even though most national coaches have had a look at the course a long time ago, it seems that the doubts are still prevalent. That is reflected in the team selections. Most of the nations with relatively big teams both have a sprint option and an option for a harder finale. Belgium have Boonen for a sprint and Van Avermaet, Gilbert and Vanmarcke for attacks, Italy have Viviani and Nizzolo for a bunch kick and Ulissi to cover the attacks, Spain’s two-pronged attack is the one of Lobato and Valverde, France have Bouhanni and Demare as fast riders and Gallopin and Alaphilippe for the attacks while the two-pronged Australian strategy revolve around Matthews and Gerrans.

However, there are teams that have a more clearly defined plan. Germany will be going all in for a sprint finish and the only question is whether it will be for Degenkolb or Greipel. Norway are fully focused on a sprint with Kristoff and France also seem to mainly have their eyes on a group arrival. As opposed to this, the Netherlands have no sprinter and will try to blow the race to piece, just like strong six-rider nations Poland, Czech Republic and Denmark who all have outsiders for the win. For a big favourite like Peter Sagan, there will not be much to do to determine the outcome as he only has two relatively weak teammates to support him. He will have to look at the big teams to find out what to do.

Most of the circuit is flat but the three short climbs come in quick succession near the very end. None of them are very long and two of them are cobbled, making them very comparable to the Belgian hellingen. On paper, they should not do much damage but with several passages during a long 260km race, it will add up and they should turn out to be quite challenging near the end.

Two elements will make the race much harder than it looks on paper. First of all there is the positioning which will probably be the most important aspect of the entire race. There are several turns in the final part of the circuit and some of them are pretty narrow. Even when riding just a few riders together, you have to brake to go through them so it will be very difficult from a 200-rider bunch to pass them. They will string out the peloton completely and require lots of accelerations which will add up throughout the race. Hence, you will be able to save a lot of energy by staying near the front but this will only make the fight much harder. It will be difficult to pick the right strategy to save as much energy as possible which is always very important in a Worlds road race which is always a bit of a  waiting game.

Secondly, the rainy conditions will have a huge impact on the race. This will make the corners even trickier and the race harder and more selective. Furthermore, it will add to the nervousness of the race. The combination of tight corners, a big fight for position in one of the most important races of the year and wet roads means that crashes are bound to happen and we will be pretty surprised if all the favourites will get to the finale without any kind of bad luck. This race will not only be about good legs. Positioning, management of the energy and luck will be equally important.

Everybody knows that Alexander Kristoff and John Degenkolb are the favourites in case of a sprint finish and even though most of the teams have a sprint option, a lot of nations will benefit from a hard race. With just 1600m of climbing, they can’t wait too long to make things tough so we expect an aggressive and entertaining race from far out. The Dutch, Spanish and Belgian teams will definitely try to make it as hard as possible and Italy may have similar plans. At the same time, Norway, Germany and Australia are likely to try to control things.

In the final 100km, we can expect some pretty big names to go on the attack to soften up the sprint nations. Riders like Vincenzo Nibali, Joaquim Rodriguez, Daniel Moreno, Julian Alaphilippe, Tiesj Benoot, Sep Vanmarcke, Bauke Mollema, Robert Gesink, Roman Kreuziger and Rafal Majka are perfect for this job. Usually the early break is made up of riders from smaller nations but in the final laps, a group of pretty big names usually go clear. It will be very important for the key teams to be on their toes and make it into this move to avoid having to ride defensively.

However, there are so many teams that are interested in a sprint finish that we expect it to be back together for the final lap. With a long headwind section along the river, we doubt that it will be possible for anyone to stay clear after attacking on the penultimate lap so we expect the best classics like Van Avermaet, Gilbert, Ulissi, Valverde, Stybar and Gallopin to wait for the finale lap. Riders like Terpstra and Kwiatkowski have a brave attitude though and may try a bit earlier.

