With the throne (momentarily) vacant of the Sovereign Tadej, how has Montreal interpreted this surge of democracy that pervades the peloton? The typically unbeatable challenge has become a possible dream.

L'Équipe has played its trump card. Yes indeed, 7 pages dedicated to the Montreal World Championship, with that single-topic cover featuring a photomontage of all the favorites. Evenepoel leads the pack, but in the image - and not only there - Seixas looms large. Our French cousins have chosen the effective expression of "Tourbillon" to explain, in their preview, the incredible fervor surrounding the conquest of the rainbow jersey. The French are looking into the noble Belgian henhouse, recalling the difficult cohabitation between Remco and Van Aert, a delicate matter when referring to Leuven 2021 and the 2024 Olympic Games. Attesting to maximum harmony between Voeckler and Seixas, the French daily does not forget an illustrious name: Del Toro.

In the Gazzetta, Elisa Longo Borghini's bronze earns itself a front-page mention and it's well deserved, not without an explicit citation dedicated to Remco, because on Belgian Radio frequencies the captain has issued a stentorian and threatening proclamation against his rivals. Corriere della Sera: "Without Pogacar the World Championship seeks a king, the race is a puzzle but the favorite is Evenepoel". "Evenepoel is the favorite but without the King even Italy has hope" headlines Repubblica, relying on the words of Roberto Amadio, the national coach who stated: "We want a medal, we can fight for it". A point also emphasized by Giulio Pellizzari in the lengthy interview he gave to Il Giornale: "Without Pogacar the race is wide open and I won't back down".