Title: Olympic Selection Leaked: Vanthourenhout Leaves Top Riders at Home
Belgium’s national coach, Sven Vanthourenhout, has not yet revealed his selection for the Olympic Games. This means that Belgium is one of the few favorites whose riders we still do not know who will compete for gold in Paris.
Van Aert and Evenepoel as Team Leaders
Earlier this year, Vanthourenhout mentioned that he planned to announce his selection for the Games at the end of May or the beginning of June. However, the crashes of Remco Evenepoel and Wout van Aert have caused the Belgian coach to wait until their injuries are healed.
There is a high chance now that both Evenepoel and Van Aert will participate in the Tour de France. If they come out of the race unscathed, we will already know the two team leaders of the Belgian selection. This leaves two spots open for other riders to potentially join the team.
Strong Support Riders Left Behind
Vanthourenhout stated that he would announce his final selection on June 25th, but the French newspaper, La Dernière Heure, believes they already know the identities of the other two riders. It is rumored to be Tiesj Benoot and Jasper Stuyven.
As a result, other top riders will miss out on the opportunity. This includes Jasper Philipsen, who is likely to participate in the European Championships in Limburg this year. Arnaud De Lie and Maxim Van Gils are also among those who will not be going to the Olympics.