CyclingUpToDate Podcast - "I see a huge parallel with Pogacar and Vingegaard in terms of Evenepoel and Ganna"
Cycling
The 2026 World Championships time trial has opened the way for Remco Evenepoel to make history as the first rider to win four world titles in a row. On the CyclingUpToDate Podcast, Rúben Silva and Gavin Quinn have analyzed the outcome and compared Evenepoel's dominance to that of Tadej Pogacar.
The reigning Olympic, European and World Champion revalidated his title in Montréal, benefiting from a course where he managed to perform at his very best. Despite being mostly pan-flat, he managed to put in serious time on the likes of Filippo Ganna and Paul Seixas - who joined him on the podium.
"Yeah he's definitely now, without a doubt, among the kind of pantheon of greatest time trialists of all time - if there ever was any doubt even before yesterday's performance," Quinn argued on this Monday's podcast episode.
The race saw Evenepoel rule with an iron fist from start to finish, not giving as much as an ounce of hope towards his rivals.
"He said himself he thought he overpaced from the beginning but said his legs were in great shape, and it's just not a surprise more than anything like he is the king at this discipline."
Evenepoel compared to Tadej Pogacar
Evenepoel has won every single time trial world title since 2023 now, making it four in a row for the Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe. In second place was Filippo Ganna, as was the case also in 2023 and 2024.
"I do believe that Ganna is approximately the same rider of the same quality as he used to be when he was winning the rainbow jersey," Silva argued. "Just Evenepoel has taken it up a notch that no one else can match."
In a regular flat time trial, it's been years since Evenepoel has been defeated. And his last defeat in a non-mountain time trial was at the 2025 Tour de Romandie, almost two and a half years ago.
The comparison between Evenepoel's dominance in the discipline and Pogacar's on the road has been notable.
"We speak of Pogacar: 'When is he going to not win the Tour de France at his very best level, and sometimes it feels like a conversation where "Well, I don't know because has anyone reached the level that he currently has right now historically speaking? Maybe not.''
"It feels like for Pogacar to be beaten there, and for Evenepoel to be beaten in this kind of event, we're going to need a new figure. It can't be anything that we've ever seen before."
For the time being, there appears to be no rival for Evenepoel against the clock.
"I see a huge parallel with Pogacar and Vingegaard in terms of Evenepoel and Ganna," Quinn argued. "In a way, like, both Vingegaard and Ganna are basically the best of their craft with everybody else, but they have one rider just a complete level and unimaginable level above basically when it comes to what they can do."
Remco Evenepoel at the top step of the world championships' podium
Marlen Reusser revalidates rainbow jersey
In the women's race in the meantime, Marlen Reusser also revalidated her title, beating Zoe Bäckstedt, who rose from the under-23 level over the past year.
"I expected the Marlen Reusser win, and I can even proudly say I expected it after the first intermediate point in which I believe Zoe Bäckstedt was actually in the lead," Silva stated.
"But at the finish line, 40 seconds, that's a commanding win. There's really been no doubt there, was there?"
Quinn agreed, with the veteran ruling over the 39-kilometer-long course in Montréal. "There was obviously a lot of talk about Zoe coming into this because, you know, stepping up from under 23s, first kind of go at the elite time trial... And yeah, she put in a massive ride."
Read also
"But Marlen Reusser, never in doubt, really." The Briton still finished second, grabbing a silver medal to the tally at her first elite attempt at the title. But the win was swiftly obtained by Reusser, who paced herself throughout the effort to make the difference in the final third.
"When you really look at the pacing strategy and the way she rode that time trial... She got through the first kind of open and technical section pretty well. No major incidents but also not losing major time."
"And in that middle section, that long section, it just benefits her so much, right? Like such a powerful rider and like on the race track, etc..."
Rúben SilvaEditor-in-Chief
A founding contributor to CyclingUpToDate since its launch in January 2022, Ruben Silva has played a central role in shaping the site’s editorial direction and long-term growth. Before joining the project, he built his experience through independent blogging at Echelons Hub and by producing race previews for Ciclismo Internacional, developing a strong analytical voice rooted in daily engagement with professional cycling.
Beyond editorial work, he has been closely involved in the expansion and coordination of CyclingUpToDate’s wider network, helping establish and support sister platforms across multiple languages. This includes ongoing collaboration with CiclismoAlDia (Spanish), CiclismoAtual (Portuguese), WielrennenUpToDate (Dutch), and RadsportAktuell (German), contributing to a shared editorial vision and consistent international coverage.
He also helps oversee editorial governance across the network, setting standards for accuracy and consistency and coordinating updates or corrections when needed.
Originally from the Porto metropolitan area in Portugal, he holds a bachelor’s degree in Geography. His path into cycling journalism was shaped not through formal media training, but through independent reporting, community engagement, and sustained on-the-ground involvement in the sport.
Over the course of his career, he has conducted approximately 100 interviews across road cycling and cyclocross, ranging from one-to-one conversations and online formats to press conferences and on-site pre- and post-race coverage. His interviews include leading riders, team managers, and prominent figures within cycling media: Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, Mathieu van der Poel, Primoz Roglic, Wout van Aert, Joao Almeida and Tom Pidcock; managers like Patrick Lefevere and Joxean Matxin; and YouTube personality Bryan Kennedy (BKXC)...
Within 18 months of launch, he helped grow CyclingUpToDate’s English-language platform into one of the most-read cycling news websites, built entirely from the ground up. As both a professional journalist and lifelong cycling enthusiast, his focus remains on delivering accurate, timely, and well-contextualized coverage.
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- How broke is visma now? wtf they cant even fight moviestar and decathlon for riders and lose both their mid targets based on their budget and they cant even get those? Crazy...:/miguel13-10-2026
- TT But he won by a minute so he could have cut down on some of it
Rafionain-Glas13-10-2026 - weight is measurable. power is measurable. So why didn't he prepare that way from the TDF if he wanted to beat Pogi and after Pogi wasn't going to be there, to win.abstractengineer13-10-2026
- I hope Thibau and Tibor don't do the sameRafionain-Glas13-10-2026
- Seixas is exactly what I would like Pogi to be mentally and in his statements. Both come across as shy and who don't talk much but with Seixas, you can see that he enjoys success, that it boosts his ego, unlike Pogačar who seems to feel increasingly uncomfortable the more he wins. He's won so many times, people are saying he's boring. The french media hate him for winning so much, the french cycling fans are booing him... etc. etc. But remember one thing, Seixas will never physically reach Pogi's level. He's excellent, but he isn't at that level nor will ever be. His talking to the media, his relationship with people is already at a high level.PogiSloFans13-10-2026
- Paul Seixas is now the second-best rider in the world.megasmacky13-10-2026
- When will they start dropping Pogi? Oh yeah, when Pogi reaches 40+ years, that's when young cyclists will start dropping him. But until then... eat your hearts out and cry. Pogi will remain the G.O.A.T. for years to come. Capish?PogiSloFans13-10-2026
- I figure he would have found out how to outsprint Paul and take the win, maybe. He's 28 now but I would say he's right at the peak of his powers. It was great race though, Paul showed me something different about himself.awp13-10-2026
- Slowly, very slowly... 5-7 yrs. ;)MajorPayne13-10-2026
- Up to this point: "It is just not yet at the level of Vingegaard and Pogacar." First Jonas, and then level of Tadej. Period!MajorPayne13-10-2026
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