Belgian Cycling has announced their lineup for the UCI Road World Championships in Australia, with Wout van Aert (Jumbo-Visma) and Lotte Kopecky (SD Worx) headlining the men's and women's squads for the road races in Wollongong next month.
Van Aert is set to be among the favourites for the rainbow jersey in the men's race, which will take in a hilly 266.9km course south of Sydney. He took silver at the 2020 Worlds in Imola, but the Belgian men haven't won a road world title since Philippe Gilbert in 2012.
Meanwhile, no Belgian woman has won a road world title since Nicole van den Broeck in 1973. Kopecky, who this year won Strade Bianche and the Tour of Flanders, hopes to change that on the 164.3km women's course.
Van Aert will be able to rely on a strong support squad in Australia, with current Vuelta a España leader Remco Evenepoel (QuickStep-AlphaVinyl) heading up the rest of the eight-man men's team. He and Van Aert had a public falling-out after last year's Worlds, with Evenepoel going in the early break, later suggesting he had the legs to win, and then skipping the post-race debrief.
Jasper Stuyven (Trek-Segafredo) and Quinten Hermans (Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert) are among the other notable names, while Stan Dewulf (AG2R Citroën), Nathan Van Hooydonck (Jumbo-Visma) and QuickStep-AlphaVinyl duo Yves Lampaert and Pieter Serry round out the selection.
"This is very clearly a team that is completely dependent on Van Aert and Evenepoel," national coach Sven Vanthourenhout told Het Nieuwsblad. "I only had one question in mind: who can support them in the best possible way at the World Championships? Some of them can also get to the front of the game in certain scenarios and possibly finish it.
"Both are on the same level," Vanthourenhout said of Van Aert and Evenepoel. "They are aware of that. If they want to become world champions, they will have to find each other anyway.
"But for me it's a perfectly compatible duo, given their qualities. One has a better sprint, the other a better solo. I assume they know each other and each other's qualities well enough to know how to deal with that."
One rider who will feel aggrieved in having missed the cut is La Flèche Wallonne champion Dylan Teuns (Israel-Premier Tech). The 30-year-old took to Twitter after the squad was announced, saying, "Very, very disappointed to be left out the selection for Wollongong 2022. Best of luck to the ones who were selected."
Vanthourenhout said that he had to make a hard choice to leave Teuns out, adding that he considered the idea of putting him on the reserve list "inferior" to a rider of Teuns' quality.
"Dylan is a fantastic rider, one that many other countries would probably like to have in their team, but there are still good Belgians who unfortunately have to stay at home. I told Dylan that too. Clear and concrete.
"I would have considered [a reserve spot] inferior to him. You don't put a rider with his qualities on a reserve list."
Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Deceuninck), Greg Van Avermaet (AG2R Citroën), Dries Van Gestel (TotalEnergies) and Louis Vervaeke (QuickStep-AlphaVinyl) make up the men's reserve list.
In the women's team, meanwhile, Kopecky will be able to rely on Plantur-Pura trio Julie de Wilde, Julie Van de Velde and Justine Ghekiere as well as Valerie Demey (Liv-Xstra) and Jessie Vandenbulcke (Le Col-Wahoo) in her quest for the rainbow jersey.
"The Tour was not a pleasant experience for her and that raised doubts," Vanthourenhout said of Kopecky. "Fortunately, she was able to finish well after the European Championships in Munich, where she took two track gold medals. That has done her good.
"First she will ride the Ceratizit Challenge. Then we will already know more. But we won't put any pressure on her," he added, noting that Kopecky will ride the time trial at her own request – "as an incentive towards the Worlds road race."
Evenepoel will be seeking to upgrade on Belgium's three silvers and two bronzes in the past four Worlds time trials. The 22-year-old has a silver and bronze on his palmarès and makes Belgium's TT selection alongside Lampaert. Kopecky and Van de Velde make up the two-woman time trial team.
In the mixed team relay, it will be up to Hermans, Serry, Van Hooydonck, Demey, De Wilde, and Vandenbulcke as Belgium look to upgrade on their seventh place on home ground in Brugge last year.
Belgium squad for UCI Road World Championships
Elite men's road race
Wout van Aert, Remco Evenepoel, Jasper Stuyven, Quinten Hermans, Stan Dewulf, Nathan Van Hooydonck, Yves Lampaert, Pieter Serry
Elite women's road race
Lotte Kopecky, Julie de Wilde, Julie Van de Velde, Justine Ghekiere, Valerie Demey, Jessie Vandenbulcke
Elite men's time trial
Remco Evenepoel, Yves Lampaert
Elite women's time trial
Lotte Kopecky, Julie Van de Velde
Elite mixed team relay
Quinten Hermans, Pieter Serry, Nathan Van Hooydonck, Valerie Demey, Julie De Wilde, Jessie Vandenbulcke
U23 men's road race
Jenno Berckmoes, Vito Braet, Dries De Pooter, Alec Segaert, Fabio Van den Bossche, Lennert Van Eetvelt
U23 men's time trial
Alex Segaert, Lennert Van Eetvelt
Junior men's road race
Duarte Marivoet Scholiers, Maxence Place, Sente Sentjens, Vlad Van Mechelen, Jens Verbrugghe
Junior women's road race
Febe Jooris, Jade Linthoudt, Fleur Moors, Xaydee Van Sinaey
Junior men's time trial
Duarte Marivoet Scholiers, Jens Verbrugghe
Junior women's time trial
Febe Jooris, Xaydee Van Sinaey
