Jasper Philippsen (Belgium) enters the U23 Road World Championships as one of the favorites to win after a solid start in the World Tour. However, the 21-year-old believes he does not have a significant advantage over most of his U23 rivals, even though he has spent the past year in the top races.

"I'm just starting to work on my form. My last race was in Canada and it was pretty hard. He told Cycling News after training on the Yorkshire course on Thursday.

"Everyone thinks I'm 5-10% better because I race with the pros all year round. It's going to be a high-level race and we need a great day to get a result here."

Philipsen joined the World Tour this year. He started the season with a stage win at the Tour Down Under and was given a free ride by UAE Team Emirates for the entire spring classic campaign. He also made his Tour de France debut, and while other neo-pros have had more dramatic starts to their careers, the rider from Mor is immersed in the upper echelons of the sport.

"I had good and bad experiences, but it was a learning process. I thought I was winning more, but for the most part it was a learning process. Hopefully we can turn that around.

"The team gave me a lot of opportunities. I really appreciate the team for letting me fulfill my potential. It's been a good season."

The 173-km course in Yorkshire will test Philipsen's climbing ability. The Belgian will be looking to survive to the final before launching his sprint. He intends to start the season with a win and end his campaign with the rainbow jersey.

"My biggest weapon is not on the climb. Anything can happen from there."

Cycling News will have complete live coverage of the U23 men's road race.