Will van Aert and Evenepoel finally pull themselves together?

Bike racing is a team sport. Every driver, whether star or helper, has to keep his role. It’s the collective that counts. That’s the theory.

“Can you confirm that you will work together in the final stages of the race?” a journalist asked the two Belgians Remco Evenepoel and Wout van Aert this week. Together with their six water carriers, they will contest the 267-kilometer road race at the World Championships in Wollongong on Sunday.

Will they work together? Evenepoel said: “Yes.” You want to win for Belgium, that should be the goal. Van Aert’s response was: ‘It’s like a church wedding. You have to say yes too.”

All year round, professional cyclists ride in the jerseys of their privately funded teams, which ideally are smart communities of convenience where everyone knows their place. The pros have often negotiated before signing their contracts in which races they will be sponsored by the team and where they will sacrifice themselves for others. Give and take is usual, and in case of doubt, the word of the sporting director applies. These have the necessary authority, because the teams pay the drivers their livelihood.

Everything is different in the national teams. How well a country’s best drivers fit together is pure coincidence. There are no financial incentives to pull yourself together. Only the world champion is allowed to wear the rainbow jersey for a year, everything else is of little interest. And to make matters worse, the drivers and their team bosses are not connected by radio in the title fights, making it more likely to go it alone.

In short: The team spirit that characterizes cycling reaches its limits at world championships.

Hangover after party

A year ago, Belgium celebrated a gigantic party at the last title fights. A million spectators lined the route, with many of them sitting in open windows or climbing on roofs and street lamps at the finish line in Louvain. But then the host team, which was to be celebrated, dismantled itself according to all the rules of the art.

Van Aert had been chosen as sole captain, but he had a poor day, which he only revealed when it was too late. Evenepoel attacked with a wild lack of concept 179 kilometers before the finish, braced himself against hopeless escape groups and squandered all his energy before the final phase. Jasper Stuyven, who was only supposed to be a helper, did amazing damage control and finished fourth.

A loud argument then broke out in the team bus. A day later, Evenepoel told a TV channel that he was in shape to become world champion but his desire to compete on his own account had been squashed.

The fiasco occupied the country. Five days later, the national coach Sven Vanthourenhout invited to an online debate. Evenepoel stayed away from the occasion, and Stuyven publicly etched: “It stuck with some of us.”

Now Wollongong is about making amends. Both stars are at least as fit as they will be in 2021, which doesn’t make things any easier. Evenepoel won the Monument Liège-Bastogne-Liège this year, the Classique of San Sebastián and most recently the three-week Tour of Spain. Van Aert’s impressive achievements include three stage wins in the Tour de France and he appears to have learned from last year’s mistake of hitting his best too soon. This time he limited himself to one-day races in preparation and did without the Tour of Britain.

They could complement each other perfectly

In theory, they could complement each other perfectly. Van Aert is an outstanding sprinter, but often has to use valuable energy to close gaps well before the home straight. Because precisely because he is so strong in the final, the competition often leaves him the task of neutralizing attacks. So if Evenepoel attacked early again in Wollongong, that could basically be useful for van Aert. For once, he could rely on others to follow his strong compatriot and relax in their slipstream.

However, in such a scenario, Evenepoel should not make the mistake of thinking too much of himself. If he permanently sits at the head of breakaway groups instead of just rolling along, he enables other attackers to travel more easily towards the goal.

Other exceptional talents compete in the World Championship road race, for example the two-time Tour de France winner Tadej Pogacar. At the Tour de France, van Aert’s team Jumbo-Visma proved that he too can be beaten. Several riders from the Dutch team attacked the Slovene in quick succession on the stage to the Col du Granon, constantly pricking new needles and driving like an uncomfortable staccato. Until Pogacar, who was on his own early on, collapsed.

The Belgians can do something similar on Sunday – provided that Evenepoel and van Aert harmonize.

Van Aert longs for victory. When he arrived in Australia, he financed an upgrade to business class out of his own pocket, paying 8,000 euros for the comfort. The 28-year-old has won a lot in his career, but he has finished second or third at least as often.

There is also a lot at stake for Evenepoel. Even after his Vuelta triumph, he was confronted with critical voices at home. Former driver Johan De Muynck complained that his young compatriot lacked explosive power. Tadej Pogacar or Egan Bernal attacked uphill, Remco didn’t do that.

Evenepoel’s career seems like a constant attempt to correct the hasty judgments of others. This can become a vicious circle, because he will never be able to please all the critics: if he attacks, he will be labeled as too brash, if he holds back, it is not right either.

Classiques specialist Stuyven is set to take on the role of road captain for the Belgians this year. Possibly it will be up to him to use power words during the race. Stuyven has a Herculean task ahead of him.