Evenepoel and Van Aert ready to battle for the rainbow jersey

Racing defensively in the men's elite road race would be an unforgivable sin in the eyes of Remco Evenepoel , who comes to the start as part of Belgium's two-man attack alongside Wout van Aert , both with the stated aim of capturing the rainbow jersey at Sunday's UCI Road World Championships in Montreal.

"What mistake would I find hard to forgive myself for if I didn't become world champion on Sunday? That of racing defensively," Evenepoel told Sporza during a press conference held at the Hôtel Mortagne, the Belgian national team's residence, on Friday evening.

Only the strongest riders will survive this race of attrition, with prominent rivals such as Paul Seixas (France), Mathieu van der Poel (Netherlands), Tom Pidcock (Great Britain) and Isaac del Toro (Mexico), the latter a winner on this same circuit just two weeks ago at the Grand Prix de Montreal.

"It's not up to us to do it. Wout van Aert and I are two finishers. Someone like Paul Seixas has to finish alone. Everyone knows that. So it's up to the French to make the race long and hard," he said in an interview with Sporza . "I'm not afraid of finishing with a group."

Van Aert enters this weekend as the favorite after a strong Vuelta a España, where he won two stages, secured eight top-10 finishes, and took the points classification jersey. For those betting on him in fantasy cycling, his dazzling form is an encouraging sign ahead of a challenging course like Montreal.

His biggest win of the year, and one of the most memorable, came at Paris-Roubaix, where he lifted the cobblestone trophy above his head for the first time in his career.

The Belgian reminded the press that he finished second at the 2022 Montreal Grand Prix and that he knew the circuit's pitfalls well. "I don't need to convince anyone but myself that this route suits me," he told Sporza .