In the end, it will probably come down to a matter of whether the classics riders can distance the sprinters on the final climbs and hold them off in the finale. In any case, this is not a course for a solo rider to make a difference so it will be very hard to win this race without any kind of fast finish.

The problem for the classics riders are that some of the best sprinters also excel in the cobbled classics and so are among the best on this kind of climbs. One of them is Alexander Kristoff. After several years of near-misses, he was the king of the cobbles in 2015, winning almost everything in golden period of 14 days in late March and early April. Most importantly, he won the Tour of Flanders in extremely dominant fashion.

What was remarkable about that win was the fact that Kristoff didn’t wait for a sprint finish. Instead, he rode aggressively on the climbs and was clearly the strongest rider in the race. After escaping with Niki Terpstra, Kristoff easily responded to the Dutchman’s attacks and in the end it was Terpstra who had to hang on for dear life. His performances prove that no one is going to drop Kristoff in this kind of terrain when the Norwegian is at 100% of his capabilities.

The main question is whether he has hit peak condition. The indications are that he has. He never reached his best form for the Tour de France but in the last few weeks he has been flying. He was second behind Greipel in Hamburg and won the GP Plouay which is generally a relatively hard race. However, it was his performance in the Canadian races that really proved that he is in excellent condition.

Kristoff has always regarded the races in Quebec and Montreal as too hard for him and he mainly came there for pure training. However, he managed to finish third in Quebec – he was second in the sprint for second – which speaks volumes about his form. The harder race in Montreal was still a bit too tough but he was not far behind the best in a race that was dominated by Ardennes specialists.

In addition to the good condition, several aspects favour Kristoff. First of all he excels in the longest races. The longer, the better seems to be the motto for the Norwegian. He is clearly not the fastest in a pure bunch sprint but at the end of a long, hard race, he is in a class of his own. He may have been beaten by John Degenkolb in Sanremo but that was only because he started his sprint into the headwind a bit too early. In fact, he did a very impressive sprint that day.

The main challenge for Kristoff will be how find the right tactic. He is strong enough to follow the best on the climbs but it may be better to save his energy for a sprint finish. However, he can rely on a very strong Edvald Boasson Hagen to bring things back together in the finale so his best option may be to wait. However, he can win from almost every scenario and we doubt that anyone will be able to beat him in a sprint. The rainy conditions will favour him heavily as he is always one of the best in harsh weather – he is Norwegian – and the course suits him down to the ground. This makes Kristoff our favourite for the race.

In this kind of race, we believe that only one rider can genuinely hope to beat Kristoff in a sprint. John Degenkolb shares many of the same characteristics and he also specializes in sprints at the end of a long race of attrition. It is no coincidence that those two riders were first in the bunch sprint for the minor placings in last year’s race and filled the top two spots in this year’s Milan-Sanremo.

Like Kristoff, Degenkolb excels in the cobbled classics which he proved with his win in this year’s Paris-Roubaix. Compared to the Norwegian, he is a better climber but for some reason he has not had the same kind of success in the cobbled classics. He has always been among the best on the hellingen but he has also missed the final bit to go with the very best. Instead, he has been very strong in Paris-Roubaix where no one has managed to drop him on the cobbles for a few years.

Degenkolb goes into this race in outstanding condition. When it comes to personal results, the Vuelta was a disappointment but Degenkolb still proved that he is riding very well. He climbed much better than expected when he suddenly turned into a key domestique for Dumoulin and those performances boosted his confidence. His lack of results was mainly due to poor positioning in the sprints.

Degenkolb faces the same challenge as Kristoff. He is probably strong enough to go with the attacks but it may be better for him to wait for a sprint. He has a German team almost fully at his disposal but he may lack support in the very finale.

Furthermore, Degenkolb has another disadvantage compared to Kristoff. While the Norwegian is excellent at positioning himself and so rarely misses out on a result, the German often gets boxed in. He can’t rely on any kind of lead-out so there is a risk that he will again miss out. In that sense, he has to hope for a very selective race which will make the fight for position less intense in the finale.

