Takeyesterday
Belgium arrives in Montreal as heavy favourites with Pogačar absent, and Remco Evenepoel and Wout van Aert are the reason. That favourite status only works if the two actually communicate — something that broke down completely at the 2022 Worlds in Wollongong, when Evenepoel attacked early, criticised the team's tactics, and skipped the debrief meeting afterward.
Their profiles are made for each other, not against each other: Evenepoel attacks from distance, Van Aert waits and thrives in a smaller final group. National coach Serge Pauwels says the old conversations were about beating Pogačar — now that target is gone, and Belgium's two leaders have to manage favourite status without a common enemy to organise around. That's a harder problem than Wollongong, where at least everyone agreed on who to chase.
Sources