Serge Pauwels, the Belgian cycling team selector, has announced the squad for the 2027 UCI Road World Championships, which will be held in Montreal from September 20 to 27, 2027. The team will be led by Remco Evenepoel, the 2022 world champion, who is expected to be one of the main contenders for victory. With Tadej Pogacar, the reigning world champion, absent, Evenepoel is seen as a strong favorite, especially in the individual time trial, where he has won the past three editions. However, he will share leadership with Wout van Aert, another experienced rider who may be seeking a final chance to win a world title. The Belgian team for the Elite Road Races at the UCI Road World Championships includes Remco Evenepoel, Wout van Aert, Tiesj Benoot, Quinten Hermans, Thibau Nys, Alec Segaert, Maxim Van Gils, and Gianni Vermeersch. The selection comes after some internal tensions within the team following the 2021 World Championships in Belgium. At that event, Julian Alaphilippe won his second world title, but the Belgian team only managed a fourth-place finish. Evenepoel, who was part of the team at the time, criticized the national team coach, Sven Vanthourenhout, for unclear race strategy. Van Aert, however, expressed regret over Evenepoel's comments, suggesting that the issue was with the team's overall strategy, not his own. Wout van Aert, who last competed in the World Championships in 2023, will reunite with Evenepoel for this event. In recent years, Evenepoel has often taken a more aggressive approach in major races, such as launching attacks far from the finish line in the 2022 World Championships and the 2024 Olympic road race. This strategy has helped him secure victories, and it will be intriguing to see if he repeats it in Montreal. With Pogacar out of the picture, the pressure is likely to fall on the Belgian riders, and Pauwels will need to carefully balance the roles of Evenepoel and Van Aert, both of whom are aiming for the coveted rainbow jersey. Evenepoel has been preparing for the event with a mix of rest and high-altitude training in Livigno, Italy, where he trained alongside Mathieu van der Poel, who will also compete in Montreal. With Pogacar's early exit from the season, Evenepoel has a strong opportunity to add more titles to his resume, including the European Championships and the Tour of Lombardy. Meanwhile, Van Aert followed a different path, recovering from a shoulder injury after the Tour de France and also participating in a high-altitude training camp in Livigno. He has shown strong form in recent races, including two stage wins at the Tour of Spain, and appears to be in good shape for the World Championships. Van Aert previously finished second in the GP of Montreal in 2022, losing out to Pogacar, and may be aiming for a better result this time.