"Wout asked me to do one thing and I did it" - With Leuven 2021 fresh in mind, can Evenepoel and Van Aert get World Championships bid right this time around?
Cycling
Wout Van Aert and Remco Evenepoel lead the Belgian team at the 2026 World Championships and will both be contenders to take the rainbow jersey at the men's elite road race. In the past, the duo have not always achieved their goal together. Can that happen this time around?
The Team Visma | Lease a Bike rider has good reasons to be optimistic. At under-23 level, Viktória Chladonová and Ashlin Barry have both brought victories to the Dutch team, from their youngster block.
By all means, a good omen ahead of this week's 'main event'. Van Aert used the Vuelta a España to prepare for the World Championships, showing good form and confident that it was the best path to prepare such an important day.
After conquering Paris-Roubaix earlier this year, there is the belief by some riders and staff that the Belgian has been able to unlock the big wins that he has been looking for in the past few years through the one-day races. He comes into the race as an outsider for victory, but one of the most watched riders.
But the Visma rider is aware the course in Montréal favours other riders, and for him to take the win, the race has to go a certain way - he admitted in words to Het Nieuwsblad.
“Obviously the chances of Seixas and Remco are bigger in principle. They can still correct a situation during the race, while for me things probably really have to fall into place.”
“But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t believe," he teases.
Wout Van Aert looks to become World Champion for the first time on the road in Montréal
Evenepoel on 2021 Leuven World Championships
In 2021, both riders were in the spotlight as Belgium raced at home in Leuven. In a race that favoured aggressive racing, the Belgian national team suffered extremely high pressure. In the race itself they did not deliver, with Jasper Stuyven finishing fourth just off the medals; but with Van Aert and Evenepoel out of the podium.
“Leuven keeps coming back, but nobody made a mistake there, did they? I don’t always understand the criticism about it," Remco Evenepoel said. The Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe rider is in fact clear on what happened that day:
“Watch that race again. Wout asked me to do one thing and I did it.”
Evenepoel is referring to the work Evenepoel did that day, solidifying the gap after the race-deciding split had formed a group of just over a dozen riders.
But in such a circuit, tactical racing couldn't be avoided. Van Aert and Mathieu van der Poel could not make the difference, and ended up in minor places as plenty others in the group escaped in the final kilometers. Evenepoel hopes similar does not happen again.
Evenepoel looks to repeat career-changing feat
Evenepoel, the following year, snuck in a dangerous group during the Wollongong World Championships and later on took a solo victory to take the rainbow jersey. He hasn't achieved the same since in the road race - although he has on every single edition of the time trial - but wants to.
“I know what it is like to wake up every morning and be able to put on a white jersey with rainbow bands. For a rider, that is an incredible privilege," he tells. He is amongst the highest rated figures to win this Sunday's race.
“But let’s be honest. If I don’t win on Sunday, nobody is going to say: 'no problem, he already became world champion once in Wollongong'.”
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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