'Difficult for heavier guys' – Remco Evenepoel predicts a climber will win the men's Road World Championships road race
The Belgian was using the GP de Montréal top-10 as a gauge
Belgian cyclist Remco Evenepoel foresees a successful outcome for a climber rather than a power rider in this year's men's World Championships in Montreal. After the Grand Prix Cycliste de Montréal, which Isaac Del Toro of UAE Team Emirates-XRG won, Evenepoel noted that the average build of the top-10 finishers resembled that of a climber.
In the top 10, which included Paul Seixas, Red Bull-Bora-hansgrohe's Evenepoel in fifth, and Tom Pidcock in sixth, the average weight was around 63 to 65 kilograms. Evenepoel stated, "With the way the longer climb is ridden, it is really difficult for the heavier guys." He added, "Those aren't heavy men, but riders like Wout van Aert and Mathieu van der Poel can survive this on super days."
Van Aert and Van der Poel weigh 75 and 78kg, respectively, which is significantly more than the heaviest finisher in the top-10, Quinn Simmons at 72kg. The World Championships route, using the same Mount Royal loop in Montreal, involves more flat terrain initially and a total of 100 flat kilometres before 12 laps of the loop, unlike the GP Montreal which strictly follows the Mount Royal loop 16 times.
Evenepoel believes the World Championships will be more endurance-based and less explosive towards the end, making it less demanding for power riders. Evenepoel told Wielerflits, "Most of the men designated as favourites were all at the front. I always feel a bit, when coming down from altitude, that I lack that extra punch. But we still have two weeks, so it will be fine."
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