"Things turned south really quickly for Belgium" - What went wrong with Evenepoel and Van Aert at World Championships?
CyclingTuesday, 29 September 2026 at 06:00
Remco Evenepoel and Wout Van Aert were two of the biggest names heading into the World Championships. Both were major factors in the men's elite road race, but came away with a 12th and 28th place. On the CyclingUpToDate Podcast, Rúben Silva and Gavin Quinn debated on what went wrong.
The Belgian team appeared to be entering the race with a clear plan and with preparation unlike any others - having notes written in their bidons delivered by soigneurs, in the absence of race radios.
Quinten Hermans and Thibau Nys battled on and covered early attacks once the race blew up in the Montréal circuit. Wout Van Aert then jumped across to a group including Mathieu van der Poel, and attacked himself together with the Dutchman and Oscar Onley.
With three other riders including Primoz Roglic and Quinn Simmons jumping across, the group's health appeared strong. But that wasn't the case for long, as van der Poel's repeated acceleration s saw Van Aert get dropped as the group split in two.
"Things turned south really quickly for Belgium because at first I thought van Aert's up ahead in front. He's looking good, looking sharp. Evenepoel behind has no pressure. He can follow the wheels of Seixas and Del Toro," Silva pointed out.
"It wasn't a whole lot, but they were having to spend time on the win. I thought it made a difference. And Evenepoel could really benefit from this and could really benefit from the race being very hard from very early on. But he was dropped. And it wasn't like everyone's going to the limit. And Evenepoel was right there but could not. He was straight up just dropped".
The moment Belgium's race was turned upside down
The race situation turned into a nightmare for Belgium as both leaders had been dropped from their respective groups. Van Aert later on dropped back to aid Evenepoel's return to the Seixas-Del Toro group, and even spent time working to bring back the van der Poel group.
"Evenepoel was just in straight difficulties. And about Van Aert, I saw him get dropped, and his ambitions were to help the team afterwards. I think that the front of the peloton at that point was also important".
Evenepoel then began attacking, bringing memories of the race in Kigali 12 months prior, where the Olympic Champion finished second to Tadej Pogacar.
"The way Evenepoel was also moving really got me thinking of the World Championships last year, where Evenpoel was dropped amongst Kigali. He had a mechanical, he was kicking bottles, then he came back. He was just all over the place. But then when you see the end of the race, he's flying, he's riding at the same tempo as Pogacar".
"I was getting the sensation that he was going to be doing the same here this time around". It appeared to be the case in some instances, whilst in others he was dropped on the main climb.
Wout van Aert in action at the 2026 Montreal World Championships
"We had Wout van Aert up front and Remco Evenepoel sitting fine behind in the group of favourites with Del Toro and Seixas. Everything is fine for Belgium at this point, right? Everything's going smoothly," Quinn argues. "Everything's going perfectly. Sure, van der Poel is up front, but they have Wout van Aert. Then van der Poel lays the hammer down with about 74 kilometres to go".
"And that's the one where Quinn Simmons is like fighting really hard and Oscar Onley is doing really well to stay. But Wout van Aert can't. And he lets it go. And at this point, you have van Aert dropping. Well, at the same time, there's the first signs that Remco Evenepoel isn't having the best day".
The Belgians were simply not in their best day, not managing to bring to life the high expectations set before the start of the race.
"Like the final 60 kilometers was completely getting dropped and it looked like he didn't have the legs each time" Silva added. "And do you remember last year, I thought the same. He's going to make a comeback, isn't he? And then he makes a comeback".
Read also
Did Remco Evenepoel make the best out of a bad day?
"And then he attacks. He's constantly just on the move. You see him with 43 kilometers to go on the attack in the favourites group. And suddenly you just wonder like, maybe he has the legs to literally just attack off the front and leave and be the one to take the title. But that was Brandon McNulty."
