On Tuesday morning, Mathieu van der Poel and Wout van Aert set off to Canada ahead of this Sunday's World Championships road race in Montreal, with the eternal rivals expected to play major roles in the race for the rainbow jersey.
Fresh off the back of his ridiculous 174km solo stage win at the Tour de Luxembourg, 2023 world champion Van der Poel has been gaining momentum as a top favourite, even with the brutally hard course, with the win to be decided over 273.2km and 12 laps of the Mount Royal circuit.
The Dutchman arrived at Brussels Airport early alongside his partner Roxanne, refreshed and ready ahead of the big event on September 27.
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"Have I recovered from my 175km solo? Absolutely, I am happy that I was able to finish on a positive note. I realise that I probably won't be able to do this a second time," Van der Poel told Sporza and VTM, still playing down any suggestion that he is the top contender.
"I don't think that solo in Luxembourg changes my status much. I don't think I'm the top favourite, rather one of the outsiders. If I am the top favourite, I never hide, but there are riders with a better chance on this course than me. But of course, there are opportunities."
With 3,800m of elevation gain, Van der Poel is at a disadvantage compared to the likes of Remco Evenepoel, Isaac del Toro, and Paul Seixas. However, on his best day, he can produce the types of performances which could bring him a second elite road rainbow jersey.
And with national teams and no race radios, the unpredictability of the race could play perfectly into the Dutchman's hands; it's safe to say no one would want to be heading into a final sprint with Van der Poel present, so getting rid of him early will be paramount.
“Nothing is impossible. A World Championship is always a special race," he said. "There are no earpieces; it is an open race, and the racing often starts from a long way off. I am looking forward to it.”
After his Belgian teammates Thibau Nys and Gianni Vermeersch had already checked in, Van Aert arrived late to the check-in desks, but with enough time to spare before the morning flight. The road race will be his first race since a successful Vuelta a España campaign, where he won two stages, the green jersey, and the supercombativity prize, as well as assisting Matt Brennan to five victories.
He's missed Worlds the past two seasons, but alongside Evenepoel, should co-lead the Belgians as favourites for the victory. Van Aert's last appearance saw him finish second in Glasgow, as Van der Poel won solo in the rain.
Questions have been raised over how the long-haul travel and jet lag may affect the two superstars, with Het Laatste Nieuws analyst Jan Bakelants saying: "It is by no means an advantage to leave so late. I understand that Wout wanted to be home for a while after all those weeks away, and I understand that Mathieu preferred to race in Luxembourg, but I am afraid the jet lag is still lingering in their bodies."
But according to Kris Van der Mieren, a sports physician for Team Belgium out in Canada, the timing shouldn't be an issue when it comes to acclimatisation.
"We are talking about top athletes here. And all studies show that they recover from such jet lag much faster," Van der Mieren told Het Nieuwsblad.
"You’re not talking about one day per hour, but rather one day per hour and a half or two. So no one needs to worry: perhaps some will have somewhat weak legs for the first few days, but someone like Van Aert will be fully adjusted by Sunday."
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