Van Aert vs Evenepoel camps? Belgium dismiss split talk before Montréal Worlds

National coach Serge Pauwels confirmed Van Aert and Evenepoel as equal leaders when he unveiled Belgium’s squad on Monday.

Van Aert made clear on Tuesday that he has full confidence in both the selection and the way Pauwels is approaching the race.

“The national coach has put together a very strong team,” Van Aert told Sporza before stage 16 of the Vuelta a España. “Serge has already thought carefully about the composition of the squad and the roles everyone will have. I have complete confidence in all the guys who are going.”

Still, having two leaders of Van Aert and Evenepoel’s stature inevitably raises the question of divided loyalties.

Evenepoel will have Red Bull teammates Maxim Van Gils and Gianni Vermeersch alongside him, while other riders in the selection have stronger existing links with Van Aert. On paper, it is easy to see where talk of two camps comes from.

Van Aert dismissed that idea.

“I don’t think there will be two camps. That shouldn’t happen in a Belgian team,” he said. “I haven’t even thought about it.”

“The riders already have an idea about the division of roles, but you race in the Belgian jersey. I expect just as much support from Maxim and Gianni as from the others.”

Van Aert also sees no issue with Pauwels placing Belgium’s two stars on equal footing.

“That seems normal to me.”

Tadej Pogačar’s withdrawal has only increased the importance of getting the balance between Van Aert and Evenepoel right.

“His absence changes the race. It makes a huge difference,” Pauwels told Sporza after unveiling Belgium’s squad on Monday. “With Pogačar there, he would have dictated how the race unfolded. Now we have to accept that we are among the favourites.”

Without the defending world champion, Belgium are expected to carry more responsibility. At the same time, Pauwels has two leaders who offer very different routes to victory.

“We have two leaders who want to win,” he said. “It is about the mandate I give them and the responsibility they have to take in the race. When can they attack? When do they have to wait? I want that to be very clear.”

Pauwels wants Van Aert and Evenepoel’s preferred race scenarios to come together in one clear strategy.

“I start from how they see the ideal scenario to win,” he said. “Then I try to find a good mix of their preferred scenarios. I put that into one plan and discuss it with the team.”

That clarity will be particularly important at a World Championships without race radios.

Belgium may now be expected to take more responsibility, but Pauwels has no intention of controlling the race from start to finish.

“Taking responsibility does not mean riding foolishly on the front.”

Gianni Vermeersch is perhaps the most obvious rider to be placed in an Evenepoel camp.

The 33-year-old is Evenepoel’s teammate at Red Bull and has previously helped him with positioning in races such as the Tour of Flanders and Amstel Gold Race.

Pauwels had already indicated on Monday that Vermeersch would primarily work around Evenepoel in Montréal, with Quinten Hermans expected to stay close to Van Aert when the race reaches its decisive phase.

Yet Vermeersch himself was keen to stress that his loyalty in Montréal will be to Belgium, not one particular leader.

“We have two leaders, don’t we? It can be either of them. As long as a Belgian wins.”

Asked specifically about his task, Vermeersch said the details had not yet been discussed with him.

“My role hasn’t been discussed yet.”

The Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe rider did acknowledge that his relationship with Evenepoel may have helped his case for selection.

“There is a good connection between us and he appreciates the work I do with positioning. That worked well in the Tour of Flanders and Amstel.”

For Belgium, the task now is to make that shared leadership work on the road. With Pogačar out, Van Aert and Evenepoel will draw much of the attention in Montréal, leaving Pauwels to manage two ambitions within one team.

That balance may ultimately decide whether Belgium’s strength becomes an advantage or a complication.