Yves Lampaert questions whether Evenepoel is enough of a 'true specialist' for the World Championship time trial
CyclingFriday, 18 September 2026 at 23:55
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Follow us on GoogleRemco Evenepoel is aiming for a unique achievement this Sunday at the World Time Trial Championships. The Belgian could join Tony Martin and Fabian Cancellara with four world titles, but no one has ever done it four years in a row. He is the clear favourite, but his compatriot Yves Lampaert is keeping an eye on several formidable challengers. That fourth rainbow jersey won’t come easily.
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Evenepoel became world time trial champion in 2023, 2024, and 2025. While the first two years were still close contests, he won gold in Kigali by more than a minute. Even third-place finisher Tadej Pogačar was overtaken by the unstoppable Belgian. Lampert told Het Nieuwsblad, however, that there will be more competition this year.
Lampaert is backing another time trial specialist in Montréal
According to him, Filippo Ganna is the biggest challenger. The Italian finished second in 2023 and 2024. In the latter year, the margin was just six seconds. “Ganna is basically the only one who stands a chance of giving Remco a run for his money. Remco remains the top favorite, but we certainly shouldn’t be surprised if Ganna manages to throw a wrench in the works after all. It’s a fairly flat time trial, so the course favors Ganna more than it does Remco.”
It’s not just the lack of elevation gain that works in favor of the long-distance sprinter from Netcompany INEOS. “It’s also quite technical, with sections that have a lot of turns, and although Remco has become very good at cornering, Ganna is a true specialist in that area. In the Tour of Britain, Ganna showed that he’s in good form. But again: Remco remains the clear favorite.”
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Lampaert sees a course for specialists: 'It reminds me of Hoole'
According to Lampaert, Ganna and Evenepoel are the top favourites, but he’s also keeping an eye on Stefan Küng. The Swiss rider essentially missed the entire spring season.
“As a result, he’s a bit fresher than other riders right now, and that could make a difference at the end of the season. He won the time trial in the Vuelta, so he’ll be lining up at the start of the World Championships with a lot of confidence. The course really suits him, too, so I’m convinced he’ll be a contender.”
As for other contenders, Lampaert is looking within his own team, Soudal Quick-Step. Ethan Hayter nearly won the opening time trial of the Vuelta a España. It was a short time trial, but his Belgian teammate warns: “He won the British time trial championship this year by a margin of a minute and a half, and that was a time trial of nearly forty kilometers.”
Ethan Hayter could pull off a big surprise
Lampi is therefore on the lookout for a complete surprise. “It’s also typical of Hayter to pull off a top performance out of nowhere. He has days when he dominates the race, but also days when things just aren’t going his way. He’s already finished fourth in a World Championship time trial and has been fairly consistent in time trials this year, so he could put up a good result in Montréal.”
He also singles out a Dutch rider: Daan Hoole. “I think that on this course, you really have to look at the taller riders, and that makes me think of Hoole, who’s 1.98 meters tall. So far this year, he hasn’t had any standout performances in the time trial, even though he surprised everyone last year at the Giro with his time trial victory. In any case, he’s a step below Ganna and Küng.”
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Tom van der Salm (27) comes from the charming town of Zeilberg (Deurne) in the Netherlands and has been working as editor-in-chief & journalist at IDL Pro Cycling's parent site, In de Leiderstrui, since 2019. He travels with the peloton from the Tour de France to the AlUla Tour and from the World Championships in Rwanda or Canada to the Zilvermeercross in Mol. In his spare time he enjoys playing football, mountain biking, running, walking with his Labrador/Stabyhoun, investing, holidays, (specialty) beers, reading, cooking and watching sports & documentaries!
Contact: [email protected]
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Latest Comments
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- - Bit sceptical tbh. Saying “prioritise the track” feels like a convenient excuse when your best recent Worlds result is on the road. If you want results, back the athletes. This policy almost incentivises selfish racing.samanthak18-09-2026
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