"You should probably be asking yourself that question" - Remco Evenepoel responds to favourite tag, Mathieu van der Poel's form and Wout van Aert
CyclingTuesday, 22 September 2026 at 09:44
Remco Evenepoel is trying not to think about holding the favourite tag heading into Sunday's World Championships road race. Instead, the Belgian leader is all about his training and preparation for the Montreal heat of battle.
Speaking to media just days ahead of the 273 kilometer rainbow jersey race, he was asked about how he feels about holding the favourite tag, and had a direct response, that it's not something the riders consider.
“You should probably be asking yourself that question,” he told In de Leiderstrui in Canada.
“That is not really something you can ask the riders. We are focused on what we have to do, on training and making sure we are ready for Sunday.”
Preparation is what the 2022 world champion and four in a row time trial world champion does want to talk about. In that department, all has been going well. Wednesday and Thursday are pencilled down for training before recovery takes centre stage.
Remco Evenepoel won his 4th world time trial title in a row in Montreal
Remco Evenepoel's week before the race
“Everything is going smoothly and well. I hope I can keep it that way, recover from the time trial and then have two good training days on Wednesday and Thursday.”
“It is a big goal. At the moment my form and feeling are improving step by step. Hopefully I can have a little bit more power in the legs by Sunday.”
Evenepoel got a close look at Paul Seixas and Isaac del Toro in the time trial, with them finishing in third and sixth, posting impressive performances but some way off his mastery of the discipline.
“It shows they are in good shape. A time trial is always a bit different because not everyone has the same feeling in that discipline, but it was a very good performance, especially from Paul.”
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Mathieu van der Poel 'ready' for World Championships
“Isaac was a bit further back. One minute and 40 seconds is quite a lot over 39 kilometres, but they both rode a very strong time trial for riders with their build.”
Mathieu van der Poel's 170 kilometer solo win at the Tour of Luxembourg also caught his attention as he joked that he was let off the front at the peloton's peril. Meanwhile, Evenepoel acknowledged Wout van Aert's strong Vuelta a Espana and pointed to the USA team as a big threat on Sunday.
“If you see what Mathieu did in Luxembourg, that shows he is ready. They let him ride, didn’t they? But no, very impressive from Van der Poel.”
“Wout also rode a good Vuelta. The Americans are strong as well, so I think it is going to be a very high level race on Sunday.”
Gavin QuinnCycling Journalist
Gavin Quinn is a cycling journalist and ultra-distance cyclist with a BA in Journalism from Dublin City University. Formerly the Press & Communications Officer for Cycling Ireland, Gavin has worked inside the national team at the World Championships and has reported for the Irish Mirror, Mirror UK, and The42.
His expertise is backed by elite-level access, having interviewed stars like Sam Bennett and Ben Healy, as well as immense personal endurance. In 2025, he completed a 12,000km solo cycle from Ireland to Vietnam, following a 4,600km tour across Europe. From the cobbles of Paris-Roubaix to the gradients of the Tourmalet, Gavin’s writing focuses on the "romance and brutality" of the sport. Having visited 50+ countries, he brings a global, cultural perspective to his coverage of the pro peloton for CyclingUpToDate.
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- I believe that's what they call "the joke"wrsty22-09-2026
- The same thing happened in the men's under 23 time trial, where Ben Wiggins, the British rider, put out personal best watts but got an inexplicably poor time.Quebrantahuesos22-09-2026
- lolmij22-09-2026
- Tadej is not eligible for U23, pal.Colnago-fan22-09-2026
- Class bike ridervanja22-09-2026
- My comment was supposed to be In the piece on the U23 time trial! Some kind of screw up for it to be here!AndrewK22-09-2026
- This victory should have an asterisk attached to it since Tadej Pogacar wasn’t racing in it, due to a combination of injury and illegibility.AndrewK22-09-2026
- Good'un
Rafionain-Glas22-09-2026 - MVDP doing MVDP things.acem8221-09-2026
- This victory should have an asterisk attached to it since Tadej Pogacar wasn’t racing in it, due to a combination of injury and illegibility.AndrewK21-09-2026
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