Observation. A rider declines a national team selection for an elite men’s road race. A pundit, on the programme « Dans le peloton », on RTL Sports, states: « I think he is totally disconnected from reality. You must always remain loyal to your country. His arguments do not hold up: even against Pogačar, Belgium is in an ideal situation with two leaders in form. Later on, he will realise it was a mistake. »
The rider answers after the Grand Prix de Wallonie, in remarks reported by Het Nieuwsblad: « I was quite shocked by Phil’s statement. I am going to send him a message to find out exactly why he used those words. » He adds that he prefers Tom Boonen’s approach, « who often takes a more positive stance ».
First. I read my folder again. A selection is a list, published by a federation. A list is accepted or refused, and a refusal is notified. Second. I look for the word loyalty in the table of contents. It is not there. There is sock height, there is the position of the hands on the bars, there is the time cut. There is no column for the nation. Third. I note that neither of the two men is racing at the moment he speaks, which places them outside my remit.
On the verifiable facts, the file is complete. Gilbert is 44, he was world champion in Valkenburg in 2012, he was Wellens’ team-mate at Lotto, and the two rode three World Championships together, in 2014, 2017 and 2018. Wellens has ridden six in all. His best memory, he says, remains helping Wout van Aert to the silver medal in 2020.
That leaves the question of the deadline, the only one that is really hers. A message is announced, no time is given. Wellens is due to start the CRO Race on the Tuesday; it finishes the following Sunday, the day of the elite men’s road race in Montreal.
Verdict: compliant. The rulebook does not provide for loyalty, it provides for a classification, and there is no classification for a conversation. What I do not note is what two former team-mates have to say to each other. It is not in the column.
It’s true, we checked: L'Avenir.