Another issue is André Greipel. On paper, Greipel is the fastest of the two. However, it will be hard for Greipel to stay with the best at the end of such a long race and as the sprint comes just after a hard climb, we doubt the Lotto sprinter will probably be at his limit. It seems like it will be all for Degenkolb but if Greipel is on a super day, the Giant rider may have to sacrifice himself. However, we don’t expect that to happen and as he is the rider most likely to beat Kristoff in a sprint, Degenkolb is one of the top favourites.

Another rider with lots of options is Peter Sagan. The Slovakian’s condition is a bit of an unknown as he has not done a road race since he was knocked down by a motorbike on stage 8 of the Vuelta a Espana. However, he has been carefully preparing this race in the US and as his form was already great in Spain, we expect him to be very close to his best.

Sagan has achieved lots of great results in the cobbled classics so this course obviously suits him. More importantly, he has returned to his best. For some reason, he was below his usual level for a little more than a year until things suddenly changed in the Tour of California. Since then, he has again been the old Sagan who has been up there in both the sprint finishes and in very hard finales with punchy climbs.

However, even when he was at his very best, he failed to win a monument and the long distances have always been an issue for Sagan. He has definitely improved a lot since his first years – after all he has been second in Flanders and very close to victory in Sanremo – but no one can deny the fact that the distance doesn’t favour him. While Degenkolb and Kristoff benefit from the 260km, Sagan would have had a better chance if it had been a 200km race.

However, Sagan can win this race from every scenario. He is better on the climbs than Kristoff and Degenkolb and if a group goes clear in the finale, it is hard to imagine that he won’t be there. That is probably his best chance as he is usually not as fast as Kristoff and Degenkolb in a sprint. On the other hand, he has probably been sprinting better than ever in the last few months so he won’t be without a chance in a sprint finish, especially as the effort comes very close to the top of the final climb.

One big disadvantage is his team. He only has his brother Juraj and Michal Kolar at his side and they won’t make it far. He will be isolated very early and this will make it difficult to choose the right tactic. He has no teammates to bring back late attacks. That’s now a new situation for him as he has often lost races by being isolated in finales where he has used way too much energy. On Sunday, he has to gauge his effort perfectly and he has to make some gambles. However, if a group gets clear in the finale, Sagan is our favourite.

Michael Matthews has made it clear that this is probably his best chance to become world champion in the foreseeable future and it is definitely true that the course suits him. He may not have had much success on the cobbles but he has done well in the Amstel Gold Race which is not too different from this race. He can handle the distance, the positioning and the repetition of the climbs.

However, the course is likely to be too easy for him. Matthews is a better climber than both Degenkolb and Kristoff but he is not as fast as them in a sprint. He usually has no chance in a pure bunch sprint so we doubt that he will come out on top in a reduced bunch sprint. Like Sagan, his best chance probably is to follow the attacks as he could easily be the fastest in a small group that gets clear.

However, there are a few aspects that favour Matthews. First of all he has specifically prepared for this race and he claims to be in the best possible condition. That was evident in Canada where he was climbing with the best and he beat Kristoff in the sprint for second in Quebec. However, that was an uphill sprint where Matthews is usually among the very best while things will be different in a flat sprint.

On the other hand, the sprint comes very close to three successive climbs and this should favour Matthews. While it may take the sting out of the legs of the fastest riders, Matthews should be fresher. Even more importantly he may have Simon Gerrans to lead him out and that will be invaluable in a hectic finale. A harder course would have been better for Matthews but he can definitely win in Richmond too.

If the race becomes really hard, Zdenek Stybar will be ready to strike. The Czech has flown under the radar but there is no reason to underestimate the leader of what looks like the strongest Czech team ever. Stybar was second in Paris-Roubaix, one of the very best on the hellingen in Flanders and took a dominant win in Strade Bianche. Furthermore, he won a stage in his debut Tour de France and he is generally a master of peaking on the right day.

