Remco Evenepoel weighs rivals' World Championship chances: 'Weight can be a disadvantage, but never say never'

Remco Evenepoel has set foot on Canadian soil. The Belgian rider from Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe will compete in the GP Quebec on Friday and, as expected, will also take part in the GP Montreal on Sunday, before working toward his major autumn goals: the World Championship time trial and road races, also in Montreal. Evenepoel spoke at length with HLN .

Between the Clásica San Sebastián and Canada, Evenepoel set out to improve his explosive power. “I now have just over two weeks left to get into top shape for the two World Championships. That will also be my initial goal in the upcoming GP races in Québec and Montréal: to get back to being competitive and reconnect with my absolute best form and feel.”

He hopes to be in “top form” at the World Championships, which will be held this year without Tadej Pogacar. “I think it’s really unfortunate for him. But unfortunately, that’s just part of the game. And it can happen to even the very best. At any moment, your season can suddenly be over. You don’t have to tell me how that feels.”

"Crashes, withdrawals, rehab, inactivity... I’ve faced more than my fair share of these myself in the past. In 2020, just like him, I was in top form; I won almost every race I entered. But after my crash in Lombardy, it was suddenly over. I missed the World Championships in Imola, and the field was wide open for other riders. That’s exactly what Tadej is facing now,” Evenepoel says.

"The fact is that with Tadej in the mix, everyone rides more defensively and just tries to stay with the pack. Now we’ll have to take a little more control of the race ourselves," Evenepoel told HLN, offering a Belgian perspective on the World Championships. “It won’t be easy or straightforward. We’ll have to devise new, crystal-clear tactics.”

With Wout van Aert, Belgium obviously still has another key player. “We’ve raced in quite a few World Championships together by now—and with success. Given the current situation, I think it’s also a logical tactic. After all, Wout has already won a lot of major races. It’s also always easier and safer for a country to have two leaders.”

When asked, Evenepoel discusses the chances of Van Aert and Mathieu van der Poel at the World Championships. “After all, these are climbs lasting four to five minutes each. That’s longer than the purely ‘Flemish classic’ efforts of one to two minutes on, say, the Oude Kwaremont or the Paterberg. And the gradient does reach eight percent. That’s when you start thinking more in terms of Ardennes riders.”

"But it's a World Championship, at the end of a grueling season," he continues. "In those circumstances, your legs might not perform the way you hope they will. Cycling has also evolved to the point where even punchers can climb very hard for five minutes these days. Their weight can be a disadvantage. But on a great day—and, again, without Pogacar in the mix—you never know...”