Alpecin-Premier Tech team boss Christoph Roodhooft has set a marker for the rest of the field on the morning of the elite men’s road race. His pitch to the peloton is blunt: dropping Mathieu van der Poel on the Mont Royal circuit is not something anyone should count on.

“Mathieu has to keep a lot of riders in mind, but a lot of riders also have to keep Mathieu in mind,” Roodhooft told In de Leiderstrui. “It’s not easy for anyone to just drop Mathieu van der Poel somewhere on this course.”

The 273.7km race in Montreal takes the peloton through 12 laps of a 13.4km circuit around Mont Royal built around the Voie Camillien-Houde climb, with 3,803 metres of climbing to sort out the rainbow jersey.

‘A lot of riders have to keep Mathieu in mind’

Roodhooft’s confidence is anchored in the way Van der Poel finished his build-up. On the final stage of the Škoda Tour de Luxembourg last weekend, the Dutchman rode away from the peloton with 174km still to race and won by more than a minute over Mikkel Frølich Honoré. Van der Poel afterwards said the solo had not been planned and that he had “incredible legs” once he found himself off the front.

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“I think it was especially nice for Mathieu to end his last race before the World Championships this way,” Roodhooft said. “The mental aspect is very important.”

Roodhooft also pointed to the climbers’ hopes on a course with 3,803 metres of vertical.

“Mathieu is at his ideal weight, his lowest weight. He’s been keeping an eye on it.”

12 laps of Mont Royal without Pogačar

The Alpecin director is stepping into a race that has been reshaped by an absence. Two-time defending champion Tadej Pogačar is not on the start line in Montreal after a crash at the Vuelta a España ended his season, an injury that leaves the Worlds “without the rider everyone else would have organised their road race around”, as Cyclingnews put it.

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Tour Magazin’s preview identifies Remco Evenepoel, Paul Seixas and Isaac del Toro as the three names that stand out most clearly, with Wout van Aert, Van der Poel and Juan Ayuso in the next tier. Asked whether the French teenager Seixas would ride for Evenepoel, Roodhooft grinned at the maths.

“Will Seixas tailor his race to Evenepoel? Yes, that’s what makes it fun.”

Roodhooft knows the Camillien-Houde climb, twelve times, is the one variable he cannot fully game-plan.

“That’s true, but uphill it evens things out a lot. At some point, you’re really put to the test. How you feel on the day will be the deciding factor in everything.”

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Van der Poel last won the elite road race title in Glasgow in 2023. The race in Montreal is scheduled to start at 9am local time.

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