The Belgians
Belgian riders wherever they race, the Belgian teams, the national championships and the black-yellow-red jersey at the Worlds: the national team of a country that only has one a few days a year, and has been waiting fifty years for the next Merckx.
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Van Aert says the lights went out, Sandrine goes looking for the fuse
Wout van Aert finished 28th at the elite men’s road race world championship, raced over 270 km in Montreal and won solo by American Brandon McNulty. Remco Evenepoel came home 12th, 25…
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Lefevere wants an egoless domestique for the Worlds, Rik knows the role
In his column for Het Nieuwsblad, Patrick Lefevere argues that Alec Segaert is not the right rider to control the first 112 kilometres of the Montreal Worlds, because he is “too good…
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Evenepoel in room 226, Van Aert in 221: Myriam notes the numbers, no comment
At the Hotel Mortagne, Remco Evenepoel shares room 226 with Maxim Van Gils, Wout van Aert room 221 with Tiesj Benoot. Team manager Serge Pauwels takes both leaders into Sunday’s road race…
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Belgium to write on bidons in Montreal, Xavier already has his time on his
With no earpieces or radios allowed at the Montreal world championships, the Belgian squad will communicate on Sunday through stickers on the bidons, and perhaps chalkboards. Wout van Aert confirmed the plan…
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Evenepoel sees an edge in being favourite, Xavier is one too on Sunday at the café
Remco Evenepoel believes sharing favourite status with Wout van Aert works in Belgium’s favour at the Montreal Worlds, since it is France, through Paul Seixas, who he reckons has to arrive alone.…
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Belgium will write its race orders on bidons, Myriam checks the delivery
With earpieces and radio contact banned at the world championships, Belgian Cycling will print messages on its riders’ bidons on Sunday, handed out lap by lap in the feed zones known as…
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Vermeersch dreams of a chip shop, Sandrine asks what temperature the oil runs at
Gianni Vermeersch, the Belgian rider for Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe and a former gravel world champion, would rather open a chip shop after his career than become a sports director or a commentator. He…
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Seixas sees Belgium as favourites with two leaders, Rik counts the bidons
Frenchman Paul Seixas sees Belgium as the big favourite for the men’s World Championship, thanks to its two leaders Wout van Aert and Remco Evenepoel. French national coach Thomas Voeckler answers that…
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Merckx recalls Thévenet’s 1974 breakaway, Rik knows how it ends
Eddy Merckx told RTBF that in 1974 in Montreal, France’s Bernard Thévenet rode alone off the front for a hundred kilometres before being caught seven kilometres from the line, the year Merckx…
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Belgium will ride Sunday’s Worlds without race radio, Xavier never had one either
Tiesj Benoot, 32, will be Belgium’s road captain on Sunday in Montreal, for his eighth World Championships appearance. He says the team will race the road race without race radios.
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Three Red Bull-BORA riders in Belgium’s squad, Myriam checks no quota is exceeded
Belgium’s squad for Sunday’s World Championships in Montreal includes three Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe riders: Maxim Van Gils, Remco Evenepoel and Gianni Vermeersch. Van Gils denies forming a clan and says he is ready…
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Evenepoel hands out places before the time trial, Myriam fills in nothing before the finish
The world championship time trial takes place on Sunday in Montreal, over 39.2 flat kilometres, the same distance for women and men. Four Belgians are on the start list, and their places…