Slovenia's Pogacar, who narrowly missed out on a third successive Tour de France title this year, held off Belgian Wout van Aert to claim the win in Montreal.

"It was perfect in the end, it was difficult because we know that Wout is one of the best sprinters in the world but this is a tough finish and I believed in myself and I gave it everything and I succeeded. It's incredible," the UAE Team Emirates rider said.

"After the Tour I was not in good shape, I was relaxing and building up to this final part and today was a super good day so I'm really happy and confident to go to the World Championships.

"With the national team, it is always a bit trickier but I’m confident I'm in good shape."

The World Championships take place from September 17th to 25th around Wollongong, a coastal city 80km south of Sydney.