Belgian coach knows Evenepoel and Van Aert had off days leading up to the World Championships: 'He had to dig deep'
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Follow us on GoogleWhile Remco Evenepoel impressed in the Canadian one-day races, Wout van Aert won two stages in the Vuelta a España. The two stars will be the team leaders for the Belgian squad at the World Championships in Montreal. Serge Pauwels, Belgium’s national team coach, is looking forward to the road race with confidence.
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Because Van Aert and Evenepoel are riding exceptionally well. “I’m certainly a happy man,” Pauwels told Sporza. “We’ve known for a while now that our two team leaders are riding well. Evenepoel won the GP Québec, but a few days later he didn’t perform as well in Montréal. With Evenepoel, we had to wait and see after his break from competition following the Clásica de San Sebastián, but he won right away in Quebec and finished fifth yesterday—after what he himself described as a slightly off day.”
Evenepoel and Van Aert's Worlds prep hasn't been all smooth sailing
So we really need to look at Evenepoel’s “off day” in a different light. “That fifth-place finish needs some context. He’s just returned from altitude training and always has a bit less punch in the days that follow. In Quebec, he was very strong, but he had to dig deep. Montreal followed barely 48 hours later. He immediately sensed he was having a slightly off day, but still managed to finish fifth.”
Van Aert won twice in Spain, but also suffered a setback in the final stage, where he was the favourite. Pauwels isn’t worried about that either. “He’ll be ready within two weeks, because riders like that usually hit another peak in form in the week or two following a Grand Tour. That works out perfectly for him, just as it does for Thibau Nys and Gianni Vermeersch, who will round out our roster in Canada in nine days.”
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Pauwels will prep Evenepoel and Van Aert separately
So it will still be a while before Pauwels has his full roster in Canada, and before he finalises his entire plan. “I have an idea, but I’m not going to reveal it just yet. Once I’m in Canada on Wednesday, I’ll finalise the details with Evenepoel, and then I’ll share it with the riders well in advance so they can get the plan in their heads.”
Next up is Van Aert. “Wout is coming on Tuesday, so we’ll still have 5–6 days before the World Championships. That’s plenty of time to put our heads together.”
That will certainly be necessary. “The World Championships are raced without earpieces, so there’s little room for adjustments during the race. The riders will have to anticipate the changing conditions during the race.”
Team Belgium know who their biggest challengers are
Who are the Belgians’ biggest challengers? “I think Del Toro and Seixas are the biggest competitors. Pidcock is also in top form. And then there’s Mathieu van der Poel. There’s still a bit more of a question mark surrounding his form. He’ll be riding the Tour of Luxembourg. But you always have to keep him in mind. If he makes the trip to Canada, it’s not just to pad out the peloton.”
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Bram van der PloegEditor-in-chief
Bram van der Ploeg (35) is the proud founder of In de Leiderstrui, IDL Pro Cycling's parent site, launched in 2018. Finally, he could create stories about the sport he had followed since childhood. He is the editor-in-chief on paper, but prefers to be with his recorder next to a rider, a team bus, or in the mud at a cyclocross race. Every year, from February to the end of May, Bram follows the entire Italian cycling season, from the Trofeo Laigueglia to the Giro d'Italia, with the grand finale in October in Lombardy. During that time, he lives in Tuscany, where he has since come to call Italy his 'home'.
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