Stybar has followed the formula of teammate Michal Kwiatkowski by preparing for the race in the Tour of Britain where he should solid, albeit unspectacular, form. However, he claims to be feeling very good and history shows that he is likely to be on fire on race day. He is an excellent bike handle which will be extremely important on the technical course and as a cyclo-cross rider, he doesn’t mind the bad weather.

Finally, his sprint is much better than many think. In the 2013 Eneco Tour, he beat a pure sprinter like Maximiliano Richeze to win a stage and among the real classics riders, he is one of the very fastest. He has the right explosiveness to excel on this kind of course so if he can get rid of the likes of Sagan, Kristoff and Degenkolb, he has a great chance.

No rider has won more Worlds medals than Alejandro Valverde but the Spaniard still hasn’t worn the rainbow jersey. With next year’s race taking place in Qatar, this could be the final chance for the best Ardennes rider of his generation. Unfortunately, the course doesn’t really suit him as it is way too easy. On the other hand, Valverde can shine on almost every route.

Valverde doesn’t have much experience in the cobbled classics but last year he briefly headed to Flanders to prepare himself for the Tour de France. Here he proved his extremely high level of competitiveness as he nearly won the Dwars door Vlaanderen. E3 Harelbeke was a bit too difficult for him but this race is not a real cobbled classic. Instead, it is more about positioning, explosiveness and gauging the effort and in those aspects, Valverde is very strong.

Valverde was very tired at the end of the Vuelta but history shows that he recovers extremely fast. Last year he was almost dead at the end of the Tour but six days after the big finale in Paris, he won Clasica San Sebastian. Valverde always delivers in the road race at Worlds and he will definitely be there. He is not fast enough to beat the fastest riders but in a small group, he is very hard to beat. After all he has won bunch sprints in the past so if this race turns out to be too much for the sprinters, he will be one of the obvious favourites.

Belgium have Tom Boonen for a sprint but they have done nothing to hide that they will try to make the race hard. On the final lap, it will be up to Greg Van Avermaet and Philippe Gilbert to make a difference. Of those two riders, the former seems to be the best card as he has generally been the strongest all year. In fact, he has been the most consistent one-day racer of the season and has been up there in almost every big classic in 2015.

This year Van Avermaet was on the podium in both Flanders and Roubaix and he is generally one of the strongest in this kind of terrain. Of course he won’t win a big sprint but he has the speed to win from a small group. He is faster than Gilbert so if they are both present in a break, we may see a repeat of last year’s scenario where Gilbert worked for his compatriot and teammate. That could help a break stay away.

Van Avermaet was not at his best in the Canadian races which was a bit of a surprise. However, it may have been a good idea to back off a bit before ramping his form up for the Worlds. He is so extremely consistent but may have missed the real peak form that has been the difference between winning and finishing second or third. Obviously, he needs to get rid of the very fast guys but he could be strong enough to do so if he is at the level that allowed him to beat Sagan in a stage at the Tour de France.

The French team hasn’t got much attention and that is probably a mistake. Nacer Bouhanni may have had a very unfortunate season but he will still be a contender in this race. Last year he proved that he can handle the distance as he was third behind Kristoff and Degenkolb in the sprint for the minor placings and he is a very good climber, especially on short, explosive climbs like these.

Bouhanni may not have had much one-day success but that is more due to his position in the FDJ team than a lack of potential. In his former team, it was all about Arnaud Demare in the one-day races and so Bouhanni has only had one shot at the one-day races. He didn’t have much success in his debut but the talent is definitely there.

Bouhanni crashed out of the Vuelta but has already done several one-day races since then. Most recently, he boosted his confidence by winning GP d’Isbergues. On paper, he is faster than the likes of Kristoff and Degenkolb but that is unlikely to be the case after 260km. However, he belongs to the select group of riders that can hope for a win in a sprint scenario.

