Last year, Van Aert was named team leader for the World Championships in Belgium, but struggled on the day and the two publicly argued. Evenpoel jumped into the attack early on, criticizing the Belgian team's tactics and refusing to attend a debriefing to clear up misunderstandings.
Van Aert has had an outstanding season and is rightfully positioned as Belgium's team leader at Wollongong and a strong contender for the world title. However, Evenpoel won the Vuelta a España, becoming the first Belgian to win a Grand Tour in 44 years. The balance of power in the Belgian cycling world has changed radically, and a new era of Evenpoel mania has dawned.
Van Aat has made it clear that he is rooting for Evenpoel to win the Vuelta, but remains ambitious for the world championships.
He will miss the time trial despite its potential for success and focus all his energy on winning the road race. In contrast, Evenpoel competes in time trials and road races.
Van Aert will fly directly from Canada to Australia, arriving on Wednesday. Evenpoel will fly from Madrid to Dubai and then to Sydney; the two will finally cross paths when they arrive in Australia on Wednesday.
Although the two have not yet fully reconciled or agreed on common tactics for the World Championship road race, Van Aat seems positive about reconciliation and unity in Wollongong. He has learned from his mistakes at last year's World Championships.
"During the race, instead of staying calm, I think I got stressed and lost the energy I needed in the final," he said. He was interviewed in Canada by media outlets, including Cycling News.
"I'm sure we learned from it and I think we learned as a team. Obviously we will go into the championships in Wollongong with two leaders."
"Lemko and I have always respected each other. The problem we had last year was that we were not allowed to be in the media. I got over that quickly and see nothing wrong with working together. I think we both learned from it."Juan Art believes that his and Evenpoel's strengths and ambitions are compatible.
"I would rather have Lemko as a co-leader and race with him instead. That's something we've learned as a team and I think we can change everything this year."
"Lemko is not fast in sprints, but he can attack from a distance. Lemko is not fast in sprints, but he can attack from a distance.
Before heading to Australia, Evenpoel admitted that he may be tired and out of shape after winning the Vuelta and targeting the time trial. He made it clear that if Van Aert was not at his best, he was ready to help him.
"I have to see how my legs are after this Vuelta. If not, I will do everything in my power to get Uth up there in the sprint."
With Van Aert and Evenpool riding together, the Belgian's chances of competing against the likes of Tadej Pogachar, Michael Matthews, Alberto Bettiol, and Biniam Girmay at Wollongong are even greater.
Van Aert will get his first look at the Wollongong course this week. He has seen maps, profiles, and videos and likes the long distance of 266.9 km, the fast wide roads, and especially the climb up Mount Pleasant, a circuit that climbs 1.1 km at 7.7% with a maximum gradient of 14%.
The finish line is only 7 km away, allowing riders to return.
"It's a course familiar to me from Belgium and the classics," Van Aat said of the course.
"I think we proved we are strong on kicker climbs and that gives us confidence. It's still going to be a super hard race and I think we have a super strong team. We can play to our strengths."
Van Aert turned 28 on September 15 and feels he is approaching the peak of his career. He has won many victories, but has yet to win a world title in road racing.
"I feel I am improving every year, not only in my experience, but also in how to be in the best condition possible. Year after year I continue to build on my base, and I think I improved a lot in the last hour of the toughest 250km race. That was my weak point, but we made some changes in training and it worked."
If Van Aert continues his good form and wins the world title, he assures us that he will not be racing again to show off his new rainbow jersey. He has booked a vacation in Australia with his family and has no intention of changing his mind.
"The team can't send me to another race because I have booked a vacation in Australia. I will have to find a criterium or something in Australia to show off the jersey."
.
Comments