Wout Van Aert, Tadej Pogachar, Marc Hirschi, and Julien Alaphilippe used the Tour de France to prepare for the 2020 UCI Road World Championships in Imola, Italy, while Michael Woods, via Tirreno Adriatico and hopes that with special training, he will be able to target the world title.

"I think not having Tour de France experience is a bit of a disadvantage. I think the Tour de France was my best preparation for the world championships, but I did my best to prepare," Woods told Cycling News as he prepared to travel from Spain to Italy for the elite men's road race on Sunday.

"I had good preparation in Tirreno-Adriatico and I'm feeling confident and strong. I think I can aim for the podium. It might be difficult to win, but a podium is possible."

"Since Tirreno-Adriatico, I spent some time at home in Andorra and trained hard with the guys in Girona. My coach, Paulo Saldanha, gave me a specific training plan.

Woods will lead a four-man Canadian team that includes Guillaume Boivin, Alexander Catalford, and Ugo Uhl. Woods changed from his EF Pro Cycling pink to a Canadian baby blue kit with Maple Leaf.

He finished third at the 2018 World Championships in Innsbruck, Austria. He was strong enough to be part of the three-rider selection for the final steep climb of the year, but was cramped in the sprint and fell behind Alejandro Valverde and Romain Bardet.

He hopes for inspiration in Innsbruck at Imola.

"Innsbruck gave me a lot of confidence. Innsbruck gave me a lot of confidence. His victory in Milan-Torino last year, his run in Liège-Bastogne-Liège, and his recent run in Tirreno-Adriatico showed me that if I am in great shape and give it my all on the steep climbs, I have as much chance as anyone."

Woods is pleased to have two steep climbs on the 28.8 km Imola circuit. He will train on the Imola circuit for the first time on Friday morning, and the race should be as selective as the Ardennes Classic.

"Some of my Canadian teammates are already at Imola and said it's super hard and challenging. That's right up my alley."

The route is clearly suited to the likes of Van Aert (Belgium), Pogachar (Slovenia), Hirschi (Switzerland), and Alaphilippe (France). The Belgian's multi-skills and excellent form in 2020 make him especially hard to beat.

"It's hard to think of a way to beat Wout Van Aert. He was super strong in Strade Bianche and he was strong in the Tour de France," Woods said with quiet admiration.

"It's hard to figure out how to drop him on the 2km climb and how to outprint a guy who can do 1,400 watts for 10 seconds at the end of Milan-San Remo.

"He holds all the cards. I can't imagine him losing, but cycling is a tricky sport and you never know what can happen to him or the others.

Rain is forecast for Sunday. Rain could help Fan Art and even hinder his rivals. Woods is hoping for better weather than Harrogate, which suffered from torrential rain in Yorkshire a year ago and failed to finish the race.

"I hope it's not a repeat of Yorkshire. We went into that race light, but we suffered from the cold and the rain. I hope it warms up and if it rains, it will stop soon. Also, this year we want to be more careful about how we refuel and keep warm."

Whatever happens in Imola, the World Championships are just the beginning of Woods' late season with EF Pro Cycling before he moves to the Israeli Startup Nation with Chris Froome in 2021.

"It's nonstop from here on out," Woods said. 'We fly to Belgium on Sunday at 9 p.m., then on Wednesday we ride La Flèche Wallonne and then Liège-Bastogne-Liège. After that we have the Vuelta a España," he said.