“I'm looking forward to it, the Belgian tricolour is a nice jersey" - Van Aert and Evenepoel set to go head-to-head at the Belgian National Championships

The Belgian national championships look like being one of the most hotly contested battles for any national jersey this year. The likes of Wout van Aert and Remco Evenepoel will both be there, among the favourites to take the win.

“I'm looking forward to it, the Belgian tricolour is a nice jersey," the Jumbo-Visma star declares to Het Laatste Nieuws. “I have already worn it a few times and will definitely try to conquer it again.” Evenepoel meanwhile, also has revealed his interest in trying to retain his Belgian time-trial win from 2022. "I can already say that I'll be taking part in San Sebastian and the World Championships.”

At the Tour de Suisse the pair did battle in a time-trial on the final stage of the race with van Aert finishing in fifth, 19 seconds behind second-placed Remco Evenepoel. “At the top of the climb, I wanted to press on, but it was difficult for me. Even without knowing my split times, I already had the feeling that it would not be enough. It went well, but I had hoped to be able to manager things a little better," van Aert said afterwards.

“I always start to win in a time trial, so it's always sobering when you don't win. But I think it is better to wait a while before drawing conclusions about how far behind my competitors I am.”