Michael Rogers assesses where UCI World Championship will be won

That's three-time world champion Michael Rogers' assessment of the course for the men's road race at the UCI World Championships on Sunday.

Roger labelled fellow Canberran Michael Matthews a great chance to become the first world champ crowned on home soil since Italy's Alessandro Ballan won in Varese in 2008.

The 266.9-kilometre course has almost 4000 metres of climbing after starting at Helensburgh, heading once up Mount Keira and then settling in to complete 12 laps of the city loop.

He said a lot of the European and international countries had assumed the course would be a lot easier than actually was.

A main feature of the loop is the double climb that goes up Mount Ousley and Mount Pleasant - parts of which have a 20 per cent gradient.

It's short, sharp and energy sapping and was a climb Rogers felt would "make or break" the eventual world champion - potentially being the launching point for climbers to attack from.

Rogers said the weather would play a big role given the amount of cornering required on the course.

If it's wet, the extra slowing down to avoid crashing would make it an even tougher day.

"It's a real attrition route. You're always 'on the pedals', you're always pushing because it's just so technical the Wollongong loop because of the cornering," Rogers told The Canberra Times.

"I think it becomes a war of attrition. The steep climb out on the back of the circuit is where it's going to be make or break - who has the fitness in those last couple of laps after 250-plus kilometres.

"Their energy stores are starting to be drained. It's definitely a course of attrition."

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While he felt Matthews was a great chance to claim the rainbow jersey, Rogers said Wout van Aert, Tadaj Pogacar and Mathieu van der Poel were the favourites.

But Rogers said with favouritism comes pressure.

He said the Ousley-Pleasant ascent suited a climber like Pogacar and that was where the two-time Tour de France winner could strike.

"I think they do [12] laps up that climb - it has its toll," Rogers said.

"That's where I expect someone like Pogacar, while it's not really the long effort of a mountain pass where you're climbing for an hour, but because it's coming at the end of such a long race the lighter guys, more mountainier, probably have the ball in their court."

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