Dekker expects Evenepoel to give the Belgian press the ‘middle finger’: ‘He's angry, and that really gets him going’

Evenepoel was the top favorite at the start in Montreal, and he and Wout van Aert were the Belgian team’s leaders. But our southern neighbors were far from impressive at the World Championships: Evenepoel finished twelfth after being effectively eliminated early on. The Belgian press was harsh in its assessment afterward: some called it “the biggest disappointment of this decade.”

That’s a tough blow for Evenepoel, who is once again the top favorite heading into the European Championships this Sunday. “Evenepoel is obviously upset,” Dekker says on the Live Slow Ride Fast podcast. “He’s upset with himself, but the media hasn’t exactly made things easy for him either. Everyone in Flanders has an opinion about it. Will a European Championship win make up for it all? In a way, yes, but it wasn’t just a case of falling just short on Sunday.”

"You could just give them the middle finger and say, 'That's good enough for me.'" And according to the Dutchman, he doesn't even need to perform better than he did at the World Championships. “If he’s just as good as he was on Sunday, he definitely has a chance. It’s just 80 kilometers less than last week. And it’s straightforward—it’s five two-kilometer segments he has to focus on. But I think he’ll be better. Because he’s angry. That really fuels him.”

There’s also less competition. The North and South Americans aren’t participating, and many of the European contenders are sitting this race out. The competition comes from riders like Giulio Ciccone, Christian Scaroni, Giulio Pellizzari, Primoz Roglic, Juan Ayuso, and Jan Christen. Evenepoel has nothing to fear from them, says Dekker. “Suppose someone gives you a hard time on that little climb. Where would a Ciccone, having a world-class day, ride off to if you were Evenepoel?”

Still, he names one particularly dangerous rival. After Mads Pedersen’s stunning World Championship performance, Dekker says the Dane has a real shot at the title. He seems to be in top form. “We’ll definitely have to keep an eye on him. His performance on Sunday has given him even more confidence. Now he’s thinking: maybe I’ll become European champion.”