Cyclist staffers reveal who they're tipping to claim rainbow jerseys in the three main road races at the 2019 UCI World Championships. Starting with the men’s under-23s, followed by the elite women on Saturday and concluding with the elite men on Sunday, here are our picks for the three road race events at the Yorkshire World Championships.
Cyclist's predictions: The 2019 World Championships road races
Pete Muir, Editor
Under-23 Men: Tom Pidcock– he's on home soil and his cyclocross skills will come in handy when the Yorkshire rain turns the course into a skidpad
Elite Women: Marianne Vos – or one of several other Dutch women. In tough conditions she'll have the beating of compatriots Anna van der Breggen and Annemiek van Vleuten
Elite Men: Julian Alaphilippe – the punchy route will suit him and he'll still be smarting from missing out at the Tour de France
Jack Elton-Walters, Website Editor
Under-23 Men: Tom Pidcock - home roads and he's got the legs and head to justify his status as favourite
Elite Women: Alice Barnes - why not? She'll be expected to ride for Lizzie Deignan so no one will be watching her, giving her the chance to go on a flyer and win the way Chantal Blaak did in 2017
Elite Men: Greg Van Avermaet - I'll eschew the answer most people have probably gone for and say Van Avermaet in a near-copy of his tactics and execution at the 2016 Olympics
Joe Robinson, Web Writer
Under-23 Men: Sergio Higuita of Colombia or Jasper Philipsen of Belgium - both are first-year WorldTour pros, both already have victories at WorldTour level. I can see the pressure getting to Pidcock and one of these guys taking advantage, especially Higuita who is a super strong and punchy climber
Elite Women: Marianne Vos - it's a course designed to suit Lizzie Deignan that just so happens to suit Vos more. She’s back to her best and if she turns into Parliament Street in the lead group, nobody is out sprinting her
Elite Men: Kasper Asgreen or Alexey Lutsenko - mainly because I’ve put money on both these outsiders so I have to back them. Genuinely, if the peloton give Lutsenko any kind of gap, they won’t get him back
Rob Milton, Art Director
Under-23 Men: Tom Pidcock - I'm a cyclocross fan and the conditions suck so…
Elite Women: Marianne Vos - for the same reason…
Elite Men: Mathieu van der Poel - last of three ‘cross riders…
Martin James, Production Editor
Under-23 Men: Jasper Philipsen - Tom Pidcock may be the obvious favourite, but 22-year-old Philipsen from Belgium has impressed greatly in 2019 and the course should suit him too
Elite Women: Marianne Vos - an incredibly strong and experienced rider on the strongest squad. If they decide to ride for her she could be hard to beat
Elite Men: Matteo Trentin - the Italian is in great form after a strong Tour of Britain but won’t be under as intense a spotlight as his Belgian and Dutch counterparts
James Spender, Features Editor
Under-23 Men: Sergio Higuita - the Colombian is one of very few WorldTour riders present and a great climber
Elite Women: Kasia Niewiadoma - part of a strong squad, but unlikely to be let get away. If she can manage it, the course suits her perfectly
Elite Men: Peter Sagan - there’s little pressure on Sagan as he seeks to get a last big win after a somewhat frustrating season. He’ll have the absolute devotion of his teammates too
Joseph Delves, Contributor
Under-23 Men: Tom Pidcock - with Sergio Higuita the most threatening WorldTour rider likey to be knackered from the Vuelta, I’m struggling to name anyone but Pidcock. Plus the home course and conditions will suit him
Elite Women: Coryn Rivera - it’ll probably be one of the eight Dutch riders, but just to be different I’m going with Coryn Rivera. Given Chloe Dygert's emphatic form in the ITT, the Americans will be looking to throw their weight around a bit and Rivera is probably their best bet if it comes to a reduced sprint up the final drag
Elite Men: Julian Alaphilippe - Van der Poel is a great talent, but although the finish of the race will suit a Classics rider, they’ll need to get around 285km and 3,645 metres first. If he’s recovered since the Tour de France, Alaphilippe seems better suited