"I read somewhere that I withdrew from nomination, but that is not true" - Widar left out of World Championships without a word
CyclingMonday, 14 September 2026 at 09:00
Jarno Widar's debut Grand Tour came to a successful wrap. The 20-year-old showed much of his potential throughout the three weeks, including a second place in Andorra stage against the main GC contenders, and a 4th in breakaway one week later. That sweet victory was not meant for Widar just yet, but with it seems to be more of a matter of time when Widar gets to raise his hands in celebration during a Grand Tour stage. His next stop? Not the World Championships...
Gold medallist from last year's very challenging European Championships course in Ardeche, Widar has already proven that he has the necessary qualities to become a top-tier Classics rider in the future. However Belgian national coach Serge Pauwels prefers to postpone Widar's debut in elite races for when he is "more ready", leaving Widar out of his 2026 nomination for both races.
"I read somewhere that I withdrew from the World Championships, but that is not true," Widar clarifies in Het Nieuwsblad, clearing up a misunderstanding.
Poor communication
Widar himself believes ready to play an important role in the support crew of big favourite Remco Evenepoel, even deep into the race. "But it is the national coach who made the decision," he resigns himself to the matter.
The national coach had apparently told Widar during the Vuelta a Burgos (one month ago) that they would discuss the nomination during Vuelta, when the response of Widar's body to the three-week race is known, but Pauwels ultimately never reached out to Widar again, leaving the young rider in the dark.
Until the press finally brought the answers Widar hoped to hear first from Pauwels himself. "I eventually read in the press that he thought it was still a year too early, because 'positioning plays a big role' in Canada."
Widar found it a poor excuse. According to him, positioning is a matter of respect, and the Belgians will certainly receive that from the other countries with their leaders at the World Championships. "If I have to sit there, I will sit there."
Jarno Widar and Lars Craps crosses the line on Stage 14 of the 2026 Vuelta a Espana
The European Championships course in Slovenia might suit Widar even a little better, but the 20-year-old did not make the selection there either. "It was reported that I withdrew from both," he says.
Without either World Championships in Canada, nor European Championships in Slovenia on his agenda, Widar has the room to customize his schedule for the last part of this season, highlighting the Italian one-day races.
Ondrej ZhasilCycling Journalist
Ondřej Zhasil is a cycling journalist at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2023. He is based in Ostrava, the third-largest city in the Czech Republic, and covers professional cycling across the main UCI competitions, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España. A key focus of his work is startlist analysis and pre-race coverage, where he examines team selections, rider line-ups, and tactical scenarios ahead of major events.
Alongside WorldTour coverage, Ondřej has developed specific expertise in junior cycling and in racing across East Asia, including competitions in China and Japan. He also maintains a broad working knowledge of other disciplines and levels, including cyclocross, while continuing to expand his understanding of mountain bike racing.
Ondřej holds a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and Physics, which supports his analytical, data-driven approach to performance and race analysis. In his reporting, he regularly uses ProCyclingStats for results, statistics, and historical context. He places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available.
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- I'm sorry to see him go. We need people who shake things up or things never change. This reminds me of how the UCI treated Graeme Obree (google the name younngsters) back in the day.Cyclingsbestfan14-09-2026
- It is good news for cycling fans, but I doubt that the many peoples of the world that are put upon will even know about it.Cyclingsbestfan14-09-2026
- At least we saw a great race in Montreal, not like the boring Vuelta. Who cares if Mas or Roglič or Gall or anyone else won this boring Vuelta. I see comments on this site, after Pogi crashed, went down at least 25%. Pogi haters and other fools on this site won't admit it. While they celebrated Pogi's crash and saying the Vuelta was "exciting again," the reality is that the second and third weeks of the Vuelta attracted far fewer viewers. David Bavin-HobbsIn on PRO CYCLING: "A cycling world that has been dominated for years by Pogačar and UAE Emirates-XRG—and in a world where people talk about the sport being “boring,” “monotonous,” and “unexciting”—the Slovenian’s withdrawal provided a very enlightening insight. For although Pogacar had the Vuelta firmly in his grasp, far more people were watching when he was in the race versus after his departure. The statistics website Procyclingstats shared a rather bizarre graph showing the sharp drop in visitor numbers since Pogacar was forced to withdraw. In recent years, there had always been an increase in unique visitors during the first and second weeks of the Vuelta. However, Pogacar’s withdrawal resulted in a 15 percent drop."PogiSloFans14-09-2026
- Loved the kit Movistar put together, too, that has to be one of the best GT winning kits I’ve seen.anonymouscyclist14-09-2026
- Somehow Seixas went to sleep just as Del Toro launched his sprint. Seixas says he's still learning, and he won't make that mistake again. And Remco still beat Pidcock in the sprint for fifth after burning too many matches. Should be a great Worlds race indeed!Hills3314-09-2026
- Agreed. The stages for GC races have become shorter over time and the riders are fueled significantly better, while the gear has become lighter and more efficient both in terms of aerodynamics and power transfer - which all means riders are arriving to race finales and/or pinch points with more speed and more energy than ever before. People designing these routes need to take that into account, or - accept that the huge sums of money involved in winning races means that teams no longer want to risk it all on some needlessly dangerous corner purely to satisfy the blood-sport purists out there who seems to think cycling should be rolling UFCwrsty14-09-2026
- I thought this team was on the decline.mij14-09-2026
- No rider is losing "credibility" over this. It's a sprint stage, not a GC stage. Very often, a sprint stage is effectively neutralized at 5 km, sometimes 3 km. The lap was a bit more at 10 km--not a big deal. And, the lap was not chosen for the specific distance. Practically, that way, the GC would finish at the same finish line, simplifying the timekeeping and logistics. Cycling is changing/has to change. The speeds are too high on courses too rough. Assymetrically, the rewards, salaries, and demands to win so high, losses to crashes have ruined riders and their teams full seasons. Too many great riders taking one or two years to return to top form. The violence of the sport the machismo these "analysts" pretend and want to amp up is what cost the sport its credibility as sport. Cycling can't be just blood and guts.JM14-09-2026
- Loved this edition. So exciting, so interesting. Loved the scenery, the riders, the whole thing. I watched every day.wrsty14-09-2026
- no-one holding his number i noticewrsty14-09-2026
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