"You should probably be asking yourself that question" - Remco Evenepoel responds to favourite tag, Mathieu van der Poel's form and Wout van Aert
Cycling
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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“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 hope he races Volta a Majorca. We'll really be able to see if he can do one-day-races (but do they count?)
Rafionain-Glas12-10-2026 - See, you can write a sensible comment without just slagging off everyone else! Well done!👏😆 🫣Lozza12-10-2026
- Seixas best chance is obviously UAE. They are the best team in history of the sport and they developed pogacar into the goat. They also developed Del Toro to be nr 2 in world. Seixas would become unstoppable at UAE. Lets see if Seixas stays at decathlon but if UAE comes knocking its impossible to say no. Barcelone and real madrid combined into one team, thats UAE in cycling it feels like..miguel12-10-2026
- I think he does or goes to whichever team gives him the scope to become the rider everyone thinks he'll be when Tadej stops.. that simpleslappers6612-10-2026
- I remember at one time he was mentioned in the same breath as Seixas. no more. Onley has a lot of work to do to be deserving of that.mij12-10-2026
- I hope he goes to Bahrain-Victorious to mentor JakobRafionain-Glas12-10-2026
- I hope he stays! Cycling is more fun with Primoz, even if he is not winning.mij12-10-2026
- yes for sure, there will be more chances for him at Euro than Lombardia. I wonder if that emotion wasn't also because he knows he has now been eclipsed by a younger rider w/o his goals being checked off. At least when Seixas over takes Tadej someday, Tadej will have accomplished his major goals. He still has Roubaix left, but Seixas isn't a threat there. And he should find a year to get Vuelta. Remco now is behind at least 2 riders w/o ever having won a Tour, one monument to his name, and the next few World Championships are not Remco friendly. I would still take Remco's wins though!!!mij12-10-2026
- Remco was at 100%. He raced as expected: 15th best on the climbs and then best in the sprint of the chasing group. Exactly what he did at Liège-Bastogne-Liège, where he was on similar form. His win in Amstel was comparable to Quebec or the EurosRafionain-Glas12-10-2026
- "inside the tent pissing out" is an idiom based on a quote from President Lyndon Johnson. Not sure if you're saying you don't understand the term. The full phrase is "it's probably better to have him inside the tent pissing out, than outside the tent pissing in."wrsty12-10-2026
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