Dylan Teuns excluded from World championships selection: "I am fully aware that there are two leaders"

The announcement of Belgium's national teams for the World championships came early, and within the men's Elite team there was the notable absence of Dylan Teuns, after he has won Flèche Wallone and a hilly stage at the Tour de Romandie earlier this spring.

In conversation with Sporza, Teuns revealed his feelings towards the decision: “The national coach said he had less good news. It came in pretty hard. I wouldn't apply to the necessities of the leaders. That's what I got as an explanation. However, I am fully aware that there are two leaders. And two leaders is more than enough," Teuns said. Wout van Aert and Remco Evenepoel will bethe main figures for the Belgian team in a route that suits perfectly the Jumbo-Visma rider.

"Of course I was prepared to ride for Wout and Remco. I had not taken into account that I would not be selected. I had also read that I was almost certain," he said. “In May, the national coach had called me and then I received confirmation that after a strong spring I was a certitude in the selection. But then I didn't hear anything for three months. Maybe I was too confident about it".

Ever since his strong spring however Teuns has not found his best form. He took a couple of Top10's at the Tour de France, but shortly after he moved to Israel - Premier Tech in a mid-season move so as to help the team keep it's World Tour status. In his three outings however, Teuns has only managed to score eight points at the Bretagne Classic where he finished an anonymous 38th position. His lack of recent form has seen the national team go under a different direction, selecting experienced domestiques and Quinten Hermans as support crew.

"Is something broken with the national coach? He informed me that he was not dissatisfied with my previous selections. So we stay on the same page. Whether I will watch the World Cup? Maybe the last 10 kilometers, but certainly not all day;" he concluded.