Race analysis, favourites, and predictions for UCI Road World Championships ME - IRR 2019

Although he can never be discarded, it seems unlikely that Alejandro Valverde (1200) will be able to revalidate the world champion title obtained a year ago in Innsbruck, as this year's route seems to be ideal for other rider’s profile. Peter Sagan (1200), Greg Van Avermaet (1200), Michael Matthews (1200), Julian Alaphilippe (1200), Daryl Impey (1000), Oliver Naesen (800), Philip Gilbert (800), Magnus Cort Nielsen (600) and , above all, Matthieu Van Der Poel (400) seem to be the most likely options if a selected sprint is reached. In case of a massive sprint, Alexander Kristoff (1200), Pascal Ackermann (1200), Michael Morkov (600) and Fernando Gaviria (1000) should be added to this list of favorites. Other riders who can run for the jackpot with a distant attack may be Tim Wellens (1000), Alexei Lutsenko (800), Davide Formolo (800), Alberto Bettiol (600) or Remco Evenepoel (400). The World Championship looks more open than ever, as everyone will play his cards to get the rainbow jersey for the next twelve months.