"The Belgians place themselves in the underdog role, but I think that is really ridiculous" - Dutch journalists believe Remco Evenepoel is the main favourite for Olympic road race

With only 89 riders in the peloton, there's no way to predict how the Olympic road race in Paris will play out. Perhaps the best way to control the race could prove to be opening it up early to reduce the field. Luckily for all the fans, all the favourites seem to favor such kind of racing.

In the WielerFlits Podcast, Youri Ijnsen notices that the Belgian media had been playing down chances of their own riders, placing Mathieu van der Poel as the top favourite - something he finds quite ridiculous. "I have followed that the last few days. The Belgians place themselves in the underdog role, but I think that is really ridiculous. If there is one team that has to win on Saturday, even more than the Netherlands and Van der Poel, then it is Belgium."

According to the Dutchman, the main pressure to have result should be on the Belgians. "In my eyes, Remco Evenepoel is the absolute top favorite. He has also proven himself in the one-day races in recent years. Even if you consider the strength of the team, Evenepoel – and therefore also Belgium – is the absolute top favorite. I think it is cowardly that they do not dare to say that they are the one in Belgium."

Evenepoel and Van der Poel don't run into each other during their main objectives too often which is why it'll be interesting to see how their matchup plays out on Saturday. "The great thing is that we have never really seen Mathieu and Remco in a direct duel against each other," says Raymond Kerckhoffs about that. "Saturday's race is over 270 kilometers and Van der Poel has already said that he wants to break open the final early. We know that Evenepoel likes that too. We are simply going to race from 100 kilometers before the finish. So it will be an elimination race. But are those hills tough enough to drop each other?"