Remco Evenepoel has already arrived in Canada for the World Championships: 'I am here with ambitions'

After the Tour de France, Remco Evenepoel has shifted his focus. The Belgian rider from Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe will be aiming for two world titles in Canada—both in the time trial and the road race. The world champion from Wollongong has now arrived in Canada for the one-day races, which serve as the perfect preparation for those crucial days in the fall.

Evenepoel reached new heights in the Tour de France, winning two stages and finishing second in the general classification. It was a new career highlight for the 26-year-old Belgian, but he kept going for a while longer. He won the Clásica de San Sebastián on August 1, after which he disappeared from the racing scene. He had now truly begun his preparations for the World Cycling Championships.

It will take place in Montreal, Canada. Tadej Pogačar was the top favourite to claim his third consecutive world title, but the Slovenian rider from UAE Team Emirates-XRG suffered a hard crash in the Vuelta a España. Due to multiple fractures, will have to watch from the sidelines as his rivals battle for the rainbow jersey he so coveted. For Evenepoel, Pogačar’s withdrawal is by no means a disadvantage.

He has now arrived in Canada, more than two weeks before the battle for the world road title. “To be honest, I haven’t really thought about the race yet,” he told Sporza and others upon his arrival. “I’m mostly just happy to be here. It’s been a long time—the last time I was here was in 2019. We have three important weeks ahead of us, but for now, I feel good."

While others have chosen the Vuelta a España as preparation for the World Championships, the “Bullet from Schepdaal” sees the Canadian one-day races as the best stepping stone. It will help with jet lag, but the course of the GP Montréal is also virtually identical to that of the World Championships road race. Evenepoel hasn’t raced there often: 2019 was his first and only time, and he finished 55th.

This time, we can expect much more from the Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe team leader, even though winning the WorldTour race isn’t his main goal at all. “For me, this is clearly preparation for the world championships. These are my first races since San Sebastián. Of course, I’m here with ambitions, but the most important thing for me is to be ready in two or three weeks.”