‘We’re not looking at the opposition’: Evenepoel shuts out rivals before world title bid

“We’re not really looking at the opposition, sorry,” Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe sports director Klaas Lodewyck told HLN.

“I don’t want that to sound arrogant, but time trialling is a discipline where you focus entirely on yourself.”

Evenepoel has spent the final days before the race in Bromont, around an hour outside Montreal, where the Belgian riders have stayed away from the growing World Championship bustle in the city.

The quiet surroundings have allowed Evenepoel to focus on Sunday’s time trial, with the Belgian camp keeping the approach simple.

“You have to get from A to B as quickly as possible,” Lodewyck said. “You recon the course, make a pacing plan and execute it. That’s it.”

“If somebody turns out to be better during the time trial, you don’t suddenly change that plan. If you do, you’re almost guaranteed to make mistakes.”

Much of that plan will depend on a Montreal course featuring frequent changes of pace and several technical sections.

“The first and last six and a half to seven kilometres in the city centre are quite technical,” Lodewyck said.

“After that there are some faster sections where power and aerodynamics come into play, but those sections are never particularly long.”

Evenepoel and fellow Belgian starters Alec Segaert and Rune Herregodts have already studied footage of the route, while digital course data has given them an initial idea of what to expect.

The final details, however, will only become clear when the roads are fully prepared for racing.

“A barrier might be moved slightly further in or out,” he said. “A two lane road can suddenly become one lane. That can completely change the dynamic.”

“We will only get a really clear picture on Saturday.”

Weather could make those details even more significant.

“You can ask whether you really need a city circuit like this,” Lodewyck said. “If it rains heavily, it can become extremely dangerous and technical.”

“But it is the same for everyone. You have to adapt to the course and the conditions you get.”

National coach Serge Pauwels has reduced that approach to a simple phrase inside the Belgian camp. “Control the controllables.”

Evenepoel only returned to more specific time trial work on Wednesday, with the Belgian staff giving him time to recover before stepping up the intensity.

“He trains on the time trial bike often enough during the year, so the transition is less abrupt for him,” Lodewyck said.

“He is not the type of rider who suddenly needs to spend an entire week on the TT bike doing hard efforts.”

There are no concerns within the Belgian camp about his condition heading into Sunday.

“Physically, everything is fine,” Lodewyck said. “That was the most important thing and it still is.”

Evenepoel will use the final days to fine tune his preparation before attempting to win a fourth consecutive world time trial title. He currently shares the record of three straight victories with Michael Rogers and Tony Martin.

For Lodewyck, the equation remains uncomplicated.

“Do everything perfectly and do it better than the opposition, and you win,” he said.

“If not, it might just as well be third or fourth place. So be it.”