"He will take the title without any problems" - Victor Campenaerts names Stefan Kung favourite for European time-trial Championship

Later this afternoon, we will find out the new European time trial champion. In the absence of the likes of Remco Evenepoel and Wout van Aert, Victor Campenaerts carries the hopes of the Belgians.

"I am convinced that I will ride well," Campenaerts tells HLN, denying the idea of any post-Vuelta a Espana fatigue. "I also think that the most optimal preparation for a time trial is still a specific preparation, but a racing calendar consists of more than just a European Championship. With the right supercompensation, that Vuelta will pay off.”

In terms of his chances of taking the title however, Campenaerts isn't so sure. “Almost non-existent, to be honest," he admits, naming his main challenger. "Stefan Küng rode very well in Spain. He had a bit of bad luck in his preparation: knee pain and Covid just before the Tour. During the Tour and the Olympics he was not at his best because of that. In the Vuelta he was absolutely at his best and that was clearly visible in that last time trial. That victory was anything but a fluke: the difference was big and he reached an incredibly high speed. He will take the title without any problems.”

"I’ve already stood on it (the podium) four times (two wins, one silver and one bronze, ed.) and would like to win another medal," Campenaerts continues. "I’ve explored the course and it certainly suits me — it’s mainly long, straight stretches — but it’s even more of a course for Küng. If there had been a climb like at the World Championships, that would have been a bit more to my advantage. Maybe the Belgians should have offered their own riders a better course (laughs).”

"It's not really a home race — I'm not from Hasselt or Zolder — but it does something to a rider or athlete. I don't know the statistics, but we saw at the Games in Paris that France won a huge number of medals," Campenaerts concludes.