Belgium in chaos - Federation forces riders to race the nationals; Evenepoel and many more Tour de France figures look for ways out

The national championships take place this week and in one country, where cycling is holy, controversy is brewing as happens every year. The Belgian Cycling Federation forces every - healthy - rider to race the road race nationals, even if they do not plan to. Remco Evenepoel is the clear headliner example, but the truth is that dozens of riders look to evade this weekend's race as it serves no purpose in their calendar, and there is no clear understanding between the parties.

This Thursday, the riders will take on the time trial event in Etikhove and later on this Sunday the road race will light up the Belgian roads. But who will be at the start? On paper, every healthy rider that races professionally in the country. This should not include figures such as Wout Van Aert or Tim Rex for example, as both Visma riders have been recently injured and are recovering from their issues.

As had been previously explained, in Belgium it is then mandatory to compete. However, the course does not offer chances to many riders, whilst others simply have quite different ideas for their personal schedule.

Evenepoel is the main example, as his schedule for the Tour de France is tailor-made and adjusted almost by each day. The Olympic Champion has already removed the Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes from his schedule in order to have the ideal run-up to the Tour, and flying to Belgium for the race was not in his plans. But his - reasonable - hopes of not taking part are shared by many other riders. And the issues lies there.

For others, the race even comes at a risk. 12 months ago, Evenepoel raced the nationals and crashed during the race, suffering a fractured rib that affected him with only days leading up to the Tour de France. This injury was only made public after the start of the race.

Riders have to provide valid and legal medical permits to the federation so as to justify their absence. “We have already read here and there that rider A or B will not be starting. But as long as we don't receive anything ourselves, we assume that those involved will simply be there on Sunday, Massimo van Lancker - Belgian Cycling's director of sport - said to Het Laatste Nieuws.

The grey area is real, and is not an unknown for the organizers. But is it possible to stop it? “We are the last to question a doctor's certificate. Assuming that it was issued in good faith. We will not unleash a witch hunt, but on the other hand, we do not intend to allow exceptions either. Riders must indeed be in compliance.”

According to the Belgian news outlet Evenepoel's situation is far from unique. There are several instances of riders that will not be participating in the race, including Netcompany INEOS' Laurens de Plus who is preparing for the Tour de France; Lotto-Intermarché's Milan Menten; And a number of riders at Soudal - Quick-Step: William Lecerf Junior, Laurenz Rex, Warre Vangeluwe and Louis Vervaeke. The reasons are not clear, and neither is their absence official as the riders do ultimately face the risk of suspension if an appropriate justification is not provided.