"If he tries that, it could end badly" - Belgian coach doesn't believe Tadej Pogacar will try 100-kilometer attack at Europeans

The European Championships course, as was the case with the World Championships, is well suited to the climbers and as the same two men as main favourites for both. Remco Evenepoel has the backing of coach Serge Pauwels, who believes the tactics will be different and that a long-range attack as in Kigali by Pogacar is unlikely to reap success.

"The Faun-Ardèche Classic runs on a similar course with the same climbs, and in recent years, you've seen names like Romain Gregoire and Juan Ayuso win," Pauwels argued in words to Het Nieuwsblad. "Those are also the names you can expect on Sunday, alongside Tadej Pogacar and Remco, of course, but also Jonas Vingegaard".

It is a very difficult course he has reiterated many times, and one that doesn't allow for much room to surprise taking into consideration how much difference can be made in the finale. "I don't see more than ten riders in total who are in contention for the win".

However those who are the prime candidates for the medals are not a surprise. Besides Evenepoel, the former pro names the obvious outliers that will be in contention for the win: "In the Tour, you saw how Vingegaard and Pogacar always attacked on such climbs. This course suits their abilities perfectly".

"Kigali was especially grueling but this is even more designed for climbers. For me, this is one of the toughest courses ever for an international championship, tougher than Kigali for sure," he beleives.

"There you had Mount Kigali and the conditions, but in terms of elevation gain, this is much tougher. The race is only 200 kilometers long, and yet we face over 3,000 meters of elevation gain, almost all of which is in the last 150 kilometers."

However this is a race where attacks have to be timed more carefully, as a lot of the climbing comes in the 7-kilometer long ascent to Saint Romain de Lerps and in the final circuit there is the short climb to Val d'Enfer but also a lot of flat roads inbetween climbs.

"After the long climb, there's a significant intermediate section towards the Val d'Enfer. If he tries that, it could end badly," Pauwels argues, although in reality most kilometers are downhill and the real danger comes between the climbs in the circuit.

"Besides, with the Val d'Enfer, there are plenty of opportunities in the final stages. But of course, Remco is far from without a chance. This race is incredibly similar to Liège-Bastogne-Liège, and that's by far the classic that suits Remco best."