Van Aert shows (just like Evenepoel) grit for road race, but mainly hopes for secret weapon in Olympic time trial

They must reap together at the Paris Olympics, starting Friday. Remco Evenepoel and Wout van Aert were both standout performers in the recent Tour de France, which concluded in Nice. Now, the two men must head to Paris together. On Tuesday, they trained extensively and then flew together to the French capital on Wednesday. A press conference followed on Thursday.

Van Aert and Evenepoel are strong medal contenders in both the road race and the time trial. On the undulating but not overly challenging course, they should be able to dismantle the competition and make the race difficult with the help of teammates Jasper Stuyven and Tiesj Benoot. Therefore, the Belgians must be at their best. In Nice, where Van Aert and Evenepoel stayed for a few extra days after the Tour de France, they trained hard, moving through the week like Siamese twins.

"A water bottle and a bridge too few," remarked Van Aert about the hot conditions around the French coastal city. Evenepoel wryly commented: "NICE training ride," followed by a smiley that looks quite hot. Well, they are tired. But the next goal awaits! So the training had better resume. Kudos, men! Van Aert powered through a solid sixty kilometers, while Evenepoel outdid this, covering 75 kilometers in the hills around Nice.

Evenepoel had a very strong debut in the Tour de France. He won a stage, took the white jersey, and finished third on the podium. Van Aert, especially after a second consecutive Tour de France without a stage win, will be hoping for a bit of sporting revenge in Paris. It has been a while since the all-rounder from Herentals raised his arms in victory. He is now aiming for ultimate success in a challenging year, starting with the time trial on Saturday. "My experience tells me that it’s better to prepare one hundred percent for a time trial. That doesn't mean others will necessarily finish ahead of us, but riding the Olympic time trial on the Saturday after the Tour is not straightforward."

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Van Aert had already stated last winter that the Tour de France would not be the ideal preparation for the Olympic time trial. However, after his crash in Dwars door Vlaanderen, he couldn't avoid riding the Tour. Evenepoel agrees that riders like Joshua Tarling, Filippo Ganna, and Luke Plapp, who have had solid preparation, have an advantage in the time trial. "We are fortunate that the course is not too technical," he remarked. But he also added, "You always have to look at the complete picture. I have raced full throttle for three weeks. For example, Küng skipped the last Alpine weekend, while Wout and I raced. If I am beaten fairly, then so be it, but of course, we both want to win a medal. Preferably the top two."

That’s promising, especially on what Van Aert calls a "super fast course." "I was surprised by the state of the road surface. It wasn't everywhere as you would expect for such a major event," he noted critically. Evenepoel confirmed this: "The road is really bad at the beginning and the end, with potholes that you don't really see because of all the painted crosswalks and bus lanes. We had already expected that it wouldn't be all asphalt in such a big city, though for the most part, it's good."

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In a conversation with VTM, Van Aert added some cautious remarks: "I wouldn’t count myself among the medal contenders. We have to be honest that in the last two years, some time trialists have performed stronger. I can do better and hope to ride the best possible time trial on Saturday. Then I hope to come close, to ride a time trial that I can be proud of. I would have liked to prepare better for this time trial; that was the plan. But my crash in Dwars door Vlaanderen changed everything a bit. As a result, I didn't have the Giro in my legs, and it was important to do the Tour. That might be bad for the time trial but possibly very good for the road race. I think I will be very good next week."

Evenepoel hopes for good legs but finds it difficult to predict if they will be there. If they are, the competition better be ready. "I need to see if I can keep up the big gears and maintain my pacing. I have proven that I can beat anyone in the time trial, but I need to feel my legs. After the Tour, I have a lot of morale and motivation, so winning a medal would be great. And if you can win a medal, you can also win." For this reason, Van Aert hopes for a bit of advantage from the weather gods. With little wind, he could ride with two disc wheels, as he tested on Thursday. "I hope I can ride with them on Saturday."