“His absence makes a big difference”: Belgium national coach admits World Championship plans have drastically changed after Pogacar’s withdrawal

Serge Pauwels had already begun preparing for one of the biggest tactical challenges of the World Championships in Montréal: finding a way for Belgium to beat Tadej Pogacar. However, with the Slovenian now ruled out after his Vuelta a España crash, those plans have had to be reconsidered. More importantly, Belgium enters the race as one of the teams expected to take responsibility for controlling the action.

Pogacar’s absence changes the way the entire race is likely to be ridden. The Slovenian’s ability to dictate the pace, force selections and attack from distance would have shaped the tactics of every major nation. Without him, Belgium’s position at the front of the hierarchy becomes considerably more prominent.

Pauwels had already started preparing his two main leaders, Wout van Aert and Remco Evenepoel, for the specific challenge posed by Pogacar.

The Belgian national coach revealed that he had discussed possible race scenarios with both riders several weeks ago, asking them to imagine how they could overcome the Slovenian.

“It’s very clear. His absence makes a big difference,” Pauwels explained in words gathered by RTBF. “To be completely honest, I had already started the individual conversations with Wout and Remco a few weeks ago. I asked them this question: ‘What is the ideal scenario for you in which you can beat Pogacar?’ Because that is always the key question.”

That question is no longer relevant in quite the same way. Pogacar will not be on the start line in Montréal following the injuries sustained in his Vuelta crash, meaning Belgium must now approach the race from a very different position.

“It immediately changes the dynamics of the race,” Pauwels said. “Our responsibility as the Belgian team will be completely different. We cannot run away from that responsibility now. We have to be smart, but we cannot run away from the responsibility and take control of the race in the first phase of the World Championships.”

That does not necessarily mean Belgium intends to spend the entire race at the front of the peloton. Pauwels has previously stressed that the team must use its strength intelligently and will not just take control of the race from the first kilometer. The absence of Pogacar, however, means other nations will inevitably look toward Belgium when the race begins to take shape.

For Van Aert and Evenepoel, that pressure is familiar, and Pauwels believes that experience will be crucial. “They are already used to winning races as favorites,” he said. “So it will not be a surprise for them to have to carry that responsibility.”

Belgium also has an important advantage in that its two principal leaders know how to race together. Van Aert and Evenepoel have previously demonstrated that their different strengths can complement one another when the stakes are highest.

Their collaboration worked particularly well at the 2022 World Championships in Wollongong, where Evenepoel ultimately launched the decisive attack to win the rainbow jersey while Van Aert played an important supporting role and finished in fourth place.

Two years later in Paris, the pair again operated effectively within the Belgian strategy, although the Olympic road race ultimately went to Evenepoel.