"We've got 50% chances" - Eddy Merckx believes Evenepoel or Van Aert victory at the worlds is likely
CyclingThursday, 24 September 2026 at 15:00
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."
Read also
Who would win amongst the Belgians
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.
claps 0visitors 0
Just in
Popular news
Latest comments
- Especially when they see that redneck maga cyclist, wrapped in an ugly american flag, with long hair and a huge moustache.PogiSloFans24-09-2026
- "My pick for the win is Isaac Del Toro" Hey Santiego, I would be thrilled if Del Toro won. I hope your words become gold... because Del Toro is the "student" of "professor" Pogi. :)) If Wout V. Aert wins, I will also be happy. He's a great cyclist and a good person, much better than Remco, but Remco is also a BIG favorite.PogiSloFans24-09-2026
- I like Pidcock. He's one of the few riders that can give Pogi a battle: Strade Bianche, MSR and other occasions. At MSR this year he went with Pogi to the finish line... yikes, he almost beat him.PogiSloFans24-09-2026
- OMG, how many records can be set in only one WC road race: Remco or Del Toro or Seixas or... ??? All because of one cyclist, that didn't make it to the WC. The same course in Montreal where he wins every year. The G.O.A.T. is injured... and some cyclists became lucky... they all got an early Christmas present from Pogi-Santa.PogiSloFans24-09-2026
- Yeah... he's mostly liked by the americans (small letter a)... because his personality is like the maga Trump voters... big mouths.PogiSloFans24-09-2026
- What's the deal with how thick the rainbow stripes are on a former winner's kit? Seems like some of the former World Champs keep their stripes pretty slim, but then Remco has big fat ones (which lowkey irritates me) - is there actually a UCI rule, or is it just rider's discretion?wrsty24-09-2026
- I like Pidcock but he's not a leader. He's a great racer but will never be better than he occasional sage winner or classic guy on the road under the right situation. Ineos wanted him to lead the their team and win stage races, he couldn't take the pressure, which is fine, not everyone can.awp24-09-2026
- Does anyone in the peloton actually like Remco?frieders324-09-2026
- It's a horribly composed article. It doesn't mention his name until the third paragraph, and even then it only mentions his last name. I miss the days when we had what was called journalism.
santiagobenites23-09-2026 - My pick for the win is Isaac Del Toro, given how great he looked while winning the race in Montreal a week and a half ago. My sentimental favorite for the win is Wout Van Aert. I know that that's not going to happen, but I'm sure that a lot of cycling fans would be absolutely thrilled if he did.santiagobenites23-09-2026
Loading
Write a comment