Tom Boonen belongs to the same group of riders. If this race had been held just a few years ago, the Belgian would have been one of the outstanding favourites. However, Boonen is no longer the dominant force he once was and even though the course is tailor-made for him, he is now more of an outsider.

However, Boonen has been extremely focused on this race for several months and he claims to be in excellent condition. When he won a bunch sprint at the Eneco Tour, he proved that he still has the speed to beat some of the fastest riders and he even claimed that the number showed that he is faster than ever before. Furthermore, he is the same type of sprinter as Kristoff and Degenkolb which means that he is much stronger at the end of a 260km race. Nonetheless, recent history shows that those two riders are now stronger in the classics terrain and both are also faster. Things have to come together for Boonen to win a sprint but with a very strong team at his side, it won’t be impossible.

We are very curious to see what André Greipel can do in this race. For the first time since 2011, he is going all in for the World Championships and has prepared specifically for the race. He seems to have hit peak condition just at the right time as he was climbing exceptionally well in the Tour of Britain.

Greipel has not had much one-day success in his career and generally he has had a hard time in the very long races. However, he rode excellently in the Tour of Flanders and if he had gauged his efforts better, he could have been a podium contender that day. This time he will be a leader and so will save much more energy for the finale.

On paper, Greipel is the fastest rider in the race but that may no longer be the case at the end of 260km, especially as the final climb comes very close to the finish. We doubt that he will be there at the end and Germany will probably support Degenkolb. However, if he has the legs he had in Flanders, nothing will be impossible for Greipel.

Alejandro Valverde is the Spanish leader but the team has a back-up plan for a sprint. Juan Jose Lobato has flown under the radar but he is very ambitious for this race. He got the year off to a fantastic start by taking dominant wins in uphill sprints but since then he has been far from his best. However, he returned to form I the Tour of Britain and seems to have timed things perfectly.

Last year Lobato nearly finished on the podium in Sanremo and so he has proved that he can handle the distance. Very often he has proved that he is one of the very fastest sprinters but he has missed out on wins due to very bad positioning. In this race, the field is likely to be a lot smaller and that should benefit Lobato who may even have Valverde for the lead-out. There is no doubt that Lobato has the speed to upset the big-name sprinters.

Last year Simon Gerrans took the silver medal but there is a vast difference between 2014 and 2015 for the former Liege winner. 12 months ago he has shown excellent condition in Canada but this year he is still coming back from a fourth big crash. He got through the Vuelta but showed no kind of form as he mainly worked for Esteban Chaves and even the Australian team admits that they don’t know where he stands.

However, it would be dangerous to rule Gerrans out. No one is better at peaking for the big day than the Australian who almost always reaches his biggest targets. There is no doubt that Matthews is the leader of the team but if he is feeling good, Gerrans will have the job to go with the attacks in the finale. Last year he beat the likes of Valverde and Van Avermaet in the sprint for second and in the past he has even beaten a guy like Sagan. If he is back on form, Gerrans is one of the favourites from the breakaway scenario.

Matti Breschel has not had any standout results in 2015. However, that wasn’t the case in 2014 either and he still managed to finish fourth. The Dane has turned into a bit of a Worlds specialist and he has already medaled twice. This year’s course suits him down to the ground as he was once one of the very best in the cobbled classics.

Breschel showed excellent condition in August until he was set back by a crash in the Eneco Tour. He looked like one of the strongest riders in Plouay but his star faded a bit due to his poor showing in Canada. However, history shows that you should never rule Breschel out in a Worlds road race. He won’t win a bunch sprint but if he is in a small group in the finale, he will be one of the fastest.

