Remco Evenepoel makes full use of the short time he is given on the World Championship route: 'Remarkable course'

On Friday, Evenepoel held a press conference ahead of the world time trial championship, during which he expressed his frustration over the lack of a reconnaissance run. “It’s frustrating that we only get two hours to scout the course, especially on a route that’s nearly 40 kilometers long. It’s a puzzle, but it’s the same for everyone.”

The Belgian delegation was in position at 9:00 a.m. sharp on Saturday morning. Evenepoel checked in at 9:00 a.m. for his 85-kilometer ride, which—with car-free roads until 11:00 a.m.—took 2 hours and 2 minutes in Montreal. During that time, the Belgian rider completed just under two laps of the 39-kilometer course at an average speed of 42 kilometers per hour.

Afterward, Evenepoel spoke about what he thought of the course. “It looks like a unique course: lots of turns in the first section and lots of straightaways in the second, so it’s going to be very demanding.”

Dutch national team coach Koos Moerenhout spoke about the challenges posed by the course in Montreal, but Evenepoel declined to comment on that. The Belgian is primarily focused on Sunday’s race, where he aims to become world time trial champion for the fourth consecutive time.

"I know what I have to do, so I'm not putting any extra pressure on myself. This is, of course, the most important time trial of the year, but I'm approaching it just like any other race—with the same rituals and the same focus. It's a special race, but it doesn't cause any extra stress," he said.

"Once you have the jersey, of course you’d rather not give it up or let someone else have it. But it’s a fair sport where the strongest rider usually wins. If I don’t win, that’s to the credit of whoever does win, but of course I hope I can keep it,” Evenepoel concluded.