The winner’s flash interview was interrupted yesterday in Gavere by a screaming young fan: “Remco, you raced well!” Not a word of a lie, because Evenepoel stood head and shoulders above the rest. Just under half a minute ahead of number two Yves Lampaert, home rider Victor Campenaerts had to give up more than a minute and a half in third place.
Evenepoel did it with ‘negative splits’: he completed the round faster and faster. From 13’31” to 13’27” and the last lap even in 13’24”. Well laid out, that is. “I mainly rode a very even time trial,” he said. “Pretty perfect actually.”
The greatest moment of animosity came after a mile and a half, when Evenepoel’s drinking bottle popped out of the holder on a speed bump. In a temperature of just under thirty degrees he had to drive 33 kilometers without drinking. “I was already shaking my head,” said Evenepoel. “I thought: this is not going to be him today† But after two or three kilometers I was able to let go. I focused on my Garmin (wattagemeter, red.)† Not on my dry mouth.”
© BELGA
Mentally more stable
It has often been written this year: there is a new Evenepoel that is mentally more stable through life. Victories are still accompanied by great emotions – on stage he took the microphone himself yesterday to thank his family for the support and also mentioned his crash in Lombardy, now more than a year and a half ago. “That should not be forgotten,” said Evenepoel. Conversely, setbacks are apparently less severe. The Tour of Switzerland was disappointing uphill, but despite that disappointment he did win the final time trial and five days later he is now also Belgian champion against the clock. “There are still setbacks, but I continue to believe in myself,” said Evenepoel.
He is confident: when a journalist suggested that after the European title of 2019 and the Belgian title, the world title in time trial should also follow, Evenepoel completely agreed: “I want to get the three jerseys, yes. I am very passionate about that. I have two now. The rainbow jersey is a very big goal.”
There was also a joke with the typical Evenepoel swagger about the upcoming championship on the road next Sunday. He normally doesn’t stand a chance on the flat course of Middelkerke, but he himself is not so sure: “I already rode a good time trial today. Maybe I can drive one more on Sunday. Is Van Aert not participating? I didn’t know, but that changes a lot. Then Jumbo-Visma has to ride full against the sprinter teams. That is good for us.”
© GOYVAERTS/GMAX AGENCY
It’s not all big talk. As a time trialist, Evenepoel is now the world champion that everyone always suspected in him. As he himself said: “I have ridden five time trials this year. I win three of those and finish second twice. I have only been cycling for five years, but I feel that I am becoming more stable.”
His outspoken ambitions have wanted to turn against him in the past, but in the meantime there is also self-criticism. Evenepoel himself mentioned his biggest point of action: “As a lap cyclist I now master the time trial very well. It comes down to working on the climbing. The Vuelta is the next step in that regard.”
Mutual patience
The question is whether Evenepoel is in the right environment within the Quick-Step team to develop to the fullest. After the disappointing Tour of Switzerland, his ‘entourage’ would no longer be convinced of this, the newspaper reported this week. A message that Evenepoel did not contradict, but nuanced. “Just as the team is patient with me, I must be patient with them. Patrick always told me that 2022 would be a transition year. Next season there will be with the new main sponsor (Soudal, red.) more budget. Where will that go? To everything: internships, support, the medical. We can learn a lot from Jumbo-Visma, Bora or Ineos. It’s just not easy to get there a lot inside information to get over.”
With a contract until the end of 2026, a rift between Quick-Step and Evenepoel is not yet immediate. The Belgian time trial title confirms that they can bring out the best in each other. “That gives me the most pleasure”, concluded Evenepoel. “On a technical course, we put in a very nice performance with the whole team.”
© Geert De Rycke
