Tim Wellens responds to World Championship criticism: 'They're my employer; they pay me'

Tim Wellens has responded to the criticism he has received in his home country for his absence from the World Cycling Championships. The Belgian cyclist, who normally rides for Tadej Pogačar and Isaac del Toro’s UAE Emirates-XRG team, withdrew from the national team after the Tour de France. He responded to this again in an interview with La Dernière Heure.

Wellens skipped the Renewi Tour due to illness, but won the Tour of Britain last week. Nevertheless, the defending 2025 GP Montreal champion will not compete at the World Championships. He told Het Nieuwsblad on Monday: “I have to be honest: I hesitated for a moment. Not because of Serge, but because of messages I received from Remco Evenepoel. Those messages showed that Remco would have liked me to be there. That flattered my ego.”

"But I’m sticking to my decision. Even though I realise it’s an honour and a privilege to race for the national team, I’ve already given my word to UAE. I’ll ride the final races of the season for the team, which coincide with the World Championships. The team has been dealing with a lot of injuries this season and is short on available riders. That’s why I’m stepping in.”

In an interview with La Dernière Heure, Wellens felt compelled to address the issue again. “After the Tour, I honestly thought I wouldn’t be ready for a race of that caliber and that the timeframe would be too short to get back into top form. So my success in the Tour of Britain was a real surprise to me, too, but I stuck to my decision.”

"When I had to pull out of the Renewi Tour in August, I made a sort of agreement with the team management. If I were to skip that race, the GP of Wallonia and the CRO Race would take priority over the World Championships," the Belgian explains.

"I know my decision has been criticised, but I certainly wouldn't have a problem riding for Remco (Evenepoel, ed.) or Wout (van Aert, ed.). But my brand team remains my employer; they pay me. I’ve always been transparent and honest with Serge.”

"And what would my role there have been otherwise?" said Wellens, who is currently in Canada for the GP Quebec & Montreal, despite not racing the World Championships. "Given Tadej’s (Pogacar, ed.) absence, I think I could have helped open up the final stretch. But if he had been there, I would have had to do that much earlier in the race."