"We all realize that Pogacar will be tough to beat, but..." - Van Aert and Evenepoel teaming up can be a threat to Pogacar at World Championships, Pauwels says

Tadej Pogacar has won the two previous editions of the World Championships whilst in both Remco Evenepoel was a large factor. In Montréal later this fall, we could see another chapter of the battle, however this time around it may include Wout Van Aert who is on the form of his life and will want to go on and challenge for the rainbow jersey.

Serge Pauwels, national coach of the Belgian team, has talked about the goal that is the World Championships but also the advice he gave to the Team Visma | Lease a Bike rider ahead of his career-changing Paris-Roubaix win.

“The week before Paris-Roubaix, we went for a ride together, and I told him 'if there's one thing you can do, it's push yourself to the max when you can. Don't wait too long for Tadej Pogacar or Mathieu van der Poel to arrive'. Obviously, I don't want to give him too much advice," Pauwels recalls in words to Wielerflits.

However the Belgian did follow suit with that idea and was the one creating the key splits in the race, and carried it to the finish with Pogacar, with the victory then coming from a two-up sprint in the old velodrome.

"If I analyze the race now, the key factor in his success was the fact that he dared to take the lead himself. He also dared in the sprint," he argues. "This is often precisely what leads him to success: not riding passively, relying on others, but creating the race himself, opening it up, and, above all, relying on his own strengths. This time, he really did it.”

Now comes the build-up to the Tour de France, and then a free role at the Vuelta a España where he should be pursuing a few stage wins whilst also supporting Matthew Brennan in the bunch sprints. This will be with a new mindset already: "I'm sure this will lead to big changes. Not just in his racing behavior. It will also be useful for defining his program".

"In recent years, he's occasionally skipped Milano-Sanremo and the Strade Bianche, and this year the E3 Saxo Classic. I think he won't have to make those decisions in the coming years and will be able to take advantage of every opportunity. Precisely because he's freed himself up. But as for the World Championships, I've already received confirmation that he'd like to set this goal."

Van Aert is not a climber but on his best day is able to do the short ascents quite well, as well as having the endurance required for a race of such distance and high-quality peloton. In Montréal, the riders will take on the circuit that defines the GP de Montréal yearly, one which Pogacar has ridden to success before.

For Kigali, it was a no. For Montréal, an undeniable yes. "At the time, there were doubts about whether those World Championships were within his capabilities and his long-term plan. He decided to pass, but immediately said 'I absolutely want to go to Canada; I already have it in mind.' The idea began to mature and, after this spring, it will gradually become his next goal. He'll turn 32 in September, and there he'll be able to seize a unique opportunity."

The Belgians have a tough task with this generation's best at the lead, however they can potentially go on to race for the rainbow jersey. "Of course, there's still the Tour, which is very important for his team. And after that, there's also the Vuelta [...] And that's important. When a rider sets his mind to something, you automatically get the best version of himself. We all realize that Pogacar will be tough to beat, but with Wout alongside Remco Evenepoel, we still have an extra card to play."

“His opinion is, and I agree with him, that it's a race within his reach. He already finished second in Montreal. Last year he didn't do well there, but then he wasn't in form and wasn't focused. The World Championships route has twelve laps, while the Montreal GP has seventeen. The most important thing is to get out of the Vuelta. We all know that coming out of a Grand Tour makes him even stronger. This will give him that extra edge.”