"He can destroy everyone here" - Remco Evenepoel's Mathieu van der Poel warning, backing his sprint and embracing his favourite tag
Cycling
Remco Evenepoel is embracing his favourite tag ahead of Sunday's World Championships elite men's road race. The Belgium leader fronts a list of contenders to take the rainbow jersey in Montreal for the second time.
Already taking a dominant victory in the time trial last weekend, the Red Bull rider opened up on being considered the favourite, Mathieu van der Poel, Paul Seixas' France team and his improving sprint abilities ahead of the big race.
When it comes to him being placed as the favourite by analysts and markets, the 26-year-old admitted that his recent results point to him being the frontrunner.
“Based on the results of my latest races, probably yes,” he said, reports Het Nieuwsblad. “In May it was a different story. Fine, I accept your question. Am I the favourite? I’ll say yes.”
Evenepoel fired a quick warning shot, however, noting that Mathieu van der Poel has a big chance of success, claiming that he can 'destroy' everyone.
Mathieu van der Poel
Evenepoel's MVDP warning
“For me, he has a big chance of winning. We saw that in Zürich as well. On this course I give him more or less the same chance.
“Mathieu is one of the super talents of the sport. On a super day, with golden legs, he can destroy everyone here.”
How can Evenepoel himself take victory? He interestingly hinted at his comfort of arriving in a small group to the line - noting that French leader Paul Seixas holds the pressure to separate himself from the rest.
Acknowledging his teammate Wout van Aert, Evenepoel knows Belgium have two big weapons at their disposal.
“I don’t think so. Both Wout and I can arrive at the finish in a small group. In Wout’s case, it could even be a slightly bigger group.
“If I think about who really needs to arrive alone, I end up with France. Paul Seixas will probably have to do that. So the pressure is on France. We can use that tactically. We definitely don’t have to work all the time.”
Evenepoel expects aggressive France
Passing the responsibility of controlling the race to France, Evenepoel expects the nation to race aggressively from the beginning.
“The French often say at championships that other teams have to make the race hard. Then suddenly they go full gas in the second lap and the race explodes. I expect something similar now.”
“Paul is a great guy and he has a good sprint. But France has to make the race hard to improve his chances. Paul and Isaac Del Toro will not want to take me to the sprint, just like I don’t want to take Van der Poel to the finish.”
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Evenepoel is backing his kick to the line and not getting bogged down in trying to drop his rivals. He hopes that he can find calmness in reading the race when it reaches the final laps.
“My sprint has improved a lot in the last two years. If I can’t drop riders, I can also wait. You saw that in Montréal [GP de Montréal, Ed.]. I had to wait with my group until the finish, but I still won the sprint for fifth place.”
“That makes me calmer in a final. I can read the race a little more from behind. The same applies to Wout.”
Gavin QuinnCycling Journalist
Gavin Quinn is a cycling journalist and ultra-distance cyclist with a BA in Journalism from Dublin City University. Formerly the Press & Communications Officer for Cycling Ireland, Gavin has worked inside the national team at the World Championships and has reported for the Irish Mirror, Mirror UK, and The42.
His expertise is backed by elite-level access, having interviewed stars like Sam Bennett and Ben Healy, as well as immense personal endurance. In 2025, he completed a 12,000km solo cycle from Ireland to Vietnam, following a 4,600km tour across Europe. From the cobbles of Paris-Roubaix to the gradients of the Tourmalet, Gavin’s writing focuses on the "romance and brutality" of the sport. Having visited 50+ countries, he brings a global, cultural perspective to his coverage of the pro peloton for CyclingUpToDate.
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