There might be 200 riders on the beginning line in Winterthur on Sunday morning, however the build-up to the elite males’s street race at these Road World Championships has coalesced round two names. Even in a discipline of this depth, it will likely be classed as one thing of a shock if neither Remco Evenepoel nor Tadej Pogačar claims the rainbow jersey on Zurich’s Sechseläutenplatz on Sunday afternoon.
Evenepoel already has some rainbow bands to point out for his Swiss sojourn, having collected a second consecutive time trial title final weekend. Pogačar solely arrived in Switzerland in midweek, and on Thursday night he matter-of-factly famous that the street race can be “a special sport” to the time trial claimed by Evenepoel.
The remark, inevitably, was relayed to Evenepoel when he met the press on Friday morning, with a sizeable contingent squeezing right into a small convention room in Wetzikon for an viewers with the Belgian group. Rather than see it as a provocation, Evenepoel selected to interpret Pogačar’s comment as a easy assertion of truth.
“It’s a special bike, so a special race and likewise extra riders, you are not by yourself… It’s precisely a special sport,” Evenepoel smiled. “We all know what a motorbike race is, so it is nothing new.”
Even so, the Worlds is a motorbike race like no different, an occasion that at all times throws up one thing new or unseen. Pogačar’s report in his nationwide group colors is underwhelming in comparison with his dominance elsewhere, with ‘solely’ – it is all relative – bronze medals from the Tokyo Olympics and final 12 months’s Glasgow Worlds to point out for his efforts to date.
Evenepoel, in contrast, has repeatedly shone within the evocative gentle blue jersey of the Belgian squad, most notably when he soloed to the title in Wollongong two years in the past and, in fact, when he collected two gold medals on the Paris Olympic Games this previous summer time.
On every event, Evenepoel had Wout van Aert for firm within the Belgian squad, along with his rapier pace serving as the proper foil to the youthful man’s blunt power. Van Aert’s absence via harm right here simplifies Belgium’s management hierarchy, however the job of successful this race is definitely extra difficult.
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“Of course, it is at all times higher to have Wout right here, as he proved within the Olympics,” stated Tiesj Benoot, one in every of Belgium’s street captains on Sunday. “In a course like this by no means know what can occur, however for a man like Remco it is at all times good to have a quick man behind.”
Pogačar, in fact, is blessed with better ending pace than Evenepoel, who acknowledged that he can be hard-pressed to outmatch the Slovenian in the event that they have been to make it to the end collectively.
“If there is not any different possibility, I’ll haven’t any selection however to dash with him, however Tadej is a really fast rider,” he stated. “In a 280km race, the dash could be a bit totally different, and if that is the scenario, I’ve to simply accept it.”
Although, because the Tour de France confirmed, Pogačar stays a degree above Evenepoel over three weeks, the Belgian’s one-day report is an imposing one. A sizeable a part of the intrigue of this Worlds stems from how Evenepoel and Pogačar have cut up the final 4 editions of Liège-Bastogne-Liège between them with out ever dealing with off immediately within the finale.
“It’s less than me to agree with that,” Evenepoel stated when requested if he went together with the view that he and Pogačar have been the favourites, although he did acknowledge the burden of policing the race would seemingly fall on their respective groups.
“If I’ve to imagine the newspapers and every little thing, there are two massive favourites, so I believe these two groups should attempt to take management of the race, nevertheless it depends upon the way it develops on the native lap. It’s at all times a particular race, so we have now to be open for a number of race conditions.”
‘I’m right here with Team Belgium, not Team Holland’
Evenepoel and his teammates have been set to carry out a reconnaissance of the 27km ending circuit on Friday morning forward of the under-23 males’s street race on the Road World Championships. However, the time trial world champion was already assured the terrain was higher suited to his abilities than final 12 months’s circuit in Glasgow.
It stays to be seen if the 4,400m of complete climbing will put a title defence past the attain of Evenepoel’s occasional coaching companion Mathieu van der Poel, although the Dutchman’s type seemed to be bettering quickly on the Tour of Luxembourg final week.
“He was probably not good within the final coaching I did with him three weeks in the past, however I believe he improved in Luxembourg and he is additionally a man who is aware of get into peak form in the fitting second,” Evenepoel stated.
“I believe he’ll be prepared, nevertheless it’s additionally clear he is heavier than me and Tadej, so he has to take that weight up in each lap and which may price him.”
Evenepoel dismissed the concept that he and Van der Poel may develop into allies of circumstance towards Pogačar and a Slovenian squad that features Primoz Roglič.
“No, it is fairly easy: I’m right here with Team Belgium, not Team Holland,” Evenepoel stated. “We should race in the best way that is greatest for me, not for Tadej, Hirschi or anyone else. I believe it is fairly clear we’re not making any offers with different groups.”
On that be aware, Evenepoel additionally clarified that he wouldn’t depart Soudal-QuickStep for Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe, regardless of stories in late summer time linking him with a transfer. “I’ll keep the place I’m, that is fairly clear,” he stated. “No transfers.”
Even so, Evenepoel has eyes on sporting a special jersey subsequent season. “I believe I’m nonetheless owed three months within the rainbow jersey as a result of the Worlds have been early final 12 months,” he joked.
While Pogačar seeks to finish biking’s Triple Crown, Evenepoel is near his personal outstanding sweep of Olympic and Worlds medals. He pleaded the fifth when requested if he had already deliberate a victory celebration along with his good friend Van der Poel.
“Maybe,” he grinned. “But I do not wish to get up the beast in Tadej as properly. Although I believe that beast is already awake…”