Tiesj Benoot points to key reason Wout van Aert can challenge in Montréal

On first impression, the World Championships course in Montréal appears to ask an uncomfortable question of Wout van Aert.

Can a rider of his build stay with the best climbers when the race repeatedly hits the steep roads around Mount Royal?

Sunday's Grand Prix Cycliste de Montréal offered the clearest indication yet of what might happen later this month. Paul Seixas and Isaac del Toro were among those able to make the difference uphill, while the accumulation of climbing eventually exposed riders who could not match them.

Tiesj Benoot, however, believes there is an important reason not to read too much into what happened.

Speaking to Sporza after helping Seixas to second place, the Belgian pointed to one significant difference between the Grand Prix and the World Championships.

"We rode sixteen laps here, while at the Worlds it will only be twelve," Benoot said. "That does make a difference."

That could work in Van Aert’s favour.

Benoot also knows exactly what the Belgian is capable of. The pair were teammates for four seasons at Jumbo-Visma and Visma | Lease a Bike between 2022 and 2025, often lining up together in the spring Classics and other major one day races.

Now racing for Decathlon CMA CGM, Benoot has a clear idea of the level Van Aert needs to reach in Montréal.

There is also precedent in Montréal. Van Aert finished second to Tadej Pogačar in the 2022 edition of the Canadian WorldTour race, proof that the climbs are not automatically beyond him when his condition is right.

"A really good Wout has already finished second here behind Pogačar," Benoot said. "So I think Wout can come here with a lot of confidence. Especially after seeing how he rode uphill in the Vuelta."

Benoot’s confidence in Van Aert is partly based on what he saw at the Vuelta.

The Belgian won twice in Spain, taking stage 13 in Loja after making the breakaway before adding another victory two days later in Córdoba.

More importantly with Montréal in mind, Van Aert showed he could still climb well deep into the race. He was a regular presence in demanding breakaways, picked up mountain points and combined his own ambitions with work for Matthew Brennan. He also finished fifth in the stage 18 time trial.

By the final weekend, Van Aert was leading the points classification and sat second in the mountains competition.

The question of how the bigger riders will cope with Montréal does not stop with Van Aert. There are more unknowns around Mathieu van der Poel, who has not raced on the road for some time.

“With Mathieu we will have to wait and see a little,” Benoot said. “But we know what he can do.”

Benoot also believes Sunday’s result will not necessarily reflect the hierarchy at the World Championships.

“Paul has only just come back from altitude, so he will only get better. But the same goes for Remco,” Benoot said.

“And then Wout comes in from the Vuelta as well. It is going to be an interesting World Championships.”

Benoot finds himself in an unusual position heading into the World Championships.

In Montréal he emptied himself for Seixas, his Decathlon CMA CGM leader. Two weeks later, the French teenager becomes one of Belgium's most dangerous opponents.

Benoot knows exactly what Seixas can do, but he was reluctant to reveal how Belgium might exploit that knowledge.

He did offer one observation.

"If Remco goes to the finish with Paul, I think Remco is always faster," he told WielerFlits.

Benoot was less willing to reveal how Belgium might try to get rid of Seixas before then.

“I’m not going to give away too many secrets,” he smiled.

He does expect the race to open early, with France and Italy among the teams likely to force the issue.

“France are known for trying something special and the Italians are as well,” Benoot said.

Belgium could play the same game.

“I don't think an early move has to be a disadvantage for us. We have enough riders who can follow if a group goes early. And who knows, maybe we will do it ourselves.”

The extra distance should only make the race harder to control. Despite featuring fewer laps of the Montréal circuit, the Worlds will be considerably longer than Sunday’s Grand Prix.

“There will be another fifty or sixty kilometres compared with Sunday,” Benoot said. “I think that will make it even more man against man.”

That leaves Belgium with options. Evenepoel looks well suited to a selective race, while Van Aert arrives from the Vuelta with two stage wins and three weeks of hard racing in his legs.

Montréal will ask a different question, but Benoot has seen enough to believe his former teammate can answer it.