Besides Remco Evenepoel, Wout van Aert will be the great hope for Olympic medals in Tokyo. That seems a certainty after his silver medal at the World Championship time trial in Imola. Main opponent Victor Campenaerts was only eighth. “I have shown that I can aim for both the time and the road race in Tokyo,” says Van Aert clearly and clearly.
Too bad for Victor Campenaerts, who put the time trial in Belgium on the map. Without accidents, not he, but Wout van Aert will be at the start of the Olympic time trial in Tokyo next year. The world hour record holder finished eighth in Imola yesterday, his competitor Van Aert took silver. And that without specific preparation because of his participation in the Tour.
Campenaerts, who has already admitted that he was less well off, feels the storm looming. Even though in theory he still has a chance. Who will receive the second ticket for the time trial, will not be officially announced by the cycling association until June 2021. “If the deadline was today, it was a done deal,” says technical director Frederik Broché. “But we will also consider the results of 2021. However, Victor is a realist. Just as he understood that there was nothing more in this World Cup than this place of honor, he also realizes that an Olympic ticket will not be easy for him. ”