Jarno Widar clears up Belgium Worlds snub after reports he declined: ‘That’s not true’

Belgium will head to Canada with Remco Evenepoel and Wout van Aert as its two leaders, supported by Tiesj Benoot, Maxim Van Gils, Thibau Nys, Quinten Hermans, Gianni Vermeersch and Alec Segaert.

In the days surrounding the announcement, reports suggested Widar had taken himself out of contention for the World Championships. Speaking during the Vuelta a España, he has now challenged that version of events.

“I read somewhere that I had withdrawn from the World Championships, but that’s not true,” Widar told Het Nieuwsblad. “I definitely saw a role for myself in Canada.”

“I could do a leadout for Remco, close a gap in the final or respond when one of the other teams attacked. But it was the national coach who made the decision.”

Widar had expected another conversation with Pauwels after the Vuelta a Burgos, where the pair had already discussed a possible Worlds selection.

“In Burgos he told me we would talk about it again, but I haven’t heard from him since,” Widar said.

Instead, he eventually discovered through the media why Pauwels had opted to go in another direction.

One of the considerations behind the decision was reportedly Widar’s positioning, an increasingly important factor on the Montréal circuit.

It is an explanation the Belgian talent does not entirely understand.

“I eventually read in the press that he thought it was still a year too early because positioning plays a big role in Canada,” Widar said. “I found that quite remarkable.”

Widar believes positioning inside a professional peloton is not simply a question of technical ability. Status and hierarchy matter too.

“Positioning is a matter of respect. And with Remco and Wout as leaders, we will definitely get respect. If I have to be there, I’ll be there.”

The European Championships were a different story. Widar had also been considered for the Belgian team, but decided not to race there, preferring several Italian races instead.

“The European Championships were an option, but I wasn’t interested because I prefer a few Italian races in that period,” he said. “That then became the story that I had turned down both.”

His Vuelta performances only strengthened his case. The 20-year-old was among the standout young riders of the race, regularly showing himself in the mountains with stage wins as his main objective, not the general classification.

Widar also pushed back on the idea that riding further back in reduced groups exposed a weakness in his positioning, saying it was often a deliberate choice.

Unlike the European Championships, though, the Worlds was a race Widar wanted to ride. His absence from Montréal was not his decision.