"I fear we won't see Evenepoel at his very best" - Jan Bakelants suggests Belgium focus on time trial in Kigali

To go two months without a victory, that is quite unusual for Remco Evenepoel and so his triumph at Tour of Britain was already long-time coming. On top of The Tumble, Evenepoel outsprinted everyone in the leading group to secure a victory as well as a second spot overall. This more or less confirms that the Belgian is back in a fairly competitive shape, just in time for the World Championships in two weeks from now.

In his Het Laatse Nieuws column, ex-pro Jan Bakelants wonders if this result changes anything for Evenepoel's rainbow bid, quickly concluding that there are still other men to beat in the road race. "His stage win in Great Britain will be good for Remco, but it doesn't change much about his status for the World Championships at the end of this month. Remco is a contender, but not the top favorite. Everyone knows who that is," he refers to Tadej Pogacar.

The situation is different in the individual time trial where Evenepoel's odds to defend the rainbow stripes are much more optimistic. Especially with the Slovenian phantom skipping the event in favour of Canadian classics.

"Belgium's best chance for World Championship gold lies in the time trial, because I fear we won't see Evenepoel at his very best in the road race," Bakelants analyzes. "His pre-race training was too poor for that. After his illness and the commotion surrounding his transfer, Remco has once again started his preparations behind schedule."

After the Tour abandon during second week, Evenepoel took some time off during which his transfer has been announced. "It did cause some apprehension. At the same time, Tadej Pogacar was able to ride on the euphoria of his Tour victory. That's quite a difference."

Later, the Belgian completed an altitude training camp, before heading to UK. There Evenpoel returned to the race rhythm, but Bakelants suggests it'll be too little - too late. "I feel it's not enough. It doesn't close the gap that existed with Pogacar in the Tour, especially because Great Britain wasn't at WorldTour level."

The man to beat in Kigali is on a whole different level compared to Romain Grégoire after all. "The difference with the field of participants at the World Championships in Rwanda will be enormous."

The analyst still tries to see some ways that could put Pogacar out of the equation, but the Slovenian is probably strong enough to negate any half-baked tactics. Future teammate Primoz Roglic could unintentionally prove vital for such scenario to happen. "Although, theoretically, it could happen that Pogacar finds himself in a situation where he's no longer allowed to race, for example, because Roglic is in a winning position. But I actually think Pogacar is above that: he's too good to be trapped by someone else's tactics."

But Bakelants is sceptical that Roglic, who was nowhere near his best at the Tour de France and ultimately finished 8th, will be in a competitive enough shape to play a decisive role. "You know what I think: that Roglic is actually going to the World Championships because he wants to see Rwanda. Don't be coy about it: it's a great trip for cyclists too."