"In my head there are seven" - Belgian coach on fight for Olympic position alongside Remco Evenepoel and Wout van Aert

With teams for the Olympic Games road race being limited to four men, selection is proving a very difficult task for Belgian national coach Sven Vanthourenhout, especially as two names pick themselves.

"It is a luxury that we have two of that calibre," says Vanthourenhout, referencing the two stars of Belgian cycling, Remco Evenepoel and Wout van Aert. "I always want to have someone with me who you can count on 200% in all circumstances. Then I am not talking resolutely about a winner, but about a rider who is ready from kilometre zero to be able to assess, absorb or rectify any situation."

With just two further picks allowed and a wealth of talent to choose from, Vanthourenhout has a big choice in who joins the two gold medal hopefuls. "In my head there are seven," the coach says of riders in contention. "I'm not going to judge Arnaud De Lie for his poor spring. I would have liked to see him and Jasper Philipsen in a classic like Flanders, to see what they are like in classic finals above 250 kilometres."

Tiesj Benoot, Jasper Stuyven and most notably, Maxim van Gils are also names mentioned by Vanthourenhout. "That's an ambitious young guy. Who, despite his own eagerness, still looks up to Remco and Wout and doesn't mind driving for service if necessary. I need guys like that," the coach says glowingly of van Gils.