"Remco and Wout need to be on the same page": Belgian coach is already building a team to put an end to Pogacar's reign

Tadej Pogacar will have an opportunity to mirror Peter Sagan's iconic World Championship three-peat at the end of September later this year. And as the Slovenian is more than familiar with the Mont Royal circuit (won GP Montreal in 2022 and 2024), the Belgians led by Remco Evenepoel and Wout Van Aert will have a lot on their plate if they wish to stop the Slovenian. The national coach Serge Pauwels is already calling his best men to arms, even though many are yet to open their 2026 campaigns. But it's necessary, because anything less won't even threaten Pogacar...

In order to succeed, the two cornerstones of Belgian team have to be on the same wave length by the end of the year. And reaching such a trance is the mission of Pauwels: "I was in Spain for three days because it’s much easier to speak to a lot of riders there," he said to Sporza. "And to get an initial idea of ​​their ambitions for this season, specifically for the World Championships in Montreal."

But if finding common ground ends up complicated, compromise might need to happen.

"In general, I try not to convince riders," Pauwels described his approach. "First of all, it’s important to listen to what they want to do. And also to tell them what other riders want to do. If Wout van Aert and Remco Evenepoel both have ambitions, then it’s important that they know that about each other."

Unlike some other years, the 2026 World Championships' course will be familiar to most WorldTour pros as the GP Montreal has been riding up and down the same circuit for more than a decade now. And that applies also for Serge Pauwels who raced in Montreal a total of four times, most recently in 2019.

"I'm familiar with that course; I've ridden there myself," Pauwels reminds. However the rainbow race will be quite modified compared to his participations: "At the Worlds you also have an approach section of around 100 kilometres. And I also want to see the time trial in advance."

He is already ticking off the checklist, including where the team would stay. "The hotel is already fixed," he said.

But Pauwels wishes to see how it works in real life, not just on paper. The key issue is time. "If the riders who do the Worlds road race also ride Québec and Montréal, then you still have to bridge two weeks on site. That’s an important factor."

As for whether riders need those Canadian one-day races to be sharp for the Worlds, Pauwels is not convinced. "I don’t think so," he said. "It can be just as good in the Vuelta. Maybe that’s even better."

Only one exception to the wide nomination has no experience with Canada whatsoever. "Most of the riders I spoke to have ridden those GP's before, only Victor Campenaerts has not."

And then there is the one thing no planning session can control. "It can be very windy there, so I want to see that in advance," Pauwels said. "It’s still Canada, where all weather conditions are possible. It can be 4 degrees and rain, but also 25 degrees and sunny."