Olympic Street Race Favorites? Not Us, Say Belgian Stars Evenepoel and Van Aert

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PARIS (Velo) — Remco Evenepoel and Wout van Aert are tamping down expectations for Saturday’s Olympic Video games highway race regardless of Belgian packing the most effective staff within the males’s race.

Together with Tiesj Benoot and Jasper Stuyven, the four-rider Belgian squad seems to be to have the watts and energy to out-muscle all comers, together with five-star favourite Mathieu van der Poel of the Netherlands.

Who’s the favourite?

Not us, not less than that’s the road popping out of the Belgian camp.

“Mathieu van der Poel has been my prime favourite for a yr,” Van Aert informed media forward of Saturday’s huge race. “Should you see how he rides in one-day races, there is just one favourite. I hope that [Mads] Pedersen and I’ll come shut.”

Maybe that’s some final-hour thoughts video games by Van Aert, however after so many shut calls within the largest races, Van Aert is hoping issues go proper for him Saturday.

Van Aert mentioned Thursday’s recon — which Van der Poel skipped — leaves him braced for a tough race.

“The recon gave me the required affirmation,” Van Aert mentioned. “There are explosive climbs that aren’t too lengthy and steep. It’s a well-designed course. Not tremendous troublesome, however nonetheless robust sufficient to make a distinction.”

The 272km race of attrition Saturday will see the one-day, monument-level racers surge to the entrance, and Belgium packs the most effective staff within the 90-rider area.

Benoot and Stuyven each say they’re dedicated to work for Van Aert and Evenepoel, who already gained a gold medal within the time trial Saturday.

Belgium definitely packs the firepower, with squads like Workforce USA trying to play spoiler with solely three starters. Different nations have two or only one.

Evenepoel has nothing to lose and may race with out strain.

After racing to 3rd in his Tour de France debut, which ended now almost full two weeks in the past, Evenepoel mentioned he’s lastly recovered from the trouble.

“I already really feel recent and final week’s Olympic medal additionally makes me actually wanting ahead to it,” Evenepoel mentioned. “The feeling after the Tour de France would solely now come into impact. The expertise from Australia has certainly taught us that I’ve one other peak two weeks after a grand tour. Let’s hope that’s the case once more on Saturday.”