Stephen Williams is no leader at World Championship and that's weird: "Something we need to discuss"

The World Championship in Zurich is rapidly approaching, so it is time to check if the contenders are ready. Of course, Tadej Pogacar and Remco Evenepoel seem different, and Mathieu van der Poel is also one of the favorites. Among them, however, is a wide range of sub-toppers who, on a good day, can go for the medals. In British service, we then quickly think of Tom Pidcock. But is he the man to do it for the British?

Perhaps we overlook Stephen Williams, who opened the year excellently with a win at the Tour Down Under and recently won the Tour of Britain. William is looking forward to the World Championship and stresses the team spirit. 'We are taking a solid team; hopefully, as GB, we can show our cards. At the end of the day, it's the world championships. If you can't get motivated for that, for what then? "he argues to Cycling Weekly.

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Tempting to push Pidcock forward, but we should also keep an eye on Williams

Pidcock has been the go-to big man on the British team for years. However, the all-rounder has had a difficult season on the road, in which a transition to GC rider was difficult, and the Amstel Gold Race was a highlight in an otherwise tricky classics year. Williams won the Flèche Wallonne during the chilly weather and recorded an equally memorable victory. In the strongly contested home round a few weeks back, he recorded two stage wins and the overall victory. Why do people mention his name so little?

"It will be complicated to get into the final and try to race for the win," the tall climber admits. "I need to have a good day. We have several good riders on the team. We still have to talk about how we are going to do it. Whether I will support more or have my chance for success, then we'll make decisions and see how we can best perform," it still sounds pretty modest.

"I'm just hoping for good legs and a feeling that I can be competitive. Then I'll be satisfied and go for it." Williams didn't necessarily see the peak year coming. "Sometimes I have to pinch myself and figure out if it's real. So this is super special for me, especially after all the sh*t in the past. After all the injuries and setbacks, I've learned that keeping faith and perseverance is the best thing."