"We've got 50% chances" - Eddy Merckx believes Evenepoel or Van Aert victory at the worlds is likely
Cycling
Belgium is the country that has the most pressure going into the Montréal World Championships, a common occurrence over the years. Eddy Merckx' stance is one reason why, as the sport's legend gives Remco Evenepoel and Wout Van Aert a 50% chance of winning.
The race this Sunday will have three big main favourites in Evenepoel, Isaac del Toro and Paul Seixas - the riders who performed best over the Canadian classics. Out of those, Evenepoel looked in most trouble at the GP de Montréal.
Nevertheless, he is rated as highly the other two, specially following his triumph at the time trial World Championships. Evenepoel and Van Aert lead a strong Belgian team, well adapted to the hilly classics; and without Tadej Pogacar as a dominant figure.
The two will be joined by Tiesj Benoot, Quinten Hermans, Thibau Nys, Alec Segaert, Maxim van Gils and Gianni Vermeersch. It is a team where Evenepoel is the only climber, and the DNA will consist of explosive racing as well as covering all important moves.

Remco Evenepoel and Lotte Kopecky ahead of the 2026 World Championships in Montreal
Eddy Merckx believes in Belgium's chances
Belgium can win in Montréal. With the absence of Tadej Pogacar, a lot of doors have opened. Merckx believes both Remco Evenepoel and Wout Van Aert have provided evidence that they are capable of taking the rainbow jersey this Sunday:
"I think we have a great chance of success. When you look at how Remco Evenepoel became the World Time Trial Champion last Sunday and given we've also got Wout van Aert, that gives us two key assets to start with," Merckx shared with RTBF.
Plenty national teams will try to disrupt the order of the race, whilst Belgium and France are widely seen as the two teams carrying the most responsibility to work in the peloton.
"And that's not counting all the outsiders. But we've got 50% chances of seeing a Belgian become World Champion, which isn't bad at all."
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Without naming anyone specific, the 'Cannibal' believes that all riders should following the same rule: "If there's a Belgian in the break, he shouldn't work".
The team has the depth to play its cards, however other national teams such as France, Italy and the United States also arrive to Montréal with several contenders to take a victory or a medal in case the race turns extremely tactical. "If the break then gets a lot of time, they'll be hard to pull back."

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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