Individual time trial at the World Cycling Championships: The favourites check with Jens Voigt

Olympic champion Primoz Roglic skips the World Cycling Championships in Australia. Wout Van Aert, who recently finished second twice in the World Championships in the battle against the clock, is concentrating entirely on the road race in Wollongong. In year one after the retirement of Tony Martin, the Germans have no medal candidate in their ranks.

*** Ethan Hayter (24 years old, Great Britain)

World Championship Eight 2021

On his 24th birthday, the young Briton is my outsider tip among the favourites for the World Cycling Championships. He has already been British champion twice in the individual time trial. Among other things, he has won the current Hourly world record holder Dan Bigham clearly beaten. And one must not forget: Bigham advises Hayter and Ganna on aerodynamic issues as a member of the Ineos Grenadiers team.

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We just had Bigham on our podcast (Voigt does a cycling podcast with former team-mate and friend Bobby Julich - title: "BobbyandJens"; editor's note). I averaged 413 watts for my world hour record at 51 km/h. Bigham told us that he only needed 355 watts of average power for his 55.548 km/h. He said that with his knowledge and equipment and my body, we would have ridden 60! He said that with his knowledge and equipment and my body, we would have ridden 60! So the engineer Bigham is a key to the successes of Hayter and Ganna.

*** Stefan Bissegger (23 years old, Switzerland)

World Cup seventh in 2021; European champion in 2022

I think Stefan Bissegger is a candidate for third place at the World Cycling Championships. At the moment, I think he's a tad better than his compatriot Stefan Küng. If he hadn't crashed, he would have finished third in the opening time trial of the Tour de France raced for victory. I think he is a bit more robust than his compatriot Stefan Küng and can therefore be considered stronger in the World Championships.

• The time trial bikes from Ganna & Küng
• Time trials in the team car at the European Championships

But if I were writing a book about cycling, I would use a photo of Küng to show how to ride a time trial bike properly - very aesthetically pleasing! Both Swiss riders are pure specialists - Swiss movements, but no sand should get into their gears.

**** Tadej Pogacar (24 years old, Slovenia)

One stage win each in the individual time trial at the Tour de France 2020 and 2021

We haven't seen the Slovenian for a while in the summer, but he will be good at the World Cycling Championships. The form is right, as his Victory in the GP Montreal one-day race a week before the World Championships. In addition, Pogacar has shown several times that he is also competitive in training. Compared to Ganna or the Swiss Stefan Küng (both 1.93 metres tall; editor's note), he is such a small greyhound who can time trial very well, even in unpleasant winds.

**** Remco Evenepoel (22 years old, Belgium)

World Cup runner-up 2019; World Cup third place 2021

I was actually expecting a duel between the reigning king Filippo Ganna and Remco Evenepoel at the World Cycling Championships. But after the announcement of the world record attempt for me, Ganna is a step above the Belgian. But he's in such a flow at the moment, after Vuelta and won there in the Individual time trial also clearly distanced Olympic champion Primoz Roglic. The performance in Spain was impressive for me.

***** Filippo Ganna (26 years old, Italy)

World champion 2020 and 2021, third in the 2019 World Cup

The defending champion is my top favourite for this World Cycling Championships. What characterises him is that he doesn't fail in the big moments - similar to Fabian Cancellara (2016 Olympic champion, four-time world champion in the individual time trial; editor's note). He has had a long season - his team Ineos Grenadiers wants him to be on form in the classics in the spring and to win another world championship medal in the individual time trial in the autumn.

However, there are indications that he is feeling in very good shape: "Two days before the race at the World Cycling Championships, I was on Twitter I read that he is now attacking the world hour record after all - on 8 October on the track in Grenchen (Switzerland). You don't beat the current record of 55.548 km/h in passing - he would have managed that three days in a row with my mark (Voigt set a world record of 51.115 km/h in 2014; editor's note).