Sure, Belgian ace Remco Evenepoel grabbed another rainbow jersey to add to his collection in Montreal, his fourth, but he also wanted to double up and take the road race on Sunday. The time trial superstar sure likes doubling up—he did so at the Olympics with a time trial dub and a spectacular road race win in Paris. Well, he has another chance to add a major championship title to his already crowded palmarès.

Evenepoel’s Euro champs team

The Belgian heads to Sunday’s European continental championships in Slovenia as the leader of a strong national team. Although he tried to animate the race at the end, it was clear his legs weren’t as good as he wanted—he ended up 12th, behind American winner Brandon McNulty. Although the travel probably isn’t ideal—coming back from North America—many of his peers will be in the same boat. Evenepoel taking the white, blue and yellow jersey would be a nice little consolation prize.

The course

The 196.3-km race starts in Ljubljana before heading north toward the finish in Šenčur. The opening 85 km are relatively flat, but things get considerably spicier once the riders hit the finishing circuit.

The key obstacle is Mozjanca, a 2.1-km climb averaging 10.2 per cent, with ramps reaching 16 per cent. Riders will tackle it five times, although the summit comes 14 km from the finish, leaving plenty of room for a late chase or counterattack.

Primož Roglič leads the Slovenian squad, while Italy brings Giulio Ciccone and Giulio Pellizzari. Juan Ayuso and Kévin Vauquelin are also among the names to watch. Another rider that could do well (he came out of nowhere in Montreal and was in the chase, finishing sixth) is former world champion Mads Pedersen from Denmark.

Yeah, there’s no Pogi, for real

Oh, and speaking of Slovenians, despite some now completely debunked reports from Spain, there is no Tadej Pogačar on the start list. Mauro Gianetti already dismissed the two articles as being incorrect and, despite the fact that the former world champion may have wanted to race—he rode outside once again on Sunday—it’s still too early and his season is officially over.

FloBikes.com is broadcasting the European championships, too.

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