"Really difficult for the heavier riders..." - Remco Evenepoel argues climbers, not Van Aert or van der Poel, are favoured by Montréal circuit
CyclingTuesday, 15 September 2026 at 12:45
Without the presence of Tadej Pogacar, the World Championships' road race has gained a whole new dynamic. There are climbers and there are classics specialists who may win the rainbow jersey this September, but Remco Evenepoel believes the lighter riders are to be favoured.
The race will feature 273 kilometers and 3600 meters of climbing, as opposed to the GP de Montréal's 214 kilometers but virtually the same height gain. The circuit that decides the race is the very same, and so last Sunday's race was the most accurate test of form ahead of the World Championships.
It features several small climbs, but the circuit is marked by the ascent to Mount Royal which is 1.8 kilometers long at 8%. Whilst not a brutal or overly long effort, at the GP de Montréal only the final two of the 16 ascents were ridden all-out. This ultimately means that for the grand majority of the race, the climbs were tackled at a constant pace, where the explosivity of riders such as Mathieu van der Poel and Wout Van Aert may not be used, and might be drained.
Remco Evenepoel, fifth in Montréal and one of the main favourites for the upcoming worlds, certainly seems to believe the race will favour the lighter riders. "Given the way the longer climb is raced, it’s really difficult for the heavier riders," he told Wielerflits.
Remco Evenepoel argues weight will play a key role at the Montréal World Championships
Will weight be a critical matter at Montréal World Championships?
To note that the Olympic Champion did not single out the classics specialists, but instead the weight of the riders that are expected to fight for the top results. Within the classics specialists, the likes of Tom Pidcock and Ben Healy appear to be fully capable of fighting for the gold medal within the space of two weeks, despite not being climbers such as Paul Seixas and Isaac del Toro.
The climbers were the ones to make the difference previously however, and the same might happen. At the GP de Montréal, only fourth place Quinn Simmons is noted as weighting above 70Kg, with a similar stature to that of van der Poel and Van Aert.
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Where does this leave Mathieu van der Poel and Wout Van Aert?
"If you look at the average weight of the top 10, it’s probably around 63 or 65 kilograms," Evenepoel argued. "Those aren't heavy riders, but on a super day, guys like Wout and Mathieu could survive it".
Ultimately, Van Aert has battled for victory at the GP de Montréal, whilst Mathieu van der Poel's prime example might be the 2024 Zurich World Championships, where weight loss was a key aspect of his preparation, and in which he finished third surrounded by lighter classics specialists and climbers.
Rúben SilvaEditor-in-Chief
A founding contributor to CyclingUpToDate since its launch in January 2022, Ruben Silva has played a central role in shaping the site’s editorial direction and long-term growth. Before joining the project, he built his experience through independent blogging at Echelons Hub and by producing race previews for Ciclismo Internacional, developing a strong analytical voice rooted in daily engagement with professional cycling.
Beyond editorial work, he has been closely involved in the expansion and coordination of CyclingUpToDate’s wider network, helping establish and support sister platforms across multiple languages. This includes ongoing collaboration with CiclismoAlDia (Spanish), CiclismoAtual (Portuguese), WielrennenUpToDate (Dutch), and RadsportAktuell (German), contributing to a shared editorial vision and consistent international coverage.
He also helps oversee editorial governance across the network, setting standards for accuracy and consistency and coordinating updates or corrections when needed.
Originally from the Porto metropolitan area in Portugal, he holds a bachelor’s degree in Geography. His path into cycling journalism was shaped not through formal media training, but through independent reporting, community engagement, and sustained on-the-ground involvement in the sport.
Over the course of his career, he has conducted approximately 100 interviews across road cycling and cyclocross, ranging from one-to-one conversations and online formats to press conferences and on-site pre- and post-race coverage. His interviews include leading riders, team managers, and prominent figures within cycling media: Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, Mathieu van der Poel, Primoz Roglic, Wout van Aert, Joao Almeida and Tom Pidcock; managers like Patrick Lefevere and Joxean Matxin; and YouTube personality Bryan Kennedy (BKXC)...
Within 18 months of launch, he helped grow CyclingUpToDate’s English-language platform into one of the most-read cycling news websites, built entirely from the ground up. As both a professional journalist and lifelong cycling enthusiast, his focus remains on delivering accurate, timely, and well-contextualized coverage.
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