Evenepoel faces trickier than expected Worlds time trial as course branded ‘a bit of a disgrace’

Riders were given their only opportunity to inspect the roads without traffic on Saturday morning, a restriction that had already drawn criticism from Evenepoel, and the 39.2 kilometre course left several teams with a different impression from the one they had formed beforehand. Technical sections, potholes and uneven repairs have emerged as major talking points ahead of Sunday’s elite time trial.

Evenepoel completed two laps, with the Belgian camp paying particular attention to the opening and closing kilometres. National coach Serge Pauwels admitted afterwards that the course was more demanding than initially expected.

“He found it more technical than expected,” Pauwels told Het Nieuwsblad. “Especially the first and the last six kilometres. Between his two laps, Remco went back over those sections again.”

Before the reconnaissance, Evenepoel had described the course as one where riders would have to keep applying power and would have little opportunity to hide behind their technical ability.

Pauwels had also initially expected pacing to play only a limited role, but revised that view after seeing how the opening kilometres unfold at racing speed.

“In that twisting opening section, you are limited in the power you can put down, especially if it rains,” Pauwels said. “You will have to brake a lot and the corners will really become moments of recovery.”

The first six kilometres descend through a succession of corners before the course opens up. Long straights, including the section on the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, should then allow the specialists to settle into their aerodynamic positions and sustain considerably more power.

The final kilometres bring another change of rhythm as the riders return towards the city and the uphill finish.

But it was not only the technical nature of the course that surprised those around Evenepoel. The quality of the road surface caused even greater concern.

Evenepoel’s regular sports director Klaas Lodewyck was particularly critical after examining the roads.

“It is actually a bit of a disgrace for the World Championships,” Lodewyck told Sporza. “It is what it is, we have to deal with it.”

Lodewyck and the Belgian staff carefully mapped the roughest sections so Evenepoel can be warned about them from the following car during the time trial.

“You can compare it a little to someone taking notes for a rally,” Lodewyck said.

The challenge is finding the right balance between preparing a rider for every potential danger and overloading him with information.

“We have prepared for the course as well as possible, but we also don’t want to write down too much information,” Lodewyck explained. “You still want to keep a certain calm in the riders’ heads. But everything crucial has been noted.”

Pauwels had already seen some of the potholes during an earlier visit to Montreal in April and expected them to be repaired before the World Championships.

They were, although not quite in the way he had anticipated.

“I thought, ‘They will definitely repair those,’ and they did,” Pauwels joked. “They literally put patches over them.”

Despite those concerns, the Belgian camp did not leave the reconnaissance dissatisfied. The greater technical difficulty could also suit Evenepoel, while the middle part of the course offers long sections where he can exploit his aerodynamic efficiency and power.

According to Pauwels, Evenepoel was happier with the route after completing his second lap and felt the characteristics were within his capabilities.

He also rejected the idea that the many straight sections make the course simple.

“There are quite a lot of straight sections, but it is not as if you ever really get into a nice flow,” he said. “You have to stay sharp all the time.”

The Dutch coach expects the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve to provide one of the few stretches where riders can fully settle into their position. Getting into and out of the city is another matter, with Moerenhout admitting there will be moments when watching Hoole take the required risks through the corners will be uncomfortable from the following car.

Stefan Küng came away with a similar impression.

The Swiss time trial specialist had travelled to Canada early after leaving the Vuelta a España before the final weekend, having won the time trial earlier in the race, giving himself time to recover and adapt before the World Championships.

After completing his reconnaissance, he was far from impressed with every part of the route.

“Some parts are really not that nice, especially the first part,” Küng told CyclingProNet. “It can be technical, but then it’s a very bumpy road, so it’s quite tricky in some parts.”

Like the Belgian camp, Küng found the central portion considerably more appealing.

“The middle part is really nice,” he said. “So I would say a six out of ten.”

The elite men’s time trial gets underway at 13:00 local time in Montréal, 19:00 CEST, with the biggest names saved for the very end. Filippo Ganna rolls down the start ramp at 14:28:30 local time, 20:28:30 CEST, before defending champion Remco Evenepoel closes the start order 90 seconds later at 14:30, 20:30 CEST.