Belgium head coach Serge Pauwels admitted his tactical plan unraveled at the 2026 UCI Road World Championships in Montréal after Remco Evenepoel finished a disappointing 12th place. Pauwels stated that while the team controlled the early phases of the race, the collapse of Wout van Aert’s bid on the local circuits left the squad without its primary options.
Tactical Execution and the French Offensive
According to Pauwels, the Belgian strategy relied on a grueling, heavy race to blunt the explosive speed of rivals like Isaac Del Toro and Paul Seixas. The plan appeared to work initially as the French team accelerated the pace on the local laps, creating the exact attrition-heavy environment that suited both Evenepoel and Van Aert.
The dynamic shifted around 90 kilometers from the finish line when Van Aert attacked to fracture the field. However, after Van Aert lost touch with Mathieu van der Poel, Belgium’s tactical flexibility vanished. Pauwels noted that Van Aert quickly shifted roles to support Evenepoel, but the team’s designated leader lacked his usual reserves.
Evenepoel’s Struggles and Post-Race Assessment
Pauwels pointed out that Evenepoel simply did not have the legs required to contend for the victory, drawing a contrast with his resilient performance at the previous World Championships in Kigali, where Evenepoel fought back from a difficult position to secure a medal.
In Montréal, that late-race acceleration was absent. Pauwels observed that Evenepoel’s performance in the final sprint confirmed he lacked his trademark explosiveness, contrasting sharply with his dominant sprint victory earlier in the season at the Grand Prix Cycliste de Montréal. Pauwels accepted ultimate responsibility for the result while emphasizing that the Belgian team was simply beaten on merit by stronger competitors on the day.
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