Professionals | 07/08/2022 | 08:08
By Francesca Monzon

Wood van Aert has decided: the world championships in Australia will only start with road racing, and he will not compete in time trials. So Belgium will bring two leaders in the men’s selections to Wollongong: Van Aert will captain the road race and Remko Evenboel will top the time trial.

Sven Vandoorenhout, the Belgian team’s technical commissioner, was not selected exclusively, but as a result of Van Aert’s decision to compete in just one race after two silver medals at the World Championships. Jumbo-Wisma announced his decision not to race the time trial in Belgium a few days ago, and Vandoorenhout was forced to take note.

“On the one hand it’s a shame because with Van Aert at the start you have a chance to win a medal, but on the other hand I understand his decision – Vanthorenhout told the Belgian press -. A time trial like Wollongong’s is a big burden for a runner like Wood, and I understand his desire. A silver medal is a An unusual result maybe, but it’s not enough when you’re riding with Van Aert.

After the World Cup in Leuven, the Flemish learned his lesson and knows very well that it is very difficult to prepare two different races for the World Cup. A time trial and a road race require two completely different physical preparations, and coming first twice in the same week is actually quite a feat.

Van Aert won silver in the time trial and line at Imola, a result that left him unsatisfied. At the following year’s World Championships in Belgium, a silver medal came his way once again, while the road test did not go as well as he had hoped. “The time trial has become a mental problem for Wood – continued Vanthorenhout -. He takes on more responsibility when he starts the time trial, because he only aims for first place. After Friday in Belgium that decision returned to his mind for several days, it was understood that now he has only one race to bet on. .

Van Aert wants to approach the World Cup in Australia calmly, and to do so he will need to be free-spirited in the earlier days and the time trial will put more pressure on him. This is why Belgium will place Evenboel as the point of departure for the time trial: «Remko is a rider especially aiming for a medal on a course similar to Australian training – the Belgian coach continued -. This is good for Remco who have many changes in speed and don’t like long times ».

In addition to Vaud and Remko, Sven VanDorenhout also evaluates other riders, and Yves Lambert, Victor Cambernaerts, Ilan van Wilder and Jasper Stuyen could wear the national team jersey. Meanwhile, Van Aert is yet to return to racing after the Tour de France and we will see him race in Hamburg on the 21st of this month and then the Bretagne Classic in France on the 28th. Van Aert will race in Canada on September 9 in Quebec and two days later in Montreal before flying to Australia.

Copyright & Copy TBW