Belgian World Championship team does not want to focus on Van der Poel and Pogacar: "Starting from own strength"

What a wonderful duel could be on Sunday in Zurich, where the road races of the World cycling championships take place. Among the elite men, everyone is hoping for a battle between defending champion Mathieu van der Poel, Tadej Pogacar, and Remco Evenepoel. The latter previously took the gold medal in the time trial, but what will the Belgian strategy be during Sunday's 273-kilometer race?

National coach Sven Vanthourenhout answered Het Laatste Nieuws. "It's a race course that you shouldn't underestimate, but certainly don't overestimate either," said the retiring coach. "It's a World Championship course we haven't seen often in recent years. A solid altitude profile without many turns. Here, you can pedal long, constant wattages and end up with many riders who are potential winners."

Evenepoel could achieve almost the impossible in Switzerland: double the Olympic and world championships. "Remco has progressed to a rider who doesn't have to ride away at 70 or 80 kilometers from the line. He has also honed in on other things. Remco can also count 100 percent on his team."

"However, I don't have a plan- Pogacar or -Van der Poel," clarified Vanthourenhout, who emphasized that the Belgian team ultimately starts from its strength. "I know how we want to ride on Sunday, but that is a plan to win the race. Tadej and Mathieu will be tough guys, but forging a plan against some riders is very dangerous. That many riders will play along will only make the race more interesting. So we will, just like at the Games, rely on our own strength. Again, we have a collectively strong team here, which gives us confidence."