Jarno Widar criticizes favorites role for World Championships but remains in spotlight after new transfer rumors

The Jarno Widar mania that has taken hold in Belgium has been the talk of the town for some time now. The rider himself has repeatedly stated that it somewhat bothers him. Ahead of the U23 road race, which will be held on Friday, the young climber took a moment to highlight the collective strength of the Belgians. He was backed by the national coach, who perhaps expects even more from another team leader.

Widar gave his sober outlook in an interview with Sporza, and in doing so, he’s starting to sound more and more like a seasoned cyclist. "I think the race will be very grueling. We'll only know after the race whether it wasn’t tough enough. Who knows, I might get dropped, and then everyone will say it was tough enough." After his already successful season, the World Championships are a bonus for Widar. He’s not putting extra pressure on himself to aim for a medal.

The young Belgian riding for Lotto Dstny has other things on his mind as well. His contract with the Belgian team runs until the end of 2027, and recent apologies for some harsh comments about his support team seemed to indicate that he intends to honor that contract. However, on Tuesday, HLN introduced a new twist: "Widar has decided that he wants to leave," the Belgian outlet stated firmly. Lidl-Trek and Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe have already made contract offers. "Buying out the contract after just one year as a U23 rider will cost tens of thousands of euros. For these big teams, that’s easy money. The salary figures being thrown at Widar amount to several hundred thousand euros."

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Vanthourenhout is clear: "Also watch out for someone like Lecerf"

At just 18 years old, you can imagine that the U23 World Championships on Saturday will be no easy feat for Widar, who doesn’t want to be cast in the role of favorite at all. "Junior Lecerf and I are more suited for the climbs on Friday. I have nothing to lose, I can only win. If I lose, the world keeps turning. I’ll just get up the next day and focus on other goals. I’m approaching this in a very relaxed way. Anything more than that is just a nice bonus."

So who else should we watch out for? Sven Vanthourenhout, the Belgian coach, has his own opinions. "It’s logical that people look to someone like Junior, who rode the Vuelta. We need to make use of our strength in depth, and then we’ll go far. As a team, we’re particularly strong." Among others, Alec Segaert is also racing for Belgium, who will be up against riders like Isaac Del Toro and Jan Christen in the U23 race.