Italy is one of the most successful nations in the history of the event but since Paolo Bettini retired, they have not had much success. This year they are again an outsider nation and they will be hoping for Diego Ulissi or sprinters Giacomo Nizzolo and Elia Viviani. We don’t think the race is hard enough for Ulissi to win so their best chance comes in a sprint and there is no doubt that Viviani is their fastest rider.

The Sky sprinter has proved that he now has the speed to beat the very best, most recently in the Tour of Britain where he won three stages and seemed to have the upper hand compared to Greipel. However, he has never had much one-day success and there is a big chance that this race will be too hard for him. Things haven’t been made any easier by the fact that he crashed before the TTT and hurt his knee.

However, Viviani has trained very specifically for this race and this is a very big goal for him. To have a chance, the race can’t be too hard and we doubt that he will be there at the finish. However, if he makes it, he could turn out to be the fastest if he can overcome his usual struggles in the fight for position.

Finally, the Dutch team deserve a mention. They have not selected a sprinter but have three riders that excel in this kind of terrain. Niki Terstra is the designated leader but Lars Boom and Tom Dumoulin will both have protected roles. Terstra seemed to be in very good condition in the Vuelta but his big problem is that he is not very fast in the sprint. However, he has the right panache to go on the attack in the finale and if anyone can take a solo win, it is probably him. Boom’s form is a bit uncertain but he is generally very strong in this terrain and has a sprint to win from a small group. Finally, Dumoulin will be a very strong contender if he has recovered from his muscle problems. The Vuelta may not have been the best preparation for a short effort like the time trial but his diesel engine should come in handy in this race. If this race becomes very hard, Dumoulin could be there in a small group and don’t forget that he is fast in a sprint.

When the riders arrived in Richmond, they had summer-like conditions and the time trials generally took place under a sunny sky. That will change for the road races as Friday, Saturday and Sunday are all forecasted to be rainy and that will definitely have a big impact on the race.

Sunday is set to be the least rainy of the three days but a total amount of 9mm are still forecasted. At the moment, there is a 75% chance of rain from early in the morning until late in the evening, meaning that it is likely to rain throughout most of the race. There will be a maximum temperature of just 21 degrees.

It won’t be very windy as there will be a light wind from an easterly direction. This means that there will be a tailwind in the first part of the circuit and then a headwind as they travel back to the second U-turn. There will mainly be a tailwind in the final few kilometres with the three climbs and that will also be the case for the finishing straight.

World Championships road races are always mostly circuit races. This means that there is never room for any big mountains and so the pure climbers have very little chance to shine. On the other hand, organizers are usually keen not to design completely flat courses. Hence, the race usually suits the classics specialists with a fast sprint. One year it may be a harder affair that suits the Ardennes riders while other editions lean more towards the heavier guys that excel in the cobbled classics.

The 2011 race was clearly for the sprinters while the race in Limburg obviously was for Ardennes riders. The 2013 race in Florence turned out to be one of the few editions that suited the climbers. Italy made the race bloody hard and it ended up as a race of attrition. Last year the race was open for strong sprinters, Ardennes specialists and riders for the cobbled classics but in the end it was a group of riders that specialize in the hilly races that decided the race.

The race is back to its traditional format of being held entirely on a circuit and for the first time since 2003, the race will be held on the Western side of the Atlantics. Richmond has earned itself the right to host the race and is the first American city to do so since Colorado Springs in 1986. In 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013, there was a relatively long opening section from a start outside the host city while last year it was held entirely on the circuit. This year the riders will do just 5.3km of flat riding before they get to the circuit of which they will do 12.8km before they get to the finish for the first time. From there, the rest of the race will be made up of 15 full laps of the challenging, technical 16.2km inner-city circuit. At 261.24m, it will have the usual length of a Worlds road race but it will be shorter than the 2013 mammoth affair of more than 270km.

