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For the first time in Africa, the professional World Championships will be held on a tough and spectacular course. Tadej Pogačar, Remco Evenepoel, and Thomas Pidcock are among the top favorites.

World cycling is writing a new page in its history. On Sunday, September 28th, the Men's Elite Road World Championships will be held for the first time on the African continent, on the hilly streets of Kigali, the capital of Rwanda. This epochal event marks a decades-anticipated cultural and sporting transition, testing the world's best riders on a course as new as it is challenging.

The road race is 267.5 kilometers long and features a total elevation gain of over 5,400 meters. After an initial on-road section, the riders will tackle a 15.1 km street circuit, to be repeated several times. The route features short but explosive climbs, alternating asphalt and cobblestone sections, and numerous restarts that promise to be a race to the finish.

Among the main difficulties are the Mur de Kigali (Kwa Mutwe), a short and very steep cobbled section destined to become the symbol of this edition, the Côte de Kigali Golf, with regular gradients of around 8%, and the Côte de Kimihurura, another cobbled section, longer but equally selective.

Making everything even more difficult will be the altitude: the race will constantly be held between 1,400 and 1,600 meters above sea level, a factor not to be underestimated, especially for those who are not accustomed to competing at altitude.

The route seems tailor-made for explosive, stamina-driven riders capable of attacking from afar. The clear favorite remains Tadej Pogačar: the Slovenian has repeatedly demonstrated his ability to tame the toughest one-day races, and Kigali's profile is a perfect match for his abilities.

Challenging him for the title will be Remco Evenepoel, already world champion in 2022 and coming off a brilliant season. Also watch out for Thomas Pidcock, who could use the tough race to land one of his finishing moves, and Richard Carapaz, one of the few accustomed to regularly racing at altitude.

Among the outsiders are names such as Isaac Del Toro, Tom Pidcock, Ben Healy and Giulio Ciccone, but much will depend on the conduct of the match and the work of the national teams.

The women's race, scheduled for Saturday 27 September over the distance of 165 km, will see Demi Vollering, Pauline Ferrand Prevot, Kasia Niewiadoma, Marlen Reusser and Elisa Longo Borghini among the favourites at the start.

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