Tour of Britain winner Wellens even got a call from Evenepoel about World Championships refusal: 'That flattered my ego'

Tim Wellens won the Tour of Britain on Sunday. The Belgian rider from UAE Emirates-XRG is clearly in top form and would be an ideal choice for the national team at the World Cycling Championships. But it seems like we won’t be seeing him in action in Canada. Wellens, who previously won the GP Montreal in 2015, is stepping up to help his team out.

Wellens dominated the Tour of Britain on Saturday and cemented his lead in the final stage, which was won on Sunday by his teammate Nils Politt. “It was a fantastic week, not just for me, but for the whole team. We came here for the general classification, and we also managed to secure this stage victory. So it was perfect.”

"To be honest, we just wanted to defend the leader's jersey today. We didn't want to attack, we didn't want to ride a hard race—we just wanted to ride defensively," said Wellens. "Then, suddenly in the wind, Netcompany INEOS started riding hard. We just followed; a gap opened up, and then we tried to set the pace with Mikkel Bjerg."

"But because the wind was so strong, the group broke up again when Mikkel set the pace, and we brought the entire team to the front. We can say that we won today mainly thanks to Mikkel, who opened up the gap," said Wellens, who was in awe as he rode in the slipstream of his teammates.

"I can't say this has ever happened before, but it was pretty impressive. I still have a lot of great races ahead of me, but first we're going to celebrate this one. I'm happy to be able to take the trophy home," said Wellens.

Wellens does not count the World Cycling Championships among those “great races”, as he withdrew from the event after speaking with national team coach Serge Pauwels.

Wellens explained his decision to Het Nieuwsblad: “I have to be honest: I hesitated for a moment. Not because of Serge (Pauwels, ed.), 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 nonetheless.”

"Even though I realise it’s an honor and a privilege to race for the national team, I’ve already given my word to UAE," says Welllens. "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."