The peloton heads west from Downtown Richmond, working their way onto Monument Avenue, a pave-lined, historic boulevard that’s been named one of the “10 Great Streets in America.” The road is flat and mostly straight in this first part of the circuit even though there are a few turn when the riders get to the university area after a few kilometres.The ridrers will take a 180-degree turn at the Jefferson Davis monument and then maneuver through the Uptown district and Virginia Commonwealth University back along the same flat, straight roads.

Halfway through the circuit, the race heads down a gradual descent into Shockoe Bottom before following the canal and passing Great Shiplock Park, the start of the Virginia Capital Trail. This is where it gets significantly more technical with several turns in the second half. However, the roads are still mainly flat until the riders face three short climbs in quick succession inside the final 3km.

A sharp, off-camber turn at Rocketts Landing brings the riders to the narrow, twisty, cobbled 200-meter climb up to Libby Hill Park in the historic Church Hill neighborhood. A quick descent, followed by three hard turns leads to a 100-meter-long climb up 23rd Street. Once atop this steep cobbled hill, riders descend into Shockoe Bottom. This leads them to the final 300-meter-long climb up Governor Street. At the top, riders face a 680-meter false flat to the finish. The final climb and the finishing straight is the same that was used for the time trial and the team time trial.

A Worlds race usually follows a typical script which makes it one of attrition and gradual elimination. The opening part of the race serves the purpose of creating the early break and there's usually a bit of tactics going on in this part of the race. To avoid the sole responsibility for the pace-setting, the big nations will all make sure that none of those are represented in the move and the early escapees are unlikely to be from any of the major favourite teams. Instead, it offers some of the smaller nations a chance to get some time in the spotlight. When the break is established, the first couple of laps will mostly serve to accumulate fatigue while the tempo is gradually increased and the elimination starts. The break usually gets a rather big gap but has to be kept under reasonable control to avoid the 2010 scenario when the early break almost lapped the field on the 15.9km circuit.

The race usually kicks off in earnest inside the final 100km when the tactical battle begins. With some teams wanting a hard race, they start to ride on the front or send riders up the road and it's a game of chess for the big teams to make sure that they don't find themselves missing from a move that contains most of their rivals. With a high-calibre field in which a number of the world's best climbers play domestique roles and several teams wanting to make the race hard, we are likely to see some big-name riders go on unusual attacks to tighten the screws for their captains. From a tactical standpoint, the Worlds road race is usually one of the most exciting to watch.

For the main riders themselves, a World Championships race is usually a waiting game. It's often important to stay calm and hide in the peloton, always believing that the different moves will be reeled in in time for the finale. Very often the world champion doesn't show his cards until the final lap and we will probably see the main moves from the captains of the teams that will avoid a bunch sprint during the final two passages of the three climbs. With a total elevation gain of just 1648m, this is not a race with lots of climbing. Instead, it is a day for punchiness, explosiveness, sprinting and crucial positioning on the twist, partly cobbled circuit where the strong sprinters and the cobbled classics specialists are expected to shine.

Most sports organize World Championships to determine their strongest athlete and in most cases, the event is the pinnacle of the sport. While the latter may not be entirely true in the case of cycling where the Tour de France has publicity and recognition that makes it overshadow every other race, the World Championships road race plays a unique role on the cycling calendar.

While the first track world championships were held back in 1893 - when the UCI wasn't even founded - the first honour of being the world's best road racer was awarded in 1927 when Alfredo Binda was the best in an Italian 1-2-3 on Nürburgring. At a time when many of the current cycling races already had established themselves and had a long history, the event immediately gained huge prestige as it is reflected by what is simply a formidable winners list.

With the event awarding the honour of being the best in the world, it's no surprise that the event has been dominated by the two strongest countries in the history of cycling. Belgium tops the list with its 26 titles followed by Italy with 19 while France is a distant 3rd with its 8 wins. Due to the varying nature of the courses and the tactical aspects of road racing, it is no mean feat to be a repeat winner of the title and only four very distinguished cyclists have accomplished the feat of triumphing three times: Alfredo Binda, Rik Van Steenbergen, Eddy Merckx and the more recent Oscar Freire.

