Cyclist Kaden Hopkins is promising to be aggressive in the elite men’s World Championships Road Race in Zurich on Sunday.

Hopkins, who was selected as the island’s representative after cycling’s governing body granted the island just one spot in the event, is targeting some television time by picking the right time to break away from the sport’s big hitters.

“In this race it will be a big goal to try to get in the breakaway because the more time you can be out ahead of the best guys the better,” Hopkins said.

“I know that sounds counter-intuitive because when you are in a breakaway there are less guys and you have to take on more of the workload but it definitely levels out the effort you’re making and takes out the big accelerations, so getting out ahead and letting them kick off behind and have them come up to you is better than having to respond to these guys.

“Realistically I’m not at the level to respond to the best guys, the favourites, so if I can be out ahead and have the race come to me that will definitely be better for me.”

Hopkins finished 32nd in the time-trial last weekend and has spent the last week preparing for his latest big challenge.

“It’s not hard to make the transition from a time-trial head space into a road-race head space but you definitely approach it in quite a different way,” he said.

“In the time-trial from the start you go to your limit, but in a road race it’s basically trying to respond to other people. Instead of it being all about me it’s about everybody else.”

With the road race taking place on a tough course of 273.9 kilometres and an accumulated elevation of 4,470 metres just a week after the time-trial, it would be easy to think Hopkins had taken time off the bike to allow his legs to recover, but he insists that fatigue is an essential part of being a big-race rider.

TRAINING

“I had a few hard sessions between the time-trial and road race because you can de-train quite quickly in cycling and it’s honestly better, when your body is used to having fatigue throughout the season, to be going into big races like these having some fatigue in the legs.

“If you go in too fresh you can feel way off from your normal self so I did a few training rides and some big days on the bike. It wasn’t crazy strenuous and not to improve my shape but to maintain what I already have.”