The fact stands: Belgium’s squad for Sunday’s World Championships in Montreal includes three riders from the same team, Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe: Maxim Van Gils, Remco Evenepoel and Gianni Vermeersch.
Van Gils was keen to make clear this is not a clan. “We are certainly not going to form a Red Bull clan within the squad, I can assure you. I believe I have the qualities to be present deep into the finale and support our two leaders: Remco and Wout,” he told DH Les Sports+. He adds he has more automatic understanding with Evenepoel, while saying he is entirely willing to ride for van Aert too.
Van Gils knows both camps, having raced against Evenepoel for years before becoming his teammate. “Having been his rival for several years in the past, I can assure you it is far better to be his teammate. He is not the easiest rider in the bunch, given how hard he fights for his leader’s interests,” he says.
He set the Tour de France as his target to get back to his level, staying in regular contact with national coach Serge Pauwels about the Worlds.
Van Gils also notes that in every race he has ridden alongside Evenepoel since the start of the year, Majorca, the Tour, San Sebastián and the Grand Prix de Montréal, Evenepoel has raised his arms. Vermeersch, he says, will play a positioning role for the two Belgian leaders. The Worlds circuit measures 13.4 kilometres, over the Mont-Royal.
Three jerseys from the same team inside one national jersey: it is not written anywhere that this is forbidden, and it is not written anywhere that this is a clan. I checked the list, name by name.
The circuit measures 13.4 kilometres, the Mont-Royal does not change height for anyone. I note the distance, I do not note the understanding between riders.
Verdict: compliant. I do not note who has more automatic understanding with whom, nor how many times arms have gone up since Majorca.
It’s true, we checked: DH Les Sports+.
