Tour in jeopardy?: Evenepoel and Wellens face suspension over cancellation of the Belgian Championships

The absence of the two top riders, Remco Evenepoel and Tim Wellens, puts Belgian Cycling in a tricky situation. Whilst Evenepoel is set to compete in the Tour de France for Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe alongside Florian Lipowitz, Wellens is preparing with UAE Team Emirates-XRG to support Tadej Pogačar, who is aiming for his fifth Tour victory. However, the Belgian Cycling Federation has strict rules when it comes to the Belgian Road Championships. There is unlikely to be an exception for the two top stars, but a small loophole may well remain open.

Regulations and possible consequences

Belgian Cycling has informed all riders by email of the requirement to take part. “Every rider has received an email containing all the information. The regulations are set out in this email. It is up to each rider to be aware of and comply with these rules. Anyone who is unable to take part must take the necessary steps,” Van Lancker explained, according to the cycling magazine Domestique. Failure to provide a valid reason could result in a suspension that might overlap with the start of the Tour. In practice, however, riders have so far avoided sanctions by providing medical certificates or other accepted justifications. Remco Evenepoel and Tim Wellens will likely have to follow this route as well to ensure their start in the Tour is not jeopardised.

Remco Evenepoel & Tim Wellens stand no chance

The road race in Brasschaat takes place on a flat course, which favours sprinters over puncheurs or climbers. This course profile makes the championship significantly less attractive for riders such as Evenepoel and Wellens. Twelve months ago in Binche, Wellens claimed the jersey with a 42-km solo breakaway, with Remco Evenepoel finishing 38 seconds behind in second place. Later in the Tour, Wellens won the 15th stage in Carcassonne with another long solo break of 43 km. Evenepoel secured the time trial title for the second time, having already won the road race at the Belgian Championships in 2023.

Further cancellations ahead of the tour

As well as Remco Evenepoel and Tim Wellens, many other riders are also sitting out their national championships to focus on the Tour de France. Paul Seixas of Decathlon CMA CGM is sitting out the French championships to recover from his crash at the Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes and prepare for his Tour debut. This decision shows that, for many teams, preparation for the Tour de France takes precedence over national title races. In other countries, there is no obligation imposed by the national federation to take part in the national championships, which suits many professionals.