Quinn believes Evenepoel was not on a good day, and had to make the best of it. "I think he rode really well today. Maybe Belgian media or Belgian public opinion won't feel so because of the results on paper".
"But for what he got, maybe what the form he had on the day, which became quickly kind of apparent, and he said it in his post-race interview, he said immediately, or maybe what about 100 kilometres ago, he realised his legs weren't what he expected them to be or what he hoped they would be".
"That considered, he rode pretty incredibly, actually, if you really consider it, for about three hours on the back foot, constantly making it back to the front group".
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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- @abstractengineer said: "The difference between Del Toro and Pogi was never more evident at the WC in Montreal." I agree with him, we can't compare Pogi and Del Toro. But the fact is Del Toro didn't have a good team and was left by himself. On the other hand, the Belgians had the best team, but Remco and Wout also got nothing. ZERO!!! It was pathetic and sad watching both of them, Wout in front, Remco behind him, both struggling and out of breath. Why, I don't know, there is absolutely no excuse. I repeat myself "NO EXCUSE"!!! The Belgians were the biggest losers in Montreal.PogiSloFans29-09-2026
- Hey buddy! You're in no position to give me warnings... capish? As for politics in cycling, Quinn Simmons did it to himself in the 2020 controversy of his racism: A cycling journalist had criticized supporters of Donald Trump and asked them to unfollow her. Simmons replied “bye” with a waving-hand emoji using a Black skin tone. When another user asked whether he was a Trump supporter, Simmons replied that he was and always will be, accompanied by a U.S. flag emoji. The Black-hand emoji was interpreted as being racist or as an example of “digital blackface.” ... Trek-Segafredo (that's what they were called at that time) responded very strongly, saying his statements were “divisive, incendiary, and detrimental” to the team and suspended him from racing until further notice. The suspension was eventually lifted. Simmons subsequently went through diversity/inclusion education and media training. Trek described this as part of an ongoing effort. Hey, buddy, you got that now???PogiSloFans29-09-2026
- well one team did not lose control, largely due to mvdp and simmon’s strength. i wonder if in hindsight, mvdp might rethink his tactics. i wonder if he indeed would have been strong enough to stay with all the climbers if he had waited a bit longer….og29-09-2026
- commenters comment like well why didn’t they just bridge across, or cover brandon’s move…. i don’t think you know what it’s like to be that gassed at the end of such a brutally long slugfest…. and mcnulty was probably freshest and his one attack looked initially stronger than any of the recent prior attacks, imo.og29-09-2026
- Another young guy putting too much pressure on himself. At only 22 he has time in his favour.Lozza29-09-2026
- Demi's win in the Women's Race, for all the excitement, finished as per the script. This one was one of the few - Alison Jackson's win at PR also comes to mind - that gives hope to all domestiques and breakaway riders that one day, their turn will come and they will achieve their dream.Cooldude29-09-2026
- I agree with you, we can't compare Pogi and Del Toro. But the fact is Del Toro didn't have a good team and was left by himself. On the other hand, the Belgians had the best team, but Remco and Wout also got nothing. ZERO!!! It was pathetic and sad watching both of them, Wout in front, Remco behind him, both struggling and out of breath. Why, I don't know, there is absolutely no excuse. The Belgians were the biggest losers in Montreal.PogiSloFans29-09-2026
- The Americans had the numbers and no designated leader so if it hjad not been McNulty it would have been Jorgensen attacking so the finale played out according to the numbers.CCooke29-09-2026
- Yes he and Pidcock needed to bury themselves AFTER the climb but neither was prepared to commit. They were fine on the climb since they were the strongest climbers but doing on the flat when it matterred they didn't do.CCooke29-09-2026
- The youngest stars were thinking not so much about themselves as the weight of responsibility of winning for their country. It's clear from their reactions afterwards that letting their country down was sitting heavily on Seixas and Del Toro. It leaves a bad taste that much older, experienced riders with a secure track record are blaming young, inexperienced talents for their failure to win.Hills3329-09-2026
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