Belgium’s depth set to challenge Pogacar in Montréal Worlds - 'We have to be creative'

“There are a lot of riders who could make this team,” Pauwels said after returning from Montréal, where the Worlds will take place from 20 to 27 September. “If everyone is fit, the list becomes very long.”

Several names who have been dealing with injuries are expected to be back in contention by the autumn, including Tim Wellens, Thibau Nys, Jarno Widar, Tiesj Benoot and Maxim Van Gils. Add to that riders with experience on the Montréal circuit, as well as classics specialists such as Jasper Stuyven and potentially Arnaud De Lie, and the options quickly multiply.

Then there is Wout van Aert, who is expected to target the race after skipping last year’s Worlds. “He really wants to be there,” Pauwels noted. “If you look at the pool we have, I could almost select two teams.”

Yet the abundance of talent does not make the task any easier. Over the past two years, Tadej Pogačar has dominated the World Championships. In 2024 in Zurich, he launched his winning move with 100 kilometres to go, and last year in Kigali it was a similar story. From 60 kilometres out, the Slovenian rode solo to the finish, winning by 1:28 ahead of Remco Evenepoel.

Pauwels admits that this is where Belgium’s biggest challenge lies. “Races that finish uphill are often decided by him,” the Belgian national coach said. “We need to find the best possible way to respond to that.”

The Montréal course, inspired by the Grand Prix Cycliste de Montréal, will not be an exact copy. Riders will first face a long, relatively flat approach of around 120 kilometres before heading onto a reduced number of laps on the familiar circuit. That opening section could bring wind into play and create early tension in the peloton.

“We don’t have to control the race from start to finish,” Pauwels explained. “But we do need to stay alert and help keep things under control. Riders like Remco Evenepoel are comfortable in that kind of situation.”

Even so, controlling the race alone is unlikely to distance Pogačar. The Slovenian has already proven his strength on the Montréal circuit in recent years, winning in 2022 and 2024, and last season even handing the victory to his teammate Brandon McNulty.

Stopping him, therefore, will require more than simply following wheels. “We have to be creative,” Pauwels added. “You need to think about how to increase your chances, not just react.”

Belgium is expected to build its ambitions around Evenepoel and Van Aert, but the key question remains how to counter a rider who has repeatedly dominated this type of terrain.

“There may be an opportunity in the fact that he won’t have the same level of support as he does with his trade team,” Pauwels said. “That could change the dynamic.”

Beyond their depth, Belgium may also carry a psychological edge in their bid to deny Pogačar a third consecutive rainbow jersey. Wout van Aert is one of the few riders in recent years to have beaten him when it truly mattered. 

On the Montmartre climb in the final stage of the 2025 Tour de France, Van Aert dropped Pogačar, and more recently at Paris-Roubaix he denied him a complete set of Monument victories by winning the sprint in the Velodrome.