The 2024 World Championships in Zurich this September is shaping up to be one of the hardest in years, and it will surely bring out the toughest riders to fight for the win. Riders like Tour de France king Tadej Pogacar will go head to head with Remco Evenepoel, fresh off his Olympic victory.

Let's dive into the course, the key riders, and how you can make sure you don't miss any of the action.

A Tough Course Awaits

This year's event comes one year after the Glasgow Super Worlds, where Mathieu van der Poel handled his rivals—and a crash—to pull off a solo win. He's back, but even he admits the course may be a bit too much for him just one year later in Switzerland.

The action runs from September 21 to 29, with the big events—the women's and men's road races—on the final two days. The men's race covers a massive 274km, making it one of the longest races on the calendar, just under the 288km of Milano-Sanremo, which was won by Jasper Philipsen this spring. But this race features a staggering 4470 meters of climbing—about 1000 meters more than Glasgow in 2023.

The course starts northeast of Zurich in Winterthur, with a big loop before heading towards Lake Zurich. Once on the city circuit, a 27km-long loop raced clockwise seven times, the action will unfold. There are two notable climbs: The first is 1.1km long with an average gradient of 8%, topping out at 15%. The second climb, after a brief descent, is slightly longer at 2.3km with an average gradient of 5.7%. Both climbs will provide opportunities for attacks and for the stars to lay down the law.

Tadej Pogacar Races For Triple Crown At Zurich Worlds

The men's race will take place on the final day, Sunday the 29th, while the women's race will be held the day before. The women will start closer to town and cover 154.1 kilometers with 2384 meters of climbing. After a loop of the nearby lake, they’ll reach Zurich for four laps on the 27km circuit.

Weather forecasts are rough at this point, but we can expect temperatures around 20°C (68°F) and a chance of rain, along with some Swiss sunshine.

It's hard to overlook Tadej Pogacar as the outright favorite for the men's race. He won the Giro d'Italia in May and the Tour de France in July. If Pogacar wins the Worlds, he would be only the third rider to take the Triple Crown, joining Eddy Merckx (1974) and Stephen Roche (1987). Judging by his victory in the GP Montreal, he’s back on form after the Tour.

The Worlds come down to how national teams gel and collaborate. These aren’t the usual trade teams like Jumbo-Visma or Movistar—this is Slovenia versus Denmark. Pogacar’s Slovenian team includes none other than Primoz Roglic, fresh off his win in the Vuelta a España. They can work off each other, with my guess being Roglic stirring things up in the final 30km, setting Pogacar up to deliver the final blow.

Top Riders For Zurich Worlds 2024

Hot favorite Remco Evenepoel will have to do without his Belgian teammate Wout van Aert, who crashed in the Vuelta. But Remco has gained experience over the past two years and is more than capable of leading Team Belgium.

The US will go in strong with Matteo Jorgenson, Magnus Sheffield, and Neilson Powless, while Canada will field Mike Woods and Derek Gee. Denmark is always a force at the Worlds: they’ll have their soldiers setting up their snipers—Mads Pedersen, Mattias Skjelmose, and Magnus Cort.

Van der Poel admits he’s not the top favorite after battling hard at the Paris Olympics against Evenepoel. Compared to Glasgow 2023 and Paris, this course is tougher, but he says he'll come in a little lighter to be prepared. Similarly, watch out for Michael Matthews (Australia) and Biniam Girmay (Eritrea).

Racing on home roads, Swiss rider Marc Hirschi is one of the hottest names at the moment, winning the last five races he’s entered, including the Clásica San Sebastián.

Women’s World Championships 2024 Favorites

On the women’s side, Belgium's Lotte Kopecky has a great chance of repeating her 2023 win on this tough course. Australia has a strong duo in Grace Brown and Amanda Spratt, backed by a stacked team.

All eyes will be on US star Kristen Faulkner after her gold medal in Paris. Her team includes Lauren Stephens and Ruth Winder. And of course, keep an eye on Danish star Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig.

Don't Miss The Worlds 2024 Action

FloBikes will show the race live and on-demand for all of our viewers in the US and Canada. Wall-to-wall coverage starts September 21 and continues through the men’s race on the 29th.

Will Pogacar take the title, Van der Poel make magic, or Evenepoel pull off a Paris double? There's a lot at stake, and a lot of drama is expected in the upcoming 2024 World Championships.