Men's World Championship time trial predictions and cycling betting tips: Pogacar may have been underestimated by layers

Where to watch the men's world championship time trial

BBC iPlayer and Eurosport 1, 2.45pm Friday

Best bet

Tadej Pogacar
1pt 28-1 bet365

Men's world championship time trial predictions

The combined cycling world championships have been a roaring success and Sunday's elite men's road race was arguably the most thrilling event of the multi-discipline jamboree.

Mathieu van der Poel took the rainbow bands at the weekend after over six hours of relentless attacking and counter-attacking and the Dutch ace goes for double gold in Saturday's cross-country mountain bike race.

He has a far better chance of doubling up in that race than he ever would have had in Friday's elite time trial, which bookmakers believe will be a Belgian showdown.

The Glasgow rain put paid to Remco Evenepoel's chances of retaining the road race title he won in Australia last year - he never looked comfortable when the finishing circuit became wet - but he is favourite to win time-trial gold ahead of compatriot Wout van Aert, who came second in the road race.

They are the undoubted favourites but this is by no means a course any rider can bully, especially as the final 800m are cobbled and at a biting 5.5 per cent gradient.

It may therefore be worth having a small interest on Tadej Pogacar at 28-1. He would likely be nowhere near that price were this a time-trial at the Tour de France and he is no slouch on a TT bike.

He romped home to win his national time-trial championship, admittedly against modest opposition, before this year's Tour, and has won two Tour stages against the clock during his career, one of which was a real power course.

Pogacar came third in the road race on Sunday, so the form is there, and he looks to have been vastly underrated as a legitimate threat.

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