One element of its prestige is of course the universal honour of being the world champion. What makes it even more special is the symbol of that status: the rainbow jersey. Cycling is famously known for its distinctive jerseys but they are usually only attached to specific events. Only one international race may earn you the right to wear a jersey throughout an entire year and that makes the win that more coveted. At every race, the world is reminded of the win and the status and while it may not always be a tactical advantage to stand out in the peloton, the importance from a publicity viewpoint cannot be underestimated.

Another aspect turns the world championships into a unique event. While most one-day races have a more or less fixed route with little room for variation, the Worlds are of a different nature. Held on different courses from year to year, the aim is to provide different types of riders with the opportunity to become world champions at some point during their career. The World Championships road race has no fixed format: one year it may be a paradise for the sprinters while the next may be one for the climbers or classics specialists

In that sense, it is different from many other sports in which the venue has little influence on the outcome. Road cycling is one of the most versatile sports and that makes it much harder to talk about the sport's best athlete. While the rainbow jersey is never worn by the strongest rider in every kind of road cycling, most of the best riders in a generation usually get the opportunity to wear it at some point in his career. No one can expect to be a contender every year: just recall how reigning champion Mark Cavendish played a loyal domestique role on the hilly course in Limburg in 2012. As it is always the case in road racing, luck plays a certain role but there is not too much randomness involved when it comes to the World Championships. It is certainly no coincidence that most of the strongest riders in the cycling history have worn the rainbow jersey at some point in their career.

In modern day sports, money plays a crucial role and cycling is no exception. Usually, the riders represent their trade teams but for one day they return to the past when they represent their country at the World Championships. While it takes the role of national pride to a whole new level, it creates difficulties for the national coaches who suddenly have to unite rivals in fighting for a common goal. The history is loaded with examples where those missions have failed and where national teams have been divided into different camps that reflect their trade teams and personal relationships. In modern day cycling, former Italian national coach Franco Ballerini was famously known for his ability to unite what had usually been a very disharmonious Italian team.

Like most other sports, cycling is usually a rather hierarchical with the best teams usually competing against each other but at the World Championships, the smaller nations get their chance to get some time in the spotlight. Lesser-known riders that are usually far from the glory of the WorldTour events race against the world's biggest starts in an event that really matters. At the same time, it is the only event where different teams are not on equal terms when they take to the start line. The level of tactics is further increased by the fact that some nations have far more riders than others and it is usually a significant disadvantage for even the strongest rider to come from a small nation.

Unlike the biggest classics, the World Championships road race is a circuit race. Several repetitions often make the very long race one of attrition and a gradual elimination and the familiarity with the course makes the tactics different from most other one-day races. Earlier it was mostly held entirely on a circuit that was to be repeated several times but in 2010, a new trend was started when the riders covered a long stretch in the beginning of the race before getting to the actual circuit. That idea was repeated in 2011, 2012 and 2013 but in 2014 and 2015 the race is back to its traditional format of being held entirely on a circuit.

Last year the race was held in Ponferrada on a course that had created much pre-race speculations: were the climbs too hard for the strongest sprinters and would the classics riders be able to make a difference in the end? A Worlds race has rarely been open to such a wide range of riders and in the end it was a descent that made the difference. Michal Kwiatkowski escaped on a slippery downhill section and crested the summit of the final climb with a small advantage over a group with Simon Gerrans, Alejandro Valverde, Matti Breschel, Greg Van Avermaet, Tony Gallopin and Philippe Gilbert. The latter sacrificed himself for Van Avermaet but it was not enough to bring back Kwiatkowski who became the first ever Polish world champion before Gerrans beat Valverde in the sprint for third. All three podium finishers will be back to try do again be in the mix on a course that is less suited to their Ardennes characteristics than last year’s hilly race in Spain.

Welcome to our live coverage of the elite men's road race.