Pointing fingers at Van der Poel, but Evenepoel secretly hopes for "Glasgow peak" and Van Aert for "the best Wout"

On Saturday, Remco Evenepoel and Wout van Aert will line up for the Olympic road race with nothing less than gold on their minds. With Jasper Stuyven and Tiesj Benoot in supporting roles, Matteo Jorgenson’s Team USA has already remarked that it would be "a disgrace" if Belgium doesn’t win. Yet, despite their confidence, the Belgians still point to another top favorite.

The four Olympians sat down for a press moment on Friday, with Evenepoel — following his third place in the Tour and his gold medal in the time trial — naturally being highlighted as the top favorite. He doesn't shy away from that role. "This is my last race before I take a break, so I'm drawing motivation from that. I feel fresh, and last week’s Olympic medal gives me even more drive," Sporza quotes him as saying.

In 2022, Evenepoel claimed the world title in Australia shortly after winning the Vuelta a España, so he wasn't surprised by his strong performance in the time trial. Those legs could come in handy in a 270-kilometer race. "The experience in Australia indeed taught us that I often peak again two weeks after a grand tour. Let’s hope that’s the case again on Saturday. Do I see opportunities? Yes, definitely. Montmartre is far from the only climb. The local circuit has fifteen very challenging kilometers. It’s going to be a true elimination race, especially in these temperatures and at this point in the season."

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Van Aert names Van der Poel as the top favorite

A potential advantage for Belgium: if Evenepoel can’t fully utilize his legs, there's always Van Aert, who could go for a possible sprint finish. "Wout has the choice to either go solo or gamble on his sprint. For me, it has to be a tough race so that I can play all my cards — but won’t many others be counting on that plan as well?" Evenepoel wonders. A sprint finish, he believes, is quite realistic. And Van Aert is ready for it, as he mentioned to Sporza. "The reconnaissance gave me the necessary confirmation. There are explosive climbs that aren’t too long or steep. It’s a well-designed course — not super challenging, but still tough enough to make a difference."

That sounds promising. "I think we need to get as many of our guys as possible into the final. That should be our strength. Then we can start a new race, rather than putting all our eggs in one basket," he muses. They’re also keeping an eye on Mathieu van der Poel. "He’s been my top favorite to win gold here for a year now. When you see how he performs in one-day races, there’s only one favorite. I hope Mads Pedersen and I can come close. Right now, I’m the best version of Wout, yes. It’s hard to predict how strong I would be without the crash (in Dwars door Vlaanderen, ed.). But I’ve made great progress and gained a lot of confidence. I’m starting with ambition and confidence."

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Stuyven and Benoot as luxury helpers for Belgium

In an interview with Het Nieuwsblad, Benoot and Stuyven also shared their thoughts. Stuyven acknowledges that Saturday is unlikely to be his day, though he doesn’t entirely rule out a standout performance. "When you’re only starting with four riders, it’s normal to select only strong competitors who all have the potential to win. But Remco and Wout are the two leaders, and it’s up to Tiesj and me to place them in the best possible position when the time comes."

Benoot, who knows Van Aert well from their time together at Visma | Lease a Bike, is ready for his role as a helper. The medals from the time trial have eased some of the pressure. "For them, the pressure is somewhat off now. It brings a bit more calm to the team. For example, you can see that Wout is a bit more relaxed. But that doesn’t change our ambition for tomorrow. We must and can still aim for that medal."