Evenepoel and Van Aert will lead Belgium at the Montreal World Cup

Belgium will arrive at the exit of the Montreal World Championship, September 27, with two leaders, Remco Evenepoel and Wout van Aertwhose “roles will be clear and well defined,” as coach Serge Pauwels announced on Monday.

Like the Frenchman Paul Seixas, the Danish Mads Pedersen or the Dutchman Mathieu van der Poel, the two Belgians will be serious candidates for the rainbow jersey in the absence of the current two-time champion Tadej Pogačar, who ended his season after suffering a fall in the Vuelta a España at the end of August.

Serge Pauwels is shown “satisfied with Wout van Aert’s form”, winner of two stages and current wearer of the green jersey in the Vuelta a España. “The way he is performing now, the timing of the World Cup is perfect. He just needs to not get sick and avoid injuries; then he will be ready,” the coach told the RTBF website.

As to Evenepoel, second in the last Tour de France and who is currently training at altitude, “we know that When he can be in his ‘habitat’, with his family and at altitude, he returns to the competition very strong“said Pauwels, who thus faces a “luxury problem” by having two candidates for the title. “It is up to me, the team and them to manage the situation and communicate well,” said the former cyclist. “The plan must also be very, very clear. “They have to know when they can attack, when they should wait or when we are going to make any move.”

Before the casualties of Ilan Van Wilder and Tim Wellens, who gave up traveling to Canada, the two Belgian stars will have the support of Alec Segaert, Quinten Hermans, Thibau Nys, Gianni Vermeersch, Tiesj Benoot and Maxim van Gils on the demanding Mount Royal circuit (with a positive elevation gain of 3,700 meters). Evenepoel will also compete in the time trial with the ambition of achieving the time trial double, he had declared in August after his victory in the San Sebastián classic.