World Cup organizer assesses Van der Poel's chances of defending title: "Mathieu? It's on the limit for him"

With a successful edition of the Tour of Switzerland, race organizer Olivier Senn has completed his first appointment for 2024. However, he isn't done yet, as the main event follows in September: he will be responsible for the World Cycling Championships in Zurich, which he is eagerly looking forward to. In an interview with IDLProCycling.com, he discussed the progress and his expectations.

The numbers of the grueling World Championship in Switzerland are known: 274 kilometers long, 4500 meters of elevation gain, seven times a local circuit of 26.8 kilometers each containing 400 meters of elevation gain. This quickly brings to mind races like Liège-Bastogne-Liège and the Tour of Lombardy, in terms of the type of riders you can expect at the end.

However, the World Championship remains unique in its own right, often bringing about a slightly altered dynamic. Hence, we turned to Senn in Switzerland with the question: you know every inch of the course, what can you tell us? The organizer was attentive, beginning his description from kilometer zero of the lap, ending at 26.8 kilometers, totaling 273.9 kilometers.

"At the beginning of the circuit, there's a fairly steep but short climb," he refers to Zürichbergstrasse, approximately 1100 meters long. "After that, we get a slight downhill section, followed by a longer climb (Witikonerstrasse, 2.3 kilometers at 5.7 percent, peaking at nine percent)." This in itself doesn't immediately pose problems, but repeating it seven times over such a distance... then it continues with ups and downs, without a true descent where you can truly recover."

He mentions the plateau of Pfannenstiel, after which riders set off each lap towards Küssnacht. "At one point, we head towards the next climb of two kilometers towards Zollikon, which I believe will be the crucial point in the race. We'll definitely see attacks there, unless someone is already solo ahead. After that, it's about one and a half kilometers flat to the finish at Sechseläutenplatz, near Lake Zurich."

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World Cup organizer on Van der Poel's chances in Zurich: "It's on the limit for Mathieu"

"There are many potential moments to make a difference and make the race tough, so it will be a very exciting race from start to finish," Senn assesses. From a Dutch perspective, the logical follow-up question is: to Van der Poel or not to Van der Poel? "I think the course is on the limit for Mathieu," the organizer judges. "The course is tougher than it appears at first glance, due to the succession of fairly long climbs and constant ups and downs. Therefore, I think it will be difficult for him to defend his title, but what I also believe is: the best rider will win the rainbow jersey on this circuit."

This definitely keeps the door open for Van der Poel. Could even Jonas Vingegaard, who hasn't yet ridden a World Championship among professionals, seize his chance? Yes, says Senn. "Jonas has a chance, because the strongest rider has a chance, and he is usually not far off that level. Whether it's Jonas, Mathieu, Tadej Pogacar, Wout van Aert, or Remco Evenepoel, they all have a chance in their own way. It's a very open course."

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"I don't see it as a race for pure climbers, but it's indeed very tough," asserts the man behind the World Championships in Zurich. "That was the plan from the beginning: to create a circuit where as many riders as possible could have their chance, not just a small group. It would be great to see all those big names battling for the win, ideally with one or two Swiss riders among them. Maybe Marc Hirschi or Mauro Schmid, or even Stefan Küng, could stay in contention for a long time."

In about three months, we will all experience it, but how does he approach this crucial period after years of preparation? "Organizing a World Championship is intense," he confides in us. "We're used to organizing the Tour of Switzerland, but the World Championships are a whole different ball game. There's much more politics involved, especially since it's in the city center of Zurich. Organizing a World Championship there is never easy, so that's been our focus so far. The positive aspects and excitement are really starting to come together now."

"It will definitely be a fantastic event," says Senn confidently. "It's in the city, with the Swiss Alps and the beautiful Lake Zurich in the background. Plus, it's centrally located, so top riders and fans from all countries will be able to travel there quite easily. I expect it to be a great cycling celebration," concludes the Swiss organizer with an impressive beard.

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