If a World Championships takes place in the desert and nobody is around to see it, has the World Championships really taken place? There are certainly few vestiges of the event evident in downtown Doha, and the paucity of local interest allied to the distinct absence of spectators has led many to note that this week in Qatar scarcely has the feel of a World Championships at all.
Reigning champion Peter Sagan, however, is not concerned by the prospect of racing before an empty theatre in the main event on Sunday. But then, as befits a rider whose every pedal stroke seems to lend itself to a gif or YouTube video, Sagan is more aware than most that these days, the audience is often to be found elsewhere.
"We are in the 21st century, everybody has television," Sagan shrugged. "They can watch on television."
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The Velon brains trust would doubtless have appreciated the sentiment. Romantics such as Marc Madiot – who, it must be said, is a very vocal admirer of Sagan's riding – certainly would not. So it goes.
Sagan's sense of showmanship extended to telling reporters after his victory at the European Championships last month that he might consider skipping the Worlds altogether due to fatigue, even though all and sundry knew that the Slovak was never going to forgo the chance to defend his title.
He did, however, make a point of arriving in Qatar later than almost any other contender for the rainbow jersey, only landing in Doha on Thursday, more than a week after the first riders had reached the Gulf.
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