'Most important thing is they get along well now' – Wout van Aert and Remco Evenepoel lead Belgium at World Championships with communication the key for national coach

Remco Evenepoel and Wout van Aert will lead Belgium's hopes at the upcoming UCI Road World Championships in Montreal, Canada, with national coach Serge Pauwels confirming the six riders who will support them in the elite men's road race on Monday.

Joining the two superstars on the start line on September 27 will be Tiesj Benoot, Quinten Hermans, Thibau Nys, Alec Segaert, Maxim Van Gils, and Gianni Vermeersch, with the latter two being trade teammates of Evenepoel's at Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe.

With Tadej Pogačar (Slovenia) not taking the start as a result of his crash at the Vuelta a España, it leaves Belgium as the likely heavy favourites. Evenepoel is a former champion from 2022 and runner-up last year, and Van Aert twice finished second, in Imola 2020 and Glasgow 2023.

"Pogačar's absence makes a big difference. It is a responsibility we cannot shy away from. In recent years, everyone has always looked to Pogačar, and he determined how the race would unfold," said Pauwels as he spoke at a press conference on Monday, reported by Het Laatste Nieuws.

"Even now, my conversations with Evenepoel and Van Aert were about how we can beat Pogačar. That is now gone, and our leaders fall into the role of favourites. We cannot ignore that, but we don't have to carry the entire race either.

"We have riders who can intelligently help shape the race to our advantage. We are not going to ride at the front for the entire race in a foolish manner."

Belgian teams containing Van Aert and Evenepoel have come unstuck in years gone by, notably at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 and the Leuven World Championships in the same season. But since then, they have proved they can benefit from each other's qualities in pursuit of the biggest results.

Van Aert marked Mathieu van der Poel at the Olympics in Paris, allowing Evenepoel to come back and attack away on the flat en route to a famous solo victory. For Pauwels, communication will be vital to success come the big day in just under three weeks' time.

"The tactics are becoming complex, but I want to see them very clearly. We don't have earpieces, and that makes a big difference. With two leaders who both want to win themselves, the tactics need to be very clear," said the national coach.

"To be honest, I don't think it needs to play a role. The race and the circumstances will determine who becomes the lead rider this time and at what point in the race. It is about making good agreements that they can both agree on, regardless of what happened in the past. The most important thing is that they get along well now, which was still difficult in Leuven.

"I have already had a one-on-one conversation with both of them, but I have to go back to the drawing board after Pogačar's withdrawal. I then have to bring that together into a single plan that they can both agree on and finalize it."

In preparation, Van Aert is currently in red-hot form at the Vuelta a España, winning two stages, leading the green jersey competition, and leading out Matthew Brennan to three victories. Evenepoel will complete his final prep at the GPs Quebec and Montreal this Friday and Sunday.

On the women's side, former two-time World Champion Lotte Kopecky will return to the road race after skipping Rwanda in 2025 due to mental and physical fatigue. She leads a strong Belgian contingent of six riders for the elite RR on Saturday, September 26, with Shari Bossuyt, Lotte Claes, Justine Ghekiere, Julie van de Velde, and Margot Vanpachtenbeke also selected by national coach Ludwig Willems.

Despite her struggles in recent seasons with knee and back injuries and fatigue, Kopecky remains one of the top one-day racers in the world, and won't be underestimated by her rivals. But with all the climbing on the 180km route, even her team aren't calling her the top contender.

"Demi Vollering is the absolute top favorite, but Lotte Kopecky can certainly be placed just below her," said Willems on Monday, also reported by HLN.

Kopecky was recently forced to pull out of the Tour of Britain Women, but that was due to illness and not a longer-term problem. She got back to racing at the Molenbeek-Wersbeek national race on Sunday, where she finished 36th. Her top result from 2026 remains the victory at Milan-San Remo back in March.

It will be intriguing to see what role Kopecky plays at Worlds, against riders who on paper are better suited to the 2,502m of elevation gain and eight laps of the 13.4km punchy Mount Royal circuit.

For the elite time trials on Sunday, September 20, Belgium will have Kopecky and Claes competing in the women's race, and Evenepoel, Segaert, and Rune Herregodts all taking on the men's event.

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