The Sporza duo started out on a private starting podium at Knokke-Heist Beach. Jose de Coeur with a racing bike, Renate with an electric bike. “If I get the control from the UCI, I’m in trouble,” laughs Rinat.
Anyway, the starting point is nice. Rinat Schot lyric about it: “A walk from the sea on the embankment, then through the center of Knokke towards reclaimed land to end in the city of my heart, Bruges.”
Unlike the area around Leuven, where the World Cup is held on the road, the course here is billiards. De Cauwer sees no point in that: “Flatness makes it beautiful too. They’ll have to do it with the wind.”
Schott: “The mental aspect can’t be underestimated here due to the endless succession of long pieces. You have to get in your head to get that.”
to swallow the pain.”
Renaat Schotte barely makes it to the end in Bruges, his battery is completely empty. “This is Jose de Cauwer’s fault,” he says. “De Cauwer forced me to use the battery to the maximum while cycling. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be able to follow it.”
On Sunday, Wout van Aert and Remco Evenepoel have to do it for Belgium. Both Jose and Renate trust him.
Cocommentator De Cauwer: “The Wout has a good reputation and works very well, Remco gets better every day and is the king of aerodynamics.”
“It wasn’t his track straight away, but he wasn’t in Alkmaar either. There he became European champion. I think we should come home with at least one medal.”
Renaat Schotte also thinks: “As it looks now, you’ll have headwinds for most of the track. That’s in the interest of guys with the best aerodynamics. Remco Evenepoel plays in that category.”
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