Cyclist Kaden Hopkins has experienced a heady mix of emotions as the days count down to the UCI World Championships in Zurich this weekend.

Hopkins has aged out of the under-23 division and for the first time will be competing at elite level against the likes of Tadej Pogacar, a three-times Tour de France winner, and reigning world and Olympic champion Remco Evenepoel.

That would be enough to tremble the knees of even the strongest rider but the young Bermudian is determined to give it his best shot alongside fellow Bermudian Conor White in the 46 kilometre time-trial on Sunday.

“This is not only the biggest event I’m going to do this year but the biggest I’m probably ever going to do,” Hopkins said.

“It’s a big stage with the best riders in the world and I don’t think I can comprehend the step up in class at the minute with this being my first time at this level.

“It’s exciting but it can also be a bit intimidating. At the Commonwealth Games there were a lot of amazing riders there but the World Championships is a different beast. It’s literally the best guys in the world and I know it will be the hardest thing I’ve ever done.

“It will probably be more humbling than an ego boost but I’m ready for it and I’m interested to see where I stand among these guys. I’m excited to test myself although I’m a bit in awe.”

Hopkins has done his homework in the build-up to the time-trial, scouring the internet for clues on the course but he is under no illusions as to the task he faces.

“Conor and I have looked at the guys that are racing who we have raced against before and of the people we’ve raced regularly the best is the Colombian Walter Vargas,” Hopkins said.

“Last year in this event he finished 30th, so a top-30 finish would be pretty great.

“ I’ve known the course and have been able to research it on Google Maps and Street View for a year already. I haven’t ridden it, but I know a lot of the course based off doing my homework.

“It’s a very balanced course, there are long sections of flat and there are sections of climbing. Sometimes you will go to an event and it will be completely flat such as the Pan Am Games last year. On courses like that it suits the really big riders and sometimes you get a course with too much climbing and it suits a full-blown climber but I think this one will be one I’m going to like.”

Hopkins had a slow start to the season but recently won the green jersey in the Tour of Guadeloupe, so he heads into the event on a high.

“I’ve had a bit of a rough season and in the first part of it I had a lot of crashes and sickness,” Hopkins said.

“But around the time of the Pan Am Championships [Brazil in May], I started to feel better on the bike and avoid those setbacks. I feel like I’m definitely in the best shape of the season and maybe my best shape ever

“Normally I don’t target the classifications but from around day six or seven it became a target. I lost it two days before the end of the race and my objective was to get it back. I managed to do that the day after and I just went into the last stage thinking it would be super special to win and the stage worked out perfectly and I managed to do it.”

The Bermuda team of Hopkins, White and Nicholas Narraway, who races in the under-23 time-trial on Monday, must cope without the presence of Peter Dunne, the Bermuda Bicycle Association president who usually acts as team manager but who is away at a conference in his other role as Bermuda Olympic Association president.

“All of us riders understand that Peter is ridiculously busy and busier than probably anyone ever understands,” Hopkins said.

“When he told us he wasn’t coming obviously we were disappointed but we know it can happen as Peter has a lot on his plate. It would have been special for him to be here and we wish he were, but I’ve been to World Championships in the past with Dave Collins and we also have Che’quan Richardson, so we’re definitely